Eleanor Janega on Eleanor of Aquitaine | Dan Snow's History Hit
Dan Snow's History Hit Video Podcasts
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55m
Eleanor of Aquitaine: The most powerful medieval queen who shaped the Plantagenet dynasty and built the Angevin Empire. A force of nature, Eleanor was twice a queen, first of France and then England, through marriages to King Louis VII and King Henry II. She marched on the Second Crusade leading her own army and later led a rebellion against her own husband. This episode explores how her lands and political influence created a massive European empire and how she navigated the political machinations of the 12th century, ultimately leading to the rise of her sons, including Richard the Lionheart and the infamous King John.
Historian Dr. Eleanor Janega, host of the Gone Medieval podcast, joins the podcast to detail the life of her namesake, examining the court culture of Aquitaine, the disaster of the Second Crusade, the shocking divorce that led to her marrying the King of England, and her eventual imprisonment. The discussion covers the lives of her famous and dysfunctional sons, the young Henry, Richard the Lionheart, Geoffrey, and John, and how her political acumen was the glue that held the unwieldy Angevin Empire together until her death.
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