Today's show is sponsored by Audible, the home of over 150,000 audiobooks. To get a free, yes,

free audiobook, go to audibletrial.com forward slash queens and go find yourself something awesome to

listen to today. This week, I'm going to recommend something a little higher brow than last time.

An audiobook from the Great Courses series, medieval heroines in history and legend,

narrated by Bonnie Wheeler. This is a series of lectures on four of the most famous women of the

Middle Ages, Eloise d'Argentai, Joan of Arc, Hildegada Bingen, and, most importantly,

for our story, Eleanor of Akitaine. And it's free when you sign up for a trial membership

at audible trial.com forward slash queens.

And better yet, by doing so, you'll be showing your support for the Queens of England podcast.

Hello and welcome to the Queens of England podcast.

Episode 8, Eleanor of Akitaine, the crusading queen of the French.

I'm going to imagine that most of you, my dear listeners, had not heard of any of the three Matildas and the one Adeliza that I've been talking to you about so far.

These are women that are normally known only by the nerdiest of nerdy history people, and now you lot too.

You're welcome.

Chances are, though, that you will have heard of Eleanor, even if you don't know much about her.

Eleanor of Akitaine squeezed a lot into her 80 years in life.

She was the queen of two kingdoms, mother of three kings of England, of two queens of other kingdoms, led revolts, spent more than a decade in prison, went on crusade, and, well, you'll soon find out.

She's the first of our queens to be famous enough to be in a number of films and TV shows, including most famously in the Line of Winter, played by Catherine Hepburn.

If you want to get ahead, I'd really, really super strongly recommend that you watch that film.

It's superb. I mean, President Bartlett called it his favourite film,

and if the endorsement of a fictional president isn't worth something, then I'm not sure what is.

Now, her life is far too rich and interesting to be kept to just one episode, so currently I'm planning to split it into three. This episode will look at her early life and go on as far as her return to France after the

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