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History's Heroes

BONUS: Eleanor of Aquitaine: Medieval Queen Supreme Part 2

History's Heroes

BBC

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8824 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Alex von Tunzelmann meets Dr Eleanor Janega to discuss Eleanor of Aquitaine, the extraordinary medieval woman who became Queen of France, then Queen of England. Dr Janega is a broadcaster and historian who was named after the great queen. Looking at key moments in her life, Alex wants to better understand the queen’s real impact on history and, crucially, whether this medieval icon actually had agency.

Stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann Executive Producer: Paul Smith Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.

0:07.0

In 2019, we began investigating the disappearance of Dr. Ruzha Ignatva.

0:14.0

I believe we are a very special network.

0:16.0

A scammer who stole billions from investors around the world.

0:21.4

She's on the FBI's 10 most wanted list.

0:24.5

And now we have some unmissable updates.

0:27.8

She has money and when you have money, you have power.

0:30.6

Join me, Jamie Bartlett, as the hunt for the missing crypto queen continues.

0:35.5

Listen first on BBC Sounds.

0:41.7

Thank you. Missing Crypto Queen continues. Listen first on BBC Sounds. For BBC Radio 4, this is History's Heroes.

0:45.7

People with purpose, brave ideas, and the courage to stand alone.

0:50.0

Thank you. Hello and welcome, I'm Alex von Tunselman.

1:18.7

Now, you may have heard our episode on Eleanor of Aucatine,

1:21.5

the extraordinary medieval woman who became Queen of France, then Queen of England.

1:26.2

She held great power in her own right,

1:28.5

but became one of the smartest and most successful players

1:31.6

of what we might call the real-life Game of Thrones.

1:35.0

First she married Louis, a man who became King of France,

1:38.3

ditched him, then married another man, Henry Duke of Normandy,

1:42.1

who became King Henry II of England. She had

1:45.1

ten children, three of them became kings, two became queens. We're going to take a deeper dive

1:50.8

into her story today, looking at her impact on history, her legacy, and asking whether, as a

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