History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 25 Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Hello again.

The last three episodes have been dedicated to specialist topics,

and today we will look at the final specialist topic

before we start on the second crusade. Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor was born in 1122 into a wealthy family and became Eres to one of the

richest domains in medieval Europe. Her family lands covered much of what is now southwestern France, extending

across the county of Poitou and the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony. From the mountainous regions near the Pyrenees and the busy port of Bordeaux, across fertile plains containing vineyards, small walled cities, castles, monasteries and farms, the lands were productive and prosperous.

Eleanor's father was Duke William the 10th and her mother was Duchess Aynor.

When Eleanor was born they decided to name her after her mother, but perhaps they thought

it was too confusing to have two Aynors in the household.

So they came up with a unique solution.

They decided to name their daughter another Aynore, which in their language, Languidoc, was Ailea Anore, which eventually

evolved in to Eleanor.

Eleanor had a privileged childhood marred only by the death of her mother and brother when she was eight years old,

leaving only Eleanor and her younger sister Petronilla as heirs to the family fortune.

The court in which she spent her childhood was unusually sophisticated for its time.

Musicians, troubadours, and poets flourished under its patronage.

Eleanor was given lessons in Latin and even learned how to read,

which was an unusual skill for a girl to possess in medieval times.

She developed a taste for luxury, delighting in fine clothes, and grew up to be an unusually beautiful young woman, probably with reddish brown hair.

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