History of the Crusades

the Crusades Episode 27, Eleanor of Aquitaine Part 3

Hello again.

Last week we left Queen Eleanor and King Louis in the glorious city of Antioch.

Queen Eleanor was having a brilliant time in Antioch.

King Louis wasn't.

Why? Well, first there was the annoying fact that most people in Antioch spoke

Languidoc, a dialect of French that King Louis didn't speak. Languageoc was the language spoken in aquitane, so Eleanor and her vassals felt right at home

among the Franks in Antioch. She could carry on conversations with her new best friend, her uncle Raymond, Prince of Antioch,

and while her vassals and the locals could follow their conversation, King Louis and his men couldn't.

Then there was the whole Raymond Eleanor relationship.

They were spending an awful lot of time together

and rumors were starting to spread that their friendship had developed to an inappropriate level.

And finally there were Raymond's plans for King Louis and his Crusaders. Ever since Idessa had fallen to the Muslims,

Raymond had been keenly aware of Antioch's vulnerability. He had been itching to take the fight to the Muslims, but he just didn't have the

manpower until now.

Backed by Eleanor, he had been pressuring Louis to gather his men and launch an assault on Aleppo before trying to retake Odessa.

But Louis was having none of it.

His personal priority was to get to Jerusalem and fulfill his

crusading vow and be redeemed of his sins. Eleanor now threw herself into the

conflict between her uncle and her husband.

She advised Louis that if he didn't attack Aleppo, she would stay in Antioch with her vassals and leave King Louis to journey to Jerusalem alone.

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