Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine: Medieval Power Couple
Tudors Dynasty & Beyond
RedTop Media / Rebecca Larson
4.4 • 869 Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 76 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In this episode of Rebecca & Friends, I’m joined by historian and author Matt Lewis to explore one of the most powerful—and complicated—couples of the Middle Ages: Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Their marriage in 1152 created an empire that stretched from England to the Pyrenees, but ruling that empire was anything but simple. Together we dig into the personalities behind the power. Was Henry II really the tireless administrator history remembers—or was he sometimes a lazy king who left much of the heavy lifting to men like Thomas Becket? And what about Eleanor—was she truly the rebellious, difficult wife she’s often portrayed as, or might she have been a far better partner and political ally than later stories suggest?
From political gambles and court culture to rebellion and reputation, we unpack the myths and realities behind a royal marriage that shaped medieval Europe.
Join us as we take a closer look at the power, passion, and conflict that defined Henry and Eleanor’s extraordinary partnership.
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Listen to Matt on Gone Medieval and Echoes of History podcasts!
Check out Matt's books on Amazon.
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Host: Rebecca Larson
Guest: Matthew Lewis
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What I've dedicated my life to is revenge. |
| 0:04.7 | A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel. |
| 0:07.5 | They think they're better than us. |
| 0:08.5 | Who do you think you are? |
| 0:09.8 | I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong. |
| 0:11.5 | She's punishing me. |
| 0:13.0 | You destroyed my family. |
| 0:14.3 | I will not rest until I've destroyed yours. |
| 0:17.0 | A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9. |
| 0:21.6 | This is the Tudors Dynasty and Beyond podcast. |
| 0:25.5 | History with a Twist. |
| 0:27.4 | And now your host, Rebecca Larson. |
| 0:31.5 | Hello and welcome back to the show. |
| 0:33.8 | I'm your host Rebecca Larson. |
| 0:35.6 | And well, look who's back. |
| 0:37.1 | It's Matt Lewis. Welcome. Can't get rid of me now, can you? I'm your host, Rebecca Larson, and well, look who's back. It's Matt Lewis. Welcome. |
| 0:39.4 | Can't get rid of me now, can you? I'm sorry. You're like a bad rash, right? Yeah, keep taking |
| 0:45.4 | the antibiotics and I might go away. Well, we have to finish the story where we left off last week, |
| 0:52.7 | because I, you know know last week we talked about |
| 0:55.8 | Matilda and Stephen basically the focus was Matilda but there was a lot of |
| 0:59.5 | Stephen too and it helped us really understand what was going on at the time |
| 1:04.0 | Stephen wasn't really the bad guy that we think he was that was probably the |
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