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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Alison weir is such a good historian! Her writing is great. I did find this one slower and more flowery than I usually do but that could have been reader error rather than reality. I do wish there had been less about the men in Eleanor’s life, which is my biggest complaint. I know they’re important and we have more sources for them than her, so it makes sense to contextual our her life through theirs but I really wanted to know more about her specifically. I think weir did a balanced job portraying Eleanor through her life though, and noting rumors and myths versus truth. Definitely an excellent biography
7/10 Stars. A historical look at the remarkable and often scandalous Eleanor of Aquitaine. This books presents the known facts of Eleanor's life, personality, family, and gives a glimpse into twelfth century life as well. Although not a lot was written about Eleanor during her lifetime and few of her letters survive, what does survive gives us a small glimpse into this incredible woman's life and Alison Weir presents it as accurately as possible. Legends and rumors are discussed, their plausibility determined. Eleanor was a fascinating woman, certainly what we would today consider a feminist, even more incredible since she lived 850+ years ago. Definite read for anyone interested in history.
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
Eleanor was born sometime around 1124 in France. Her father was William X, Duke of Aquitaine. She received tutoring, as most of the nobility did. She learned history and mathematics, as well as household skills. She was very capable at games of chess and cards. She married Louis VII of France in 1137. Eleanor was not popular with the people because she was lively, loud, spoiled, and crass. She told inappropriate stories and jokes, but she was well liked by Louis. Unfortunately, they had some fundamental differences regarding religion and the Crusades. She had also not provided him with a male heir, and the powers that be worked out an annulment based on too close of a familial relationship.
After her marriage to Louis VII ended, she married Henry II, who turned out to be her third cousin. Henry II eventually became King of England. During this marriage, she had five sons and three daughters. According to some accounts, they did not have a good relationship with each other, but Henry was an insufferable person in his own right. There were a lot of affairs during this time. She was also imprisoned for sixteen years due to her personality and actions. I think that is absolutely criminal, but times were very different then. She was finally freed when Henry II died in 1189. She died in 1204, aged 82.
This book was great. It was pretty short, which I appreciated. It sometimes gets tedious reading huge massive thousand page biographies. This one had enough information conveyed that you learned a lot about the life and times of the subject, but short enough that keeping interest was simple. I very much enjoy the work of this author, and highly recommend her work.
After her marriage to Louis VII ended, she married Henry II, who turned out to be her third cousin. Henry II eventually became King of England. During this marriage, she had five sons and three daughters. According to some accounts, they did not have a good relationship with each other, but Henry was an insufferable person in his own right. There were a lot of affairs during this time. She was also imprisoned for sixteen years due to her personality and actions. I think that is absolutely criminal, but times were very different then. She was finally freed when Henry II died in 1189. She died in 1204, aged 82.
This book was great. It was pretty short, which I appreciated. It sometimes gets tedious reading huge massive thousand page biographies. This one had enough information conveyed that you learned a lot about the life and times of the subject, but short enough that keeping interest was simple. I very much enjoy the work of this author, and highly recommend her work.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I haven't read much about Eleanor, but found Alison Weir's account very interesting. It is a shame that there is not a lot written about her, as the evidence isn't there to give, what I feel would be a more comprehensive accounts. Weir is a very good writer and makes the information she does research about Eleanor very informative. Weir writes about some controversial 'allegations' about Eleanor in such a way that is very interesting to read. I will definitely read more of Alison's work!
There doesn't seem to be much information about Eleanor herself due to the misogynistic attitudes of chroniclers of the time. This book was therefore mostly about her husbands and sons, but I still enjoyed it.
Too little of Eleanor and too much of jer husbands and sons.