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.