Eleanor of Aquitaine (c. 1122 – 1 April 1204; French: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, pronounced [aljenɔʁ dakitɛn]) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII,[1] Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from 1137 until her death in 1204. As the heiress of the House of Poitiers, which controlled much of southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. She was a patron of poets such as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn. She was a key leading figure in the Second Crusade.
Eleanor was the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and Aénor de Châtellerault. She became duchess upon her father's death in April 1137, and three months later she married Louis, son of her guardian King Louis VI of France. A few weeks later, Eleanor's father-in-law died and her husband succeeded him as King Louis VII. Eleanor and Louis VII had two daughters, Marie and Alix. Soon afterwards, she sought an annulment of her marriage,[2] but her request was rejected by Pope Eugene III.[3] Eventually, Louis agreed to an annulment, as fifteen years of marriage had not produced a son.[4] The marriage was annulled on 21 March 1152 on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her.
As soon as the annulment was granted, Eleanor became engaged to her third cousin Henry, Duke of Normandy. The couple married on Whitsun, 18 May 1152. Henry and Eleanor became king and queen of England in 1154. They had five sons and three daughters. However, Henry and Eleanor eventually became estranged. Henry imprisoned her in 1173 for supporting the revolt of their eldest son, Henry the Young King, against him. She was not released until 6 July 1189, when her husband died and their third son, Richard I, ascended the throne. As queen dowager, Eleanor acted as regent while Richard went on the Third Crusade.[5] She lived well into the reign of her youngest son, John.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine

--

Dronning Eleonore var mor til Richard Løvehjerte. Som sin sønn og mann, Henrik II, hadde hun en enorm innflytelse på sin samtid, begynnelsen av 1100-tallet. Hun var datter av en hertug i Frankrike, og hun giftet seg med to konger. Hun fikk paven til å annulere det første ekteskapet med franske Ludvig 7., og giftet seg med Henrik, hertugen av Normandie, som senere ble Henrik II. Eleonore hadde gode politiske evner, hun var rik, vakker og hun viste det.

Eleanor av Aquitaine opplevde å være dronning i både Frankrike og England midt på det turbulente 1100-tallet, i tillegg til å delta på korstogene til det hellige land.

Eleanor var gift med den franske kongen Ludvig VII da hun møtte hertugen av Normandie, Henry Plantagenet. Giftemålet ble annullert i 1152, og hun giftet seg senere samme år med Plantagenet, som to år senere tok den britiske tronen under navnet Henrik II. En av hennes sønner med Henrik er en av de mest kjente britiske middelalderkongene, Richard Løvehjerte.

Ifølge manusforfatteren Eleanor har stått rollemodell for en hel rekke moderne kvinnelige maktskikkelser. - Eleanor hadde oppdragende innflytelse på Jacqueline Kennedy, de politiske ferdighetene til Eleanor Roosevelt og Margaret Thatcher, sier manusforfatteren Alan Howard til avisen Variety.

Eleanors forhold til Henry II surnet etter hvert kraftig, og hun støttet sine sønner i deres mislykkede opprør mot faren i 1173. Deretter ble hun satt i husarrest frem til 1185, før hun i stor grad iscenesatte Richards tronovertakelse i 1189. Eleanor skal deretter ha vært en av sønnens viktigste støttespillere i maktkampen mot hennes andre sønn, John, som regjerte England da Richard ble holdt fange under de tredje korstogene i 1190-94.