When we think of the infamous queens of England, some names come to mind, but one rises to the top for the number of black myths and influence surrounding her name: Eleanor of Aquitaine. BERNARD has doubts about the legality of f the marriage; he also clearly thinks that Eleanor is a bad influence on Louis. As it co-incided with my book Elizabeth the Queen the interest it inspired in the era was marvellous but I thought the film was just awful - so many historical inaccuracies.

They discuss the dismal progress of the crusade, then THIERRY, with an extravagant show of reluctance, asks LOUIS if he has heard the rumours about Eleanor. The author does not ‘pick a side,’ but instead asks all of us to revisit our preconceptions of this most inspiring medieval queen.Eleanor of Aquitaine has far outsold my expectations, and I suspect that there are many people who brought the book on the strength of her reputation alone. The action takes place over one Christmas in the 1180s, when Eleanor is summoned from prison to join her feuding husband and sons at Chinon for the festival. As Alison Weir shows in her excellent biography, the Queen and Henry were, in their early years at least, passionate lovers in a royal world of arranged and loveless marriages. Much more engagingly written as you would expect, but equally more given to conjecture, and there feels like a lot of padding along the way.

It also has he advantage of putting Eleanor in context of the role of Queens that came before and after her in England. The book will focus on the personal life of the King and the lives of his courtiers, and will encompass every aspect of Tudor court life, from state banquets to sanitary arrangements, and from Renaissance influences to amorous intrigues. Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly eceptional woman, and provides new insights into her life. In the best medieval tradition, her story was used to ram home a moral lesson, a ploy that was still evident in Agnes Strickland's Lives of the Queens of England (1840-48). What a contribution that would be, not only to our culture but also to our understanding of history.The novel begins with Eleanor’s marriage at thirteen years old to the future King of France and follows her eventful life as she matures through political and marital upheavals and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Between kisses, RAYMOND tells ELEANOR exactly why Louis is mismanaging the crusade, and what he should really be doing.

In 1800, after being moved several times, their remains were translated to Paris, and in 1817, they were buried together in an elaborate sepulchre at Pere Lachaise. One cannot imagine Eleanor of Aquitaine leaving the brave sailors who had fought in the Armada to starve in the streets.Her custodians, bearing in mind the love that the new King, Richard the Lion Heart, had for his mother, and his fearsome reputation, had not demurred when this grand old lady demanded to be set free. Eleanor played a controversial role in her younger years, but her towering reputation rests largely on what she did in her later years. Alison Weir has written a vivid biography which is also an impressive piece of detective work, for she has scrutinised the evidence to produce a credible and balanced account of the life of an extraordinary woman. Producer Kim Poster has contracted Alison Weir, an authority on medieval history, to be the production's historical consultant.