Eleanor of Aquitaine

This is an outstanding, sharply observed biography written by one of the UK’s foremost specialists in the history of medieval France and its queens. A tour de force combining profound critical analysis with engaging writing, this is the best biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine to date. * Elisabeth van Houts, Honorary Professor of Medieval European History, University of Cambridge *
Who can resist the idea of comparing Eleanor of Aquitaine with Winston Churchill? Not me! Certainly not when the thought comes from Lindy Grant, world-renowned authority on French politics and culture and author of Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, the modern study on Eleanor’s granddaughter and one of France’s greatest queens. * John Gillingham, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, London School of Economics and Political Science *
In a brilliantly conceived and beautifully written book, Lindy Grant provides a powerful and convincing portrait of the most extraordinary woman of her age. By first telling Eleanor’s story and then examining her pedigree and contemporary setting, Grant shows us who Eleanor really was, warts and all, finally freeing us from the tyranny of the Eleanor of Legend. The book is a triumph of the biographer’s art. * Stephen Church, Professor in Medieval Studies, University of Lincoln, and author of King John: England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrant *
Rejecting the rose-tinted, make-believe version of Eleanor, Lindy Grant here tells the queen’s story as it has never been told before. The outcome is not only the best short biography of Eleanor, but of any medieval queen. * Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History, University of East Anglia *