As frost immobilizes the ground and chill winds blow, I think of cold castles
and harsh rulers—which brings to mind the medieval period, and one of my
favorite historical characters. In an era where women were chattels disposed of
by fathers and husbands, to use wits and beauty and sheer drive to carve out a
place of power and prominence is truly amazing, and Alienor (Eleanor) of
Aquitaine did just that. Heiress to the wealthiest duchy in France, wife of two
kings, mother of two more, loved, betrayed, and imprisoned by Henry for treason,
her life would be considered romantic hyperbole—if it weren’t true.
Beginning with the most recent novel, one full of “intimate” detail, we have
BELOVED ENEMY: THE PASSIONS OF
ELEANOR OF ACQUITAINE (QUEENS OF LOVE AND WAR BOOK 2) by Ellen Jones.
Beginning the tale in 1130, with an eight-year-old Alienor dealing with the
death of her mother and brother, it moves forward to June 1137, when her father
dies, leaving her Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitou. Swept into an
unhappy marriage with King Louis VII of France, eventually an annulment is
procured, allowing her to wed her lover and love of her life, Henry of Anjou,
Duke of Normandy. Henry triumphs in his battle for the throne, and together
they make a magnificent King and Queen of England. But as years pass and
children are born, difficulties arise over Henry’s bastard son Geoffrey and with
his former friend Thomas Becket, who takes his responsibilities as
newly-appointed Archbishop of Canterbury very seriously. Sustained by her love
for the man who treats her as queen and equal, Alienor stands by Henry in his
trials, until, wearied by it all, she retreats at the end of this novel to
Aquitaine.
Jones concludes her story in GILDED CAGES: THE TRIAL OF ELEANOR OF AQUITANE (QUEENS OF
LOVE AND WAR BOOK 3.) As Henry wrestles with the opposition of Thomas Becket
and scandal ensues, Alienor continues to love and support her husband. But when
she discovers he has betrayed her in an affair with a beautiful younger woman—a
woman he admits he loves—her broken heart and wounded pride lead her to support
her sons and oppose her husband.
Two veteran historical novelists also give us views of Alienor. Elizabeth
Chadwick’s THE SUMMER
QUEEN: A NOVEL OF ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE also begins her story with Alienor as
a young girl, catapulted by the death of her father at age thirteen into the
most prized heiress in Christendom. Sent to Paris to marry a prince who soon
becomes King, she must adapt and survive in the treacherous, scandalous world of
the French Court. A disaffected husband, rumors of being barren, a journey to
the Second Crusade all lead to the end of the marriage—and the arrival of the
young, fascinating Henri of Anjou.
Chadwick continues Alienor’s story in A WINTER CROWN: A NOVEL OF
ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE. In this volume we find the familiar and tragic story of
THE LION IN WINTER—the Queen who demands to share power with her husband…the
woman whose love is destroyed by scandal and infidelity. Embittered and
increasingly distanced from her royal husband, Alienor seeks to band with her
sons to recover power and influence…with devastating results.
The last book of Chadwick’s trilogy, THE AUTUMN THRONE, deals
with her life after the death of Henry. Maneuvering behind the throne, she
secures a bride for her favored son Richard, seeks to block the traitorous plots
of his brother John, and positions the kingdom she has ruled for so long for
greatness and prosperity in the future.
Acclaimed historical novelist Sharon Kay Penman also
gifts us with a trilogy about this period. Although she does describe the early
years of Henry and Alienor in the first volume, WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT, that book mostly focuses
on the battle between Maud and her cousin Stephen for the throne of England. It
is her second volume, TIME AND
CHANCE, that brings us into the heart of the marriage between Henry and
Alienor, beginning after the birth of their five sons and three daughters. If
dissention in Wales, struggles with her first husband Louis VII, and the epic
battle between the power of church and state that pits Henry against former good
friend Thomas Becket, now Archbishop of Canterbury, weren’t enough to
destabilize their relationship and the throne, the beginning of Henry’s affair
with baron’s daughter Rosamund Clifford signals the end of both the love story
and the partnership.
The third book of her trilogy, DEVIL’S BROOD, carries the tumultuous relationship into the
final years, when Alienor bands with her sons against her husband. While her
husband seeks to subdue Ireland, Alienor takes over the governing of Aquitaine
and the upbringing of her family. With Hal crowned as King in his father’s
absence, her favorite Richard designated as future Duke of Aquitaine, her son
Geoffrey marrying a woman of ambition and cunning, Alienor must balance the
demands of being mother and queen as she tries to guide England into the next
generation.
Finally, for a very different take on Alienor as Queen and patroness of the
arts, we have SONG AT DAWN:
1150 IN PROVENCE (TROUBADOUR QUARTET BOOK 1) by Jean Gill. Although the other
books in this series follow the further adventures of its heroine, Estela, a
gifted musician whose talent wins her a place at the court of the Queen of
France, the first gives us an expanded view of the pre-Henry Alienor. In her
quest to establish herself as the foremost lady of Europe and promoter of the
cult of “Courtly Love,” Alienor brings her musician with her on a visit to
Ermengarde, Viscomtesse of Narbonne, where heroine Estela meets her hero, knight
and troubadour Dragonetz. Before they set off on their adventures, the reader
is treated to a fascinating picture of the rivalry between these two powerful
historical rulers, each of whom must deal with jealous courtiers, misogynist
church officials, and the problems created by weak and inept husbands.
(For those who become fascinated by Estela, Gill continues her story in BLADESONG: 1151 IN THE HOLY
LAND and PLAINT FOR PROVENCE: 1152 LES BAUX; one assumes there will be another
volume forthcoming to complete the quartet.)
Ready to settle into a chair with a warm drink and immerse yourself in the lives
and loves of this fascinating lady? What better time than the cold midwinter?
Real, intense, passionate historical romance
After twelve years as a vagabond Navy wife, an adventure that took her from
Virginia Beach, VA, to Monterrey, CA, to Tunis, Tunisia to Oslo, Norway and
back, Julia Justiss followed her husband to his family's East Texas
homeland. On a hill above a pond with a view of pasture land, they built an
English Georgian-style home. Sitting at her desk there, if she ignores the
summer heat, she can almost imagine herself in Jane Austen's Regency
England.
In between teaching high school French and making jaunts to visit
her three children (a Seabee in Gulfport, MS, a clothing buyer in Houston and a
mechanical engineer in Austin, TX) she pursues her first love—writing
historical fiction.
Series: Regency Silk & Scandal | Hadley’s Hellions | Ransleigh Rogues
Hadley's Hellions
#2
She would rather burn in his presence than pine in his absence
Faith Wellingford Evers, Duchess of Ashedon, is tired of society's endless
gossiping about her failings and her late husband's infidelities. Seeking escape
one night, she's attacked by ruffians, but is saved by an unlikely figure from
her past!
Having risen from penniless orphan to Member of Parliament, David Tanner
Smith is no longer the quiet boy Faith once knew. With the first spine-tingling
kiss, their old friendship is transformed. And in its place is an explosive mix
of illicit encounters and forbidden desire…
Romance Historical
[Harlequin Historical Romance, On Sale: August 23,
2016, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780373298969 / eISBN: 9781488004339]
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