April Queen

Eleanor of Aquitaine

By Douglas Boyd

HISTORY

368 Pages, 5.12 x 7.87

Formats: Trade Paper, EPUB

Trade Paper, $28.99 (US $28.99) (CA $38.99)

Publication Date: April 2011

ISBN 9780752459127

Rights: US & CA

The History Press (Apr 2011)

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Overview

Recreating the turbulent life of one of the most exciting women in European medieval history, this biography reveals her as a peculiarly "modern" queen

Eleanor of Aquitaine was the only person ever to sit on the thrones of both France and England. In this account of the turbulent adventures of the extraordinary mother of Richard the Lionheart and King John, author Douglas Boyd takes us into the heart and mind of the woman who changed the shape of Europe for 300 years by marrying Henry of Anjou to make him England's Henry II. Brought up in the comfort- and culture-loving Mediterranean civilisation of southern France, she was a European with a continent-wide vision and a peculiarly 'modern' woman who rejected the subordinate female role decreed by the Church. In this biography, using French, Old French, Latin and Occitan sources, Douglas Boyd lays bare Eleanor's relationship and vividly brings her world to life.

Reviews

"Densely packed with information yet amiable and easy to read, this is a work of dedication and passion which fans of other Eleanor biographies will want to add to their collection." —The Historical Novels Review

Author Biography

DOUGLAS BOYD was trained as a Russian language snooper on Warsaw Pact air forces, based at a secret RAF SIGINT base in Berlin. He first put his lifelong fascination with history to professional use when scripting and directing historical reconstructions as a BBC Television producer, and he is a well-published author of books such as 'Moscow Rules' and 'The Other First World War'.

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