Eleanor of Aquitaine & Fontevrault Abbey
Eleanor of Aquitaine Gallery
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Once her husband Henry died and her son Richard I Lionheart set out on the Third Crusade, Eleanor of Aquitaine assumed personal control not only of Aquitaine but also England itself, often having to keep her other son John in check. She also was responsible for collecting the massive ransom demanded for Richard's release by Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI.
Eleanor retired to the Abbey of Fontevrault and left management of England and Aquitaine to Richard. Her family had been patrons of Fontevrault for a long time and her ancestors were buried there. After Richard died she had to come out in order to defend John's claims to the throne against her own grandson, Arthur of Brittany.
Once this was complete this Eleanor of Aquitaine retired again and died on March 31, 1204, buried next to both her second husband Henry II and her famous son Richard I. She did not live to see Philip II Augustus conquer much of northern Aquitaine (Anjou, Maine, Normandy), ultimately leading to the end of English possession on the European continent and greatly expanding the territory of France.
