In 1152, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s marriage to Louis VII was annulled. Her daughters remained in France.
Eight weeks later, Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet.
She brought Aquitaine. Henry held Normandy and Anjou. Two years later, he became King Henry II of England—and Eleanor became queen once again.
Their marriage helped bind Bordeaux to England, beginning one of the most consequential relationships in wine history. English demand would help transform Bordeaux wine from a regional product into an increasingly important international commodity.
But another part of Eleanor’s legacy remained in France.
Her daughter, Marie of Champagne, would become an influential literary patron at a court associated with some of the most enduring ideas of medieval romance.
Next: Part III — Love, Rebellion & The Queen in Captivity
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