Eleanor of Aquitaine: Christmas Courts and Coronations (ep 85)

I’m kicking off the holiday season with a quick discussion of one of my favorite Christmas movies…The Lion in Winter!

Host: Carol Ann Lloyd
carolannlloyd.com
@shakeuphistory
Creative Director: Lindsey Lindstrom
Music: Historical Documentary licensed through Audio Jungle/Envato Markets

Though a series of Christmas celebrations, Eleanor developed from being a young girl in Aquitaine to Queen Consort of France, then to wife of the heir to the English throne, then Queen Consort of England and mother of a growing royal family. Even spending 16 Christmases in captivity couldn’t keep Eleanor down, and she joined the family for that famous Christmas court in 1184. After outliving both royal husbands, Eleanor was the center of celebrations through the reign of Richard I, where she used her considerable talents to promote and secure his rule and his reputation. Even in retirement, she continued to carve out a legacy, leaving monuments to the Plantagenet empire that would change the face of England and Europe for centuries to come.

Huge shoutout to the extraordinary work of Elizabeth Chadwick about Eleanor!

History shows us what's possible.