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However, the stories that surround this period of Eleanor's life are tales of romance and chivalry. Aquitaine was the home of the troubadours who sang of knights declaring their passionate devotion to unobtainable ladies and attempting heroic deeds of valour to win their hearts. One 12th century text entitled De Amore puts Eleanor at the centre of these stories, ruling over a court of love that pronounced judgement on questions such as whether true love could exist in marriage. There's no evidence that the courts of love ever really existed, but it's interesting that the idea has persisted so powerfully. How much easier to think of Eleanor as the Queen of romance concerned with emotions, not politics. But what Eleanor did next, I think, demonstrated in the most dramatic way, just how important power was to her. |
