The novel The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick portrays the early portion of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, spanning from 1137 to 1154 CE. Starting in January of 1137, the novel follows a young Eleanor after the death of her father, William X, Duke of Aquitaine. Subsequent to his death, Eleanor is set to inherit the kingdom of Aquitaine, and learns of an intended betrothal to Prince Louis VII of France. Faced with a new future, Eleanor marries Louis, and moves to Paris with her younger sister Petronella to join the French royal court. The remainder of the novel depicts events such as the French participation in the Second Crusade, the annulment of marriage between King Louis VII and Eleanor, and Eleanor’s second marriage to Henry II of
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The novel The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick accurately portrays both the evolution and the failure of the Second Crusade, as well as the role of women in marriage in the twelfth century in …show more content…
In multiple scenes of the novel, women have little to no choice in their future husbands. After the death of Eleanor’s father in 1137, one of Eleanor’s guardians, Archbishop Gofrid, confronts her with an arranged marriage with Prince Louis of France. Eleanor becomes upset about this match being made without her knowledge, but told by Gofrid that, “It is meet and fitting that a father decides with whom his daughter should match” (Chadwick 22-23). Eleanor is not allowed a say in the marriage, and refusing the match proves to be futile for her. As the novel progresses, this trend continues. In 1152, Eleanor’s two young daughters, named Marie and Alix, are betrothed to Henry of Champagne and Theobald of Blois in a ceremony in Notre Dame. Their father, King Louis VII, arranges these matches, and the two young girls are not given a choice in the future marriages (Chadwick 431-32). Their futures lie solely in the hands of their father and husband’s. Women in the novel are given few freedoms in terms of marriage choice. However, Eleanor was able to gain more legal independence later in the novel, but not much. Even after Eleanor has her marriage to Louis annulled in 1152, she is still limited in her choices regarding marriage. Due to the amount of land and wealth her kingdom has, Eleanor is a sought after prize by many men, and she must remarry quickly lest she be
The novel The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick accurately portrays both the evolution and the failure of the Second Crusade, as well as the role of women in marriage in the twelfth century in …show more content…
In multiple scenes of the novel, women have little to no choice in their future husbands. After the death of Eleanor’s father in 1137, one of Eleanor’s guardians, Archbishop Gofrid, confronts her with an arranged marriage with Prince Louis of France. Eleanor becomes upset about this match being made without her knowledge, but told by Gofrid that, “It is meet and fitting that a father decides with whom his daughter should match” (Chadwick 22-23). Eleanor is not allowed a say in the marriage, and refusing the match proves to be futile for her. As the novel progresses, this trend continues. In 1152, Eleanor’s two young daughters, named Marie and Alix, are betrothed to Henry of Champagne and Theobald of Blois in a ceremony in Notre Dame. Their father, King Louis VII, arranges these matches, and the two young girls are not given a choice in the future marriages (Chadwick 431-32). Their futures lie solely in the hands of their father and husband’s. Women in the novel are given few freedoms in terms of marriage choice. However, Eleanor was able to gain more legal independence later in the novel, but not much. Even after Eleanor has her marriage to Louis annulled in 1152, she is still limited in her choices regarding marriage. Due to the amount of land and wealth her kingdom has, Eleanor is a sought after prize by many men, and she must remarry quickly lest she be