This national best-seller from acclaimed and popular historian Alison Weir brings to vibrant life one of the most mysterious and alluring women of the Middle Ages. Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine? She was considered by nearly everyone who beheld her to be the most beautiful woman in Europe, yet no known portrait of her exists. In a time when most women were little more than property, she greatly influenced the politics of vast kingdoms.
She was wife to two kings - Louis VII of France and Henry II of England - and mother to three more, including Richard the Lionheart. She rode with Louis on the Second Crusade, plotted against Henry with their own sons, ruled England in Richard's absence, and left her indelible mark on history. With its stunning historical detail and fresh insights, Weir's irresistible narrative completely captures the glory of an extraordinary woman.