A conclusion of the articles about Eleanor of Aquitaine by Gareth Russell.
Richard
had been in France when he heard the news that his father was dead and
he was now King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy, Duke of
Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine and Count of
Nantes. It would take him some time to make the journey back to England
for his coronation and in his absence, he showed his trust and love for
his mother by giving her the power that both of her husbands had denied
her. Freed from captivity, Eleanor was immediately appointed Regent of
England and she moved quickly to London to undertake the business of
government. And for someone who technically had very little experience
of ruling in her own right, Eleanor showed herself to be remarkably good
at it in a remarkably short period of time. It leaves the historian
wondering what her husbands might have been able to achieve with her at
their side, if they had only trusted her enough. The monk and
chronicler, Matthew Paris, later wrote that Eleanor's time as Regent
after her son's accession made her 'exceedingly respected and beloved'
by the people.
Eleanor's
political skill in leading the English government during Richard's
short absence before the coronation was theoretically a dress rehearsal
for a much longer stint in control. Two years before, the Sultan of
Egypt and Syria, Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, known in the West
as "Saladin," had inflicted a terrible defeat and massacre on the
Christian orders of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller in the
Holy Land. Now, as it had been in the time of Eleanor's first marriage,
the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem was under threat and, with crusading
apparently running in his blood, Richard was determined to go East and
finish the job his mother's first husband had so spectacularly failed at
- he aimed to crush the Islamic caliphates and secure the supremacy of
Christianity in the Middle East. He also hoped that in doing so, he
would guarantee immortal salvation for his soul and glory for his name. (
Read entire post.)
Share
1 comment:
This is really an excellent post. Thanks
I read it last friday but did not have a chance to comment.
Richard
Post a Comment