Eleanor's Rebellion

Eleanor's Rebellion PDF Author: David Siff
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 9780375401756
Category : Adoptees
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Eleanor's Rebellion is the extraordinary story of a man who discovered in middle age that almost nothing he had grown up believing about his parents was true. When at the age of forty David Siff learned--in the first of a series of shocks--that he was adopted, he began a roller-coaster journey into his family's past. He discovered that his biological father was not the man who had raised him, but someone he had never met: the actor Van Heflin. He discovered that he had been born out of wedlock, placed in an orphanage at birth, and subsequently adopted by his own mother. He learned that his mother had not been the contented homebody he had believed her to be. He discovered the ambitions and frustrations of the woman who had given birth to him--the adventurous, rebellious young Eleanor, in determined pursuit of a new and better world and an acting career, who suddenly detoured into marriage for the sake of her child. He discovered the roots of his puzzling behaviors, casting his own acting career in a new light. In his account of the fascinating and rocky process by which he finally came to know his mother--moving from shock to bitterness to an increasingly profound appreciation of her life--David Siff has given us a heartfelt and enriching book.

Eleanor's Rebellion

Eleanor's Rebellion PDF Author: David Siff
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 9780375401756
Category : Adoptees
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Eleanor's Rebellion is the extraordinary story of a man who discovered in middle age that almost nothing he had grown up believing about his parents was true. When at the age of forty David Siff learned--in the first of a series of shocks--that he was adopted, he began a roller-coaster journey into his family's past. He discovered that his biological father was not the man who had raised him, but someone he had never met: the actor Van Heflin. He discovered that he had been born out of wedlock, placed in an orphanage at birth, and subsequently adopted by his own mother. He learned that his mother had not been the contented homebody he had believed her to be. He discovered the ambitions and frustrations of the woman who had given birth to him--the adventurous, rebellious young Eleanor, in determined pursuit of a new and better world and an acting career, who suddenly detoured into marriage for the sake of her child. He discovered the roots of his puzzling behaviors, casting his own acting career in a new light. In his account of the fascinating and rocky process by which he finally came to know his mother--moving from shock to bitterness to an increasingly profound appreciation of her life--David Siff has given us a heartfelt and enriching book.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine PDF Author: Ralph V. Turner
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300159897
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 626

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Book Description
Eleanor of Aquitaine’s extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. Proud daughter of a distinguished French dynasty, she married the king of France, Louis VII, then the king of England, Henry II, and gave birth to two sons who rose to take the English throne—Richard the Lionheart and John. Renowned for her beauty, hungry for power, headstrong, and unconventional, Eleanor traveled on crusades, acted as regent for Henry II and later for Richard, incited rebellion, endured a fifteen-year imprisonment, and as an elderly widow still wielded political power with energy and enthusiasm. This gripping biography is the definitive account of the most important queen of the Middle Ages. Ralph Turner, a leading historian of the twelfth century, strips away the myths that have accumulated around Eleanor—the “black legend” of her sexual appetite, for example—and challenges the accounts that relegate her to the shadows of the kings she married and bore. Turner focuses on a wealth of primary sources, including a collection of Eleanor’s own documents not previously accessible to scholars, and portrays a woman who sought control of her own destiny in the face of forceful resistance. A queen of unparalleled appeal, Eleanor of Aquitaine retains her power to fascinate even 800 years after her death.

Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings

Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings PDF Author: Amy Kelly
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674417445
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
The story of that amazingly influential and still somewhat mysterious woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has the dramatic interest of a novel. She was at the very center of the rich culture and clashing politics of the twelfth century. Richest marriage prize of the Middle Ages, she was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII, and went with him on the exciting and disastrous Second Crusade. Inspiration of troubadours and trouvères, she played a large part in rendering fashionable the Courts of Love and in establishing the whole courtly tradition of medieval times. Divorced from Louis, she married Henry Plantagenet, who became Henry II of England. Her resources and resourcefulness helped Henry win his throne, she was involved in the conflict over Thomas Becket, and, after Henry’s death, she handled the affairs of the Angevin empire with a sagacity that brought her the trust and confidence of popes and kings and emperors. Having been first a Capet and then a Plantagenet, Queen Eleanor was the central figure in the bitter rivalry between those houses for the control of their continental domains—a rivalry that excited the whole period: after Henry’s death, her sons, Richard Coeur-de-Lion and John “Lackland” (of Magna Carta fame), fiercely pursued the feud up to and even beyond the end of the century. But the dynastic struggle of the period was accompanied by other stirrings: the intellectual revolt, the struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature and other arts, the rise of the distinctive urban culture of the great cities. Eleanor was concerned with all the movements, closely connected with all the personages; and she knew every city from London and Paris to Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome. Amy Kelly’s story of the queen’s long life—the first modern biography—brings together more authentic information about her than has ever been assembled before and reveals in Eleanor a greatness of vision, an intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. It also brings to life the whole period in whose every aspect Eleanor and her four kings were so intimately and influentially involved. Miss Kelly tells Eleanor’s absorbing story as it has long waited to be told—with verve and style and a sense of the quality of life in those times, and yet with a scrupulous care for the historic facts.

Eleanor de Montfort

Eleanor de Montfort PDF Author: Louise J. Wilkinson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1441112499
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
As sister of Henry III and aunt of the future Edward I, Eleanor de Montfort was at the heart of the bloody conflict between the Crown and the English barons. At Lewes in 1264 Simon de Montfort captured the king and secured control of royal government. A woman of fiery nature, Eleanor worked tirelessly to support her husband's cause. She assumed responsibility for the care of the royal prisoners and she regularly dispatched luxurious gifts to Henry III and the Lord Edward. But the family's political fortunes were shattered at the battle of Evesham in August 1265 where Simon de Montfort was killed. The newly-widowed Eleanor rose to her role as matriarch of her family, sending her surviving sons - and the family treasure - overseas to France, negotiating the surrender of Dover Castle and securing her own safe departure from the realm. The last ten years of her life were spent in the Dominican convent at Montargis. Drawing on chronicles, letters and public records this book reconstructs the narrative of Eleanor's remarkable life.

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine PDF Author: Sara Cockerill
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445646188
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 602

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Book Description
'Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this book offers a fresh perspective on one of the most controversial queens in history. Not to be missed.' Tracey Borman

Eleanor of Aquitaine : Love + Rebellion

Eleanor of Aquitaine : Love + Rebellion PDF Author: Mark Beaulieu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781545026519
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Book Description
With Love + Rebellion, Mark Richard Beaulieu delivers the long-awaited fifth volume of the extraordinary Eleanor Code cycle that redefines historical fiction with deeply researched stories and credible speculation.After forty years of traveling the world and having given twelve births, Eleanor of Aquitaine begins the project of her life arriving at her home in Poitiers in 1168 as Queen of England. She establishes the finest cultured court in all of Europa and founds a unique Academy to raise her children and educate friends who will run future courts. There is one problem. This program does not agree with her all-powerful husband, King Henri II.Travel with strong-willed Eleanor to her castles and abbeys, to forests, mountains, rivers, and sandy beaches from Poitiers to the borders of Spain as she develops her engaging life. Budding chevaliers and damisels learn hawking, horsemanship, high manners, dressing in rich style, and Love - a subject for which the French courts will become famous. At the origin, the academy is not just letters, manners, song, and the art of flirtation, but the proper action of heart and character aided by a dual-gender religious sect whose mission is to alleviate the suffering of the world. Young men become handsome, smart knights, and damisels become intelligent and alluring, fulfilling crusader Eleanor's idea of how future kings and queens should sustain family ties in Europa. Initially, Henri has little regard for his heirs and heiresses, but when they become of age, he uses them to serve his needs. He botches his son's own coronation to keep power. A rich cast of householders, troubadours, knights, and lords distinguish this landmark series that deconstructs famed heroic stories of Chretien of Troyes and Mary de France, the people of her court whose theme is love and rebellion.---In development sixteen years and based on the latest scholarly research, these stories significantly update earlier historical fictions of the medieval queen. Discover how she will become one of the most powerful and enigmatic women of the middle ages as she develops her own Eleanor Code. Born Alienor d'Aquitaine in 1124, died in 1204, she twice becomes a queen, once for France with King Louis 7th, then for England with King Henri 2nd.---Mark Richard Beaulieu is an expert on the 12th century life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. He is an accomplished author, collected painter, award-winning photographer, and innovative software technologist. Trained as a studio artist Mark holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California at Davis, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.This is the November 16 2017 Edition

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver PDF Author: E. L. Konigsburg
Publisher: Turtleback Books
ISBN: 9780613881593
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Eleanor of Aquitaine's life unfolds as she and three other persons reminisce while waiting for King Henry II to join them in heaven

The Revolt of the Eaglets

The Revolt of the Eaglets PDF Author: Jean Plaidy
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1407011057
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
Power struggles threaten the throne and family harmony in this captivating historical page-turner from multi-million copy and international bestselling author Jean Plaidy. Perfect for readers of Philippa Gregory... 'Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama' -- New York Times 'Full-blooded, dramatic, exciting.' - Observer 'Outstanding' - Vanity Fair 'This was excellent - the characters came to life and I couldn't put it down' -- **** Reader review 'A pleasure to read' -- **** Reader review 'Powerful stuff' -- **** Reader review **************************************************************************************************** News of Thomas à Becket's martyrdom has spread throughout Christendom and the blame is laid at the feet of Henry Plantagenet, King of England. Two years later, with Becket canonised, Henry's position is precarious: punished at the Pope's insistence for his part in Becket's death, he now also has an enemy in his Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, after her discovery of his longstanding infidelity with Rosamund Clifford. Eleanor is determined to seek vengeance, so, with King Philip of France, she encourages her sons to conspire, both against their father and each other. Much embattled, the old eagle Henry struggles to fend off both rebellion and the plots of his aggressively circling offspring...

The Summer Queen

The Summer Queen PDF Author: Elizabeth Chadwick
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402294077
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 474

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Book Description
Scandal, politics, sex, triumphs, and tragedies abound in The Summer Queen, the first novel in this stunning trilogy, by New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Chadwick Young Eleanor has everything to look forward to as the heiress to the wealthy Aquitaine. But when her beloved father suddenly dies, childhood is over. Sent to Paris and forced to marry Prince Louis VII of France, she barely adjusts before another death catapults them to King and Queen. The first in the Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy, The Summer Queen follows Eleanor through the Second Crusade to the end of her marriage to Louis VII. Faced with great scandals, trials, fraught relationships, and forbidden love at every turn, Eleanor seeks the path that will make her queen of two countries and one of the most powerful women in the world. Chadwick's meticulous research portrays the Middle Ages and Eleanor with depth and vivid imagery unparalleled in historical fiction that will keep readers riveted and wanting more. Following the legendary life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, 12th Century Queen of France, and later Queen of England, this trilogy is medieval historical fiction at its most romantic, scandalous, and intriguing. The Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy: The Summer Queen (Book 1) The Winter Crown (Book 2) The Autumn Throne (Book 3) Praise for The Summer Queen: "A magnificent woman's story told by a brilliant historical novelist; realistic, emotional, vibrant, exciting and unputdownable."—RT Book Reviews, July Top Pick "The Summer Queen is a fabulous novel based on the most up-to-date and meticulous research. This is historical fiction at its best and I loved every page of it."—For Winter Nights: A bookish blog

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine PDF Author: Matthew Lewis
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445671573
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
The powerful medieval couple who formed an empire beyond England, and whose children included Richard the Lionheart and King John.