Hello everyone, I'm Captain Nemo, and welcome aboard the Nautilus, who takes you on a journey through the ocean of knowledge.
When Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland is mentioned, her title of "European grandmother" comes to mind. However, just seven hundred years before Victoria took the throne, one of her female ancestors had already received the title of European grandmother: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Why Eleanor earned the title of European grandmother, the captain will explain it for you.
One, Eleanor's children
Eleanor was born in 1122 in the Duchy of Aquitaine in the Kingdom of France, the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and became Duchess of Aquitaine at the age of 15, inheriting her father's title. Three months later, King Louis VI of France, in order to expand the royal domain and strengthen the royal family, asked Eleanor to marry his son Louis VII.
In August 1137, only half a month after Eleanor's marriage, her husband Louis VII succeeded to the throne as King of France, and she became Queen of France. Eleanor then bore Louis VII two daughters: Marie of France and Alex of France.
In March 1152, Eleanor was forced to divorce her husband under pressure from the French court because of her delay in giving birth to a son for Louis VII. By agreement, Louis VII received custody of his two daughters, Marie and Alex, and the Duchy of Aquitaine remained in Eleanor's possession.
In May, just two months after Eleanor's divorce from Louis VII, she remarried Henry II, Count of Anjou. In 1155, Henry II was crowned King of England, and Eleanor became Queen of England.
Eleanor remarried Henry II and bore him 8 children, William , Henry the Young, Matilda of England, Richard , Joffroy of England, Eleanor of England, Joan of England and John. Except for the eldest son, William, who died young, the other seven children all grew up.
Second, the marriage of Eleanor's children
Marie of France, the eldest daughter of Eleanor, married Henry I, Count of Champagne of France, in 1164, giving birth to two sons and two daughters. And Mary's second daughter, Marie of Champagne, married Baldwin I, Emperor of the Latin Empire, and became Empress of the Latin Empire.
Alex of France was the second daughter , married Thibault V, Count of Blois of France, in 1164 and had seven children.
The second son, Henry the younger, was crowned co-king of England in 1170 by his father, Henry II, but did not have much real power. In 1172, the younger king Henry married Princess Marguerite of France (daughter of Louis VII), temporarily reconciling the English and French royal families. However, the young king Henry later clashed with his father because of the distribution of family property, and rebelled with his two younger brothers, Richard and Joffroy, and finally died young and failed to inherit the throne.
Matilda of England was a third daughter who married Henry the Lion, Duke of Bavaria, in 1168 and bore at least five children, one of whom Otto IV was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1209.
Richard was the third son, who succeeded his father Henry II in 1189 and became King Richard I of England, earning the title of "Lionheart" for his bravery and good fighting. In 1191 , Richard I married Princess Berengaria of Navarre , but did not bear any children.
Joffroy was the fourth son and became Duke of Brittany in 1187 by marrying Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Geoffroy had two daughters and a son, and with the exception of one who died early, neither of the other children was able to effectively rule the Duchy of Brittany. Eleanor of Brittany was imprisoned for life by her uncle, King John of England, while her brother Arthur I was secretly executed.
Eleanor of England was a daughter of four who became Queen of Castile in 1176 by marrying King Alfonso VIII of Castile and giving birth to 12 children. Her son Enrique I succeeded his father as King of Castile, but was succeeded by his eldest sister Beléngalia as Queen of Castile. Her second daughter Ularca became Queen of Portugal by marrying King Alfonso II of Portugal, third daughter Blanca became Queen of France by marrying King Louis VIII of France, and younger daughter Eleanor became Queen of Aragon by marrying King Jaime I of Aragon.
Joan of England was a fifth daughter who became Queen of Sicily in 1177 by marrying Guglielmo II of the Kingdom of Sicily, but the two did not bear any children. Joan remarried Rémond VI, Count of Toulouse, after the death of Guglielmo II , and had several children.
John was the fifth son and became King of England in 1199 after succeeding his brother Richard I. John forcibly married Isabel of Angoulême in 1200 and had five children. His eldest son Henry III succeeded his father as King of England, his second son Richard of Cornwall was elected king of the Roman people in 1257, the eldest daughter Joan of England became Queen of Scotland by marrying King Alexander II of Scotland, and the second daughter Isabella of England became Holy Roman Empress by marrying Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Third, European grandmothers
Eleanor herself was queen of France and England, and two of her ten children became kings and two queens. Eleven of her many grandchildren became kings or queens, ruling the Kingdom of England, the Kingdom of France, the Latin Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Castile, the Kingdom of Aragon, the Kingdom of Sicily, the Kingdom of Scotland and many other kingdoms, seven hundred years before the successor Victoria, and can be said to be the well-deserved "Grand-mère de l'Europe".