Thursday, September 26, 2019

Eleanor of Aquitaine and Bradwell Abbey


Front view of the stone carving of Eleanor of Aquitaine

 that was discovered. (Milton Keynes Council)

           Bradwell Abbey in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, has been in the news recently with the discovery of a carved stone head believed to be of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The discovery was made during conservation work. Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of England’s most powerful queens and one of the most important women in medieval Europe. Scholars are excited about the find as there are very few contemporary artistic representations of the queen.
Bradwell Abbey Chapel
Bradwell Abbey
Bradwell Abbey was founded around 1154 and dissolved during the English Reformation. The carving is thought to date from the 12th century. Around 181 hectares of land were granted to Meinfelin (Lord of Wolverton) for the establishment of a Benedictine priory to the west of Bradwell.
In common with many small priories, the number of monks in the Abbey seems to have always been small. The famine of 1316 struck the Buckingham area hard with contemporary accounts of people being found dead from starvation at the side of the road.  This was followed by the Black Death (1348-1350), which caused heavy mortality in the Buckingham area, particularly amongst monastic orders. At the dissolution of the priory, the dormitory had accommodation for only five monks.
Around 1330, after the famine and before the Black Death, the surviving chapel of St. Mary dedicated to "Our Ladie of Bradwell" was built against the west front of the church. Under the Act for the Suppression of Minor Houses, Bradwell Priory was given to Cardinal Wolsey, by papal consent in July 1524.
Eleanor of Aquitaine. (Rezo1515 / CC BY-SA 4.0 )

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), was one of the most remarkable women in the Middle Ages. She was born to William X, Duke of Aquitaine, the most powerful noble in France and upon her father’s death controlled more territory in France than the king himself. She married the French monarch Louis VII in 1152 but they were later estranged, and their marriage was annulled. She married the future Henry II of England, a monarch who ruled from southern France to Ireland, which is known as the Angevin Empire. Her marriage to the English king, who was 11 years her junior, was turbulent and many believe that she encouraged her sons to rebel against their father.
King Henry of England
On 25 October 1154, Henry became king of England. Eleanor was crowned queen of England by the archbishop of Canterbury on 19 December 1154. Over the next 13 years, she bore Henry five sons and three daughters: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan.
His realm extended from Ireland to the Pyrenees. King Henry II was the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty and brought a new level of organization to the English government. Henry II was also the first to establish an English presence in Ireland. He spent just 14 years in total on English soil. Henry 11 is credited with being a careful administrator who overhauled the English judicial system.

Henry and Thomas à Beckett
Henry and Thomas à Beckett
Henry’s reign was marked by disputes with his chancellor, Thomas à Beckett, who was also archbishop of Canterbury. Ultimately, the story goes, Henry said, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Four knights rode to Canterbury, called Thomas a traitor and tried to drag him outside. Thomas refused to go and said, “No traitor but a priest of God.” The knights struck him on the head with their swords. He fell to the floor of the cathedral, dead.
Revolt and capture
In March 1173, annoyed at his lack of power and spurred on by Henry's enemies, his son Henry launched the Revolt of 1173–1174. Eleanor was imprisoned for 16 years, much of the time in various locations in England.
Henry lost the woman believed to be his great love, Rosamund Clifford, in 1176. He had met her in 1166 and had begun their liaison in 1173, allegedly contemplating divorce from Eleanor. This notorious affair caused a monkish scribe to transcribe Rosamund's name in Latin to "Rosa Immundi", or "Rose of Unchastity".
When Henry II died, her eldest son Richard I (the Lionheart) became king and Eleanor became his key advisor. On the death of Richard, her other son John was crowned King John I.
King Richard I effigy
Church of Fontevraud
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of
Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony. He was an extremely able military leader famous for his several victories in the battlefield, the most celebrated being against Saladin, the Muslim leader during the Third Crusade.
King John
King John
John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empire. His reign was marked by disputes between John and his barons and bishops. King John is best remembered for granting Magna Carta in June 1215, although he sought its annulment almost immediately.
The Crusades 
The Crusades were organized by western European Christians after centuries of Muslim wars of expansion. Their primary objectives were to stop the expansion of Muslim states, to reclaim for Christianity the Holy Land in the Middle East, and to recapture territories that had formerly been Christian.
In 1147, Eleanor accompanied her husband on the Second Crusade, travelling to Constantinople and Jerusalem. The Second Crusade failed because the Christian armies were not able to take control of Edessa or Damascus. The result was a victory for the Muslim forces and a defeat for the Christians in 1149
Church of Fontevraud Abbey
Eleanor of Aquitaine Effigy
Conclusion
Although further research may be needed to verify that the head is that of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was both Queen of France and England, this discovery is exciting. Perhaps, Queen Eleanor made a pilgrimage to Bradwell? Eleanor died in 1204 and was entombed in Fontevraud Abbey next to her husband Henry and her son Richard. By the time of her death she had outlived all her children except for King John of England and Queen Eleanor of Castile.



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