Was Eleanor really helping her sons lead the rebellion against king Henry because she wanted to help or becau?

Question

whole question: Was Eleanor really helping her sons create and lead the rebellion against King Henry because she wanted to stick up for her sons or was it because she wanted to get Henry back for his love affair with Rosamond?

This is for a resaerch paper for history and I have been looking a lot of things up and have gotten books but I am having some trouble locationg the answer to this question.

Answer 1

Eleanor and Henry had seven surviving children, however, as the children grew up, Eleanor and her husband grew apart. At first Henry conducted secret love affairs. Then he began a public relationship with a knight's daughter, Rosamond Clifford, "the Fair Rosamond." Legend has it that the jealous Queen Eleanor confronted Rosamond with a dagger in one hand and a cup of poison in the other and forced her to choose which way she would die. (Rosamond did die in 1177, but probably of natural causes.)

In 1173 she led her three of her sons in a rebellion against Henry, surprising him with this act of aggression so seemingly unusual for a woman. In her eyes it was justified. After two decades of child bearing, putting up with his infidelities, vehemently disagreeing with some of his decisions, and, worst of all, having to share her independence and power, Eleanor may have hoped that her prize would have been the right to rule Aquitaine with her beloved third son Richard, and without Henry.

Answer 2

I don't think anyone really knows what her motivation was. It was a very rash thing to do anyway as it led to her spending years in prison.

Answer 3

As you probably Know she was a great heiress in her own right and 11 years older than Henry and they were both said to have had a number of lovers. They separated due to his infedelity. Henry's death was said to have been hastened when hearing the news that his favorite son John had joined a rebellion. I think her favorite was Richard and she was looking out for his best interests.  It may just be your interpretation the question is asking for. It would be difficult to prove whether revenge was the key or the love of her sons, particularly Richard. Richards sexuality was much debated and churchmen tended to preach to him on the fate of sodom, she may have had particular concern for his welfare. Either way there is a fine line between love and hate.

Answer 4

Henry had Eleanor of Aquitaine under house arrest and by getting her son on the throne, she could get her freedom.  I think that was probably her main interest, then helping her sons, and then revenge.  After the Becket affair, Henry's popularity was at a low, and his sons were more popular, and fed up with him.  He actually had an affair with the princess Richard was supposed to marry, and still expected Richard to marry her???

Answer 5

It's hard to know exactly what Eleanor felt about Rosamund -- she had been pretty casual about Henry's other affairs, and even raised one of his b******s in her household. Eleanor had a great deal of power, lands and authority -- a little bit like Rosamund was insignificant in her life.  Her marriage to Henry was more of a convenience of allying Aquitaine with England against France than it was a love match.  

Also, keep in mind that Henry had already shocked the world, including Eleanor, with the unconscionable murder of Thomas Becket in 1170.  His son/heir, Young Henry, had married a French princess, and found himself short of funds and wanted the income from some of the properties that he was due to inherit, and just couldn't waite. Eleanor may have felt that Henry II should have been more generous towards Henry, and, since she was already shocked by his behavior, decided that he needed to be "taught a lesson".  I think it was more to stick up for her sons.  Rosamund would mean nothing to her -- she did not "love" Henry, so there was no real jealousy. She would only get annoyed with Henry when he tried to interfere with Aquitaine and Poitiers.  Henry baited her with Rosamund, mostly, to try to get her to annul their marriage and enter a convent, so that he would receive her lands.  But she was far too smart to allow her emotions to rule her head in such a way.

Unfortunately, it was Eleanor who ended up imprisoned here and there for the next 15 years, after Henry caught her while she was on her way to Paris to join Young Henry and his brothers.  Young Henry died of dystentery during a second rebellion in 1183, and Eleanor remained basically a prisoner -- albeit one with a certain degree of freedom -- until Henry II died in 1189, and she was released in order to rule as regent for Richard.