The Autumn Throne

By 1176, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of England, had been held prisoner by her husband, Henry II, in the Palace at Sarum.  When Henry summons her to Winchester she wonders if this means freedom or a final reckoning.  There she meets her children with warmth and gladness, but for Henry it is coldness.

She quickly finds out that Henry wants an annulment and Eleanor in a convent.  That way, he will have power over Aquitaine.  She refuses, however would agree if he gave her Aquitaine.  She is returned to Sarum.

It isn’t until 1182 that Eleanor gains freedom because Henry wants a truce.  He still vets any correspondence she has, so she has to be careful.  However, the following year she is once again imprisoned at Sarum when Harry and Geoffrey rise up in rebellion against Henry.  Unfortunately, Harry would die of the bloody flux in June of 1183.

With Harry gone, the next in line to the throne is Richard.  Henry decides to reorganise the inheritance.  He gives Richard England and Normandy and takes Aquitaine away from him, giving it to John.  This is done without consulting Eleanor, for in reality it is hers to give.  Richard is naturally upset.

Early in 1186, Geoffrey dies at a jousting match in Paris.  Henry and Eleanor are devastated.  However, it comes out that he had been scheming with the King of France.

Three years later on the sixth of July Henry was dead.  Richard is now king.  Eleanor now was to act as Queen of England in his place while he goes to the Holy Land.  It is not an easy time of it; John is constantly stirring the pot in England, although he has no power, Philippe of France decides to return from the same crusade as Richard is on, so Eleanor has to be in Normandy to protect it from the French.

In 1192, while returning home, Richard is taken prisoner by the Holy Roman Emperor.  Eleanor knows that Philippe of France will now wage war on Normandy.  An outrageous ransom is demanded for Richard’s release.  Can England afford it, and not beggar itself?

Having been released, Richard forgives John his treachery and together they wage war.  In April of 1199 Richard receives a mortal wound during a siege.  Eleanor is devastated.  Later in the same year, her daughter Joanna dies in childbirth.

John doesn’t have the staying power of his father, nor his brother Richard.  As Eleanor’s life declines, so does John’s grasp on his territory.  In April of 1204, Eleanor passes on.

This novel brings to a close the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine.  All three novels in this series by Elizabeth Chadwick bring to life a powerful woman who had many trials and tribulations.  The series is well researched and is well written.  They are a good read for fans of historical fiction.