1173, The French kingdom. A remarkable queen marshals her sons to rebel against their father.
Richard Lionheart describes his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, a major medieval figure who was queen of France and then England. In 1173, she and three of her sons instigate a rebellion to overthrow the English king, Henry Plantagenet. How and why does she persuade her children to rise against their father? And how does a son cope with this conflict of loyalties?
This book rife with poetry and cruelty takes us to the heart of the connection between a mother and her favourite son – two individuals sustained by literature, unspoken love, honour and violence. It depicts a very accessible Middle Ages stripped of quaintness but full of emotion: modern and energising.
The extraordinary life of a powerful woman as told by her son, Richard Lionheart.
« Sa robe caresse le sol. À cet instant, nous sommes comme les pierres des voûtes, immobiles et sans souffle. Mais ce qui raidit mes frères, ce n’est pas l’indifférence, car ils sont habitués à ne pas être regardés ; ni non plus la solennité de l’entretien – tout ce qui touche à Aliénor est solennel. Non, ce qui nous fige, à cet instant-là, c’est sa voix. Car c’est d’une voix douce, pleine de menaces, que ma mère ordonne d’aller renverser notre père. »
Aliénor d’Aquitaine racontée par son fils Richard Coeur de Lion.