{"product_id":"the-courts-of-love-isbn-9781400082506","title":"The Courts of Love","description":"\u003ci\u003eWhen I look back over my long and tempestuous life\u003c\/i\u003e, I can see that much of what happened to me—my triumphs and most of my misfortunes—was due to my passionate relationships with men. I was a woman who considered herself their equal—and in many ways their superior—but it seemed that I depended on them, while seeking to be the dominant partner—an attitude which could hardly be expected to bring about a harmonious existence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEleanor of Aquitaine was revered for her superior intellect, extraordinary courage, and fierce loyalty. She was equally famous for her turbulent relationships, which included marriages to the kings of both France and England. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs a child, Eleanor reveled in her beloved grandfather’s Courts of Love, where troubadours sang of romantic devotion and passion filled the air. In 1137, at the age of fifteen, Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, the richest province in Europe. A union with Louis VII allowed her to ascend the French throne, yet he was a tepid and possessive man and no match for a young woman raised in the Courts of Love. When Eleanor met the magnetic Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England, their stormy pairing set great change in motion—and produced many sons and daughters, two of whom would one day reign in their own right.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this majestic and sweeping story, set against a backdrop of medieval politics, intrigue, and strife, Jean Plaidy weaves a tapestry of love, passion, betrayal, and heartbreak—and reveals the life of a most remarkable woman whose iron will and political savvy enabled her to hold her own against the most powerful men of her time.“Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama.” —\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003eJean Plaidy is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also known as Victoria Holt and Philippa Carr. More than 14 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Visit MaidensCrown.com to learn which other Jean Plaidy titles are available from Three Rivers Press.In the Courts of Love\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    When I look back over my long and tempestuous life, I can see that   much of what happened to me--my triumphs and most of my   misfortunes--was due to my passionate relationships with men. I was a   woman who considered herself their equal--and in many ways their   superior--but it seemed that I depended on them, while seeking to be   the dominant partner--an attitude which could hardly be expected to   bring about a harmonious existence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I inherited my good looks and fiery passionate nature from my   forebears--and my surroundings no doubt played a big part in forming   my character, for until I was five years old I lived at the Court of   my grandfather, the notorious William IX of Aquitaine, poet, king of   the troubadours, adventurer, lecher, founder of the \"Courts of Love,\"   and the most fascinating man of his day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    It was true that I knew him when he was past his adventuring and had   reached that stage when a man who has lived as he had is casting   uneasy eyes toward the life hereafter and forcing himself into   reluctant penitence; but, all the same, even to my youthful eyes, he   was an impressive figure. Engraved on my memory forever are those   evenings in the great hall when I sat entranced watching the tumblers   and listening to the jongleurs--and most of all hearing my   grandfather himself singing songs of his exploits in those days when   he was a lusty young man, roaming abroad in search of love. I thought   him godlike. He was as handsome as Apollo, as strong as Hercules and   as ingenious a lover as Jupiter. I was sure he could assume any shape   in his love adventures. All the songs were of beautiful women, mostly   unattainable, which seemed to make them more desirable than they   would otherwise have been. Women were glorified in his Court, and   when I left Aquitaine and discovered how differently they were   treated in other countries I was amazed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Seated beside him would be the exciting Dangerosa. I had heard her   called Dangereuse, which was appropriate. She was tall, statuesque   and flamboyantly handsome. He was my father's father and she was my   mother's mother; but they were lovers. Nothing in my grandfather's   Court followed conventional lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My grandfather often sang of how he had ridden into the castle where   he found her; and he had fallen in love with her the moment he set   eyes on her. She was married to the Viscount of Chatellerault to whom   she had borne three children; but that was no obstacle to my   grandfather's passion. He abducted her and brought her to his   castle--a willing captive--and he set her up in that part of the   castle known as the Maubergeonne Tower. Not that her presence was   kept a secret. All knew what had happened; and when my grandfather's   wife, Philippa--who had been away at the time--returned to the castle   to find a rival actually in residence, understandably she left my   grandfather forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I never knew my grandmother Philippa. She died before I was born, but   of course I knew the story of that stormy marriage. My grandfather's   affairs were openly discussed and he himself sang of them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    However, I was enchanted by my dashing troubadour grandfather and my   merry, wicked grandmother, Dangerosa, living in riotous sin together.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I think my mother was a little shocked and would have liked the   household to have been run on more orthodox lines. She was Aenor,   daughter of Dangerosa and the Viscount of Chatellerault; as Dangerosa   could not be the Duchess of Aquitaine, she decided that her daughter   should marry my grandfather's eldest son so that her grandchild could   inherit Aquitaine in due course. This was adding to the   unconventionality, and I believe even my grandfather hesitated, but   he was so besotted with Dangerosa that he gave in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Very soon after the wedding, to the delight of all, I appeared. No   doubt they would have preferred a boy, but because of the status of   women in Aquitaine I was warmly welcomed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I heard afterward that before I was born one of the holy pilgrims   came to the castle. They were always turning up like birds of ill   omen. The man was understandably shocked by the situation at the   castle: the abduction, the blatant living together of the unmarried   pair, and the flight of the true Duchess to Fontevrault Abbey, and to   follow that the marriage of the son and daughter of the guilty pair.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    He stood before my poor pregnant mother and declared: \"Nothing good   will come of this.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    What I am wondering now is: Was the pilgrim right?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Aquitaine is one of the richest provinces in France. It had been a   law unto itself since the time of the Romans when the Emperor   Augustus divided Gaul into four provinces and added to Aquitaine the   land between the Garonne and the Loire. It included Poitou and   Gascony and contained some of the most beautiful scenery in France.   Fruit and flowers grew in abundance; the grape flourished and the   wine was the best to be found anywhere. My grandfather ruled over a   prosperous land.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Living was easy in Aquitaine and that made its people   pleasure-loving. Nature was indulgent toward us and we were a   contented community, my grandfather a popular ruler. People liked his   merry ways; they did not care that he was often in conflict with the   Church; they did not criticize his way of life; his amorous   adventures were a cause for laughter, and his exploits were recounted   throughout the Duchy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I learned a little about him during those five years when I knew him   and I discovered a great deal later. He really had an influence on my   life, for he it was who set the tone of the Court which my father was   later to inherit and which was to continue to be my home during my   childhood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My grandfather had come to the throne when he was fifteen or sixteen   years old, and even at that time the pursuit of women seemed to be   the great aim of his life. At the Court of Poitou this was considered   a lovable failing. Perhaps his ministers thought that such a youth   would be easy to handle; they soon found their mistake. He might   first and foremost wish to play the part of lover, but he was   determined to rule as well and he intended that one pursuit should   not deter him from following the other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    It was thought a good idea to get him married quickly. On our   northern borders was the province of Anjou, and the daughter of Fulk   of Anjou was chosen for William. She was Ermengarde and reckoned to   be a great beauty--as most royal brides are made out to be--and they   were married.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    He appeared to be delighted for a while but he was not a man to give   up old habits, and there was friction between them. Moreover she   failed to produce an heir--a terrible fault in women of noble   families--and there was agreement between them that divorce would be   desirable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    This was obtained without too much difficulty but of course a man in   my grandfather's position was in duty bound to produce an heir so he   must again think of marriage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    An interesting situation had arisen in the neighborhood. Count   William of Toulouse had gone to fight in the Holy Land and had been   killed. He had a daughter but no son, and his brother, Raymond,   immediately seized Toulouse and the title that went with it.   Philippa, Count William's daughter, had married Sancho Ramirez the   ruler of Aragon, and, fortuitously, just at this time he was killed   in battle, leaving her a widow. William, having heard accounts of her   outstanding good looks, decided she was the wife for him and set out   to woo her, and with his handsome looks and gift of words he was soon   a successful suitor.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    At first the marriage was successful. Moreover, inspired by religious   fervor, Raymond of Toulouse joined the First Crusade and on the way   to the Holy Land met his death; so all my grandfather had to do was   ride with Philippa into Toulouse and take it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    While this was happening, Philippa gave birth to a son--my father.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    There was a great deal of religious enthusiasm at that time. A   certain monk who had once been a soldier and was the father of   several children had what he called a revelation from God and became   a recluse. He was known as Peter the Hermit and created a great stir   when, having been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he returned with such   stories of the manner in which Christians were being treated that he   attracted the attention of Pope Urban II. Together they preached   about the wickedness of the villainous Turks who were desecrating the   Holy Shrine, and such was the mystic power of Peter the Hermit that   all over Europe men rallied to his call, eager to join the crusade   which was to free Jerusalem from the Infidel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My grandfather was caught up in the excitement, no doubt seeing that   by such a venture he could wipe out his sins with one stroke and save   himself years of wearying virtue. As an important ruler, he must set   out in great style, and for that he needed money. He then did what in   Philippa's eyes must have been unforgivable. He sold Toulouse to   Raymond--son of that other Raymond--without asking Philippa's   permission; and she, who was in Toulouse at the time, knew nothing   about the transaction until Raymond came to take possession.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    William found the Turk a formidable enemy and had the mortification   of seeing his army cut to pieces in battle. He himself managed to   escape, but all he came back with was some poems glorifying the   crusade and telling of the cruelty of the wicked Infidel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Philippa must have forgiven him, for she bore him two more   children--there were five girls and another boy--but their   relationship had been seriously impaired. She turned to religion and   came under the influence of Robert d'Abrissel. I later took notice of   this man for he founded Fontevrault, which consisted of four   convents--two for women and two for men. He was the first of his kind   to show a respect for women, and for that I applauded him. I came to   love Fontevrault and could well imagine what a haven it would be to a   woman who could embrace the cloistered life. I could not imagine   myself doing so, but that did not stop my loving Fontevrault.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    William had no interest in the place and did his best to discourage   Philippa from the religious life she was leading. He deplored   d'Abrissel's view of women for he wanted to keep them in that niche   which men of his kind arranged for them. Had I been older, I would   have made known my disagreement with him. I should have enjoyed doing   battle with him on the subject.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    He ridiculed d'Abrissel and talked of building a convent for   courtesans. He was the sort of man who enjoyed shocking all those   about him. Philippa was determined to pursue her own way of life; and   the final break between them came with the appearance of Dangerosa,   which was more than any woman could be expected to endure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    So Philippa left him forever and retired to Fontevrault.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I was called Eleanor, named after my mother, for Eleanor meant \"That   other Aenor.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    They made much of me. Like many sinners my grandfather and   grandmother were indulgent. I doubt the virtuous Philippa or the   Viscount of Chatellerault would have given me so much loving   attention. My mother was there in the background, gentle, rather   timid, an alien in this flamboyant Court. She was devoted to me and I   know did her best to counteract the effect of the spoiling. I am   afraid she was not very successful in this; but I did love her dearly   and she represented a steadying influence in my young life which was   certainly necessary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    When my sister Petronilla arrived, I was not quite sure of the effect   she would have on my position; but very soon I was in charge of her.   The elders watched me with amusement as I exerted my influence over   her and by the time she could walk she was my abject slave. She was   pretty and charming, but just as my father lacked the charisma of my   grandfather, so Petronilla, for all her prettiness and charm, could   only take second place to me.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    So all was well. I was the little Queen of the Court. I would sit on   my grandfather's knee and make my quaint remarks which set his beard   wagging, implying that he was amused. I was the one who received most   of the sugarplums fed to us by Dangerosa.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    At this time I heard someone say that the Lady Eleanor could well be   the heiress of Aquitaine. That was a great revelation. Aquitaine,   that beautiful country with its rivers, mountains, flowers and   vineyards, its many castles . . . all would one day be mine! I was a   very contented little girl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    And then it happened. My mother had been sick for a long time. Her   shape changed; she rested a good deal. There was a great fuss about   what they called \"her condition.\" I was told: \"There is going to be   another little one in the nursery.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I naturally thought of another Petronilla--someone for me to mold and   direct and who would become my ardent admirer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    The great day arrived. One of the nurses came to me in great excitement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"What do you think, my lady!\" she said. \"You have a little brother.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    What rejoicing there was throughout the castle. \"Now we have a male   heir,\" they said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My grandfather was full of glee; so were Dangerosa and my father.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    It was treachery. I was the heir of Aquitaine. But it seemed that, in   spite of all the songs dedicated to the glory of women, they were   forgotten when a boy was born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    This was the first setback.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I sat on my grandfather's knee and voiced my protests.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"But you see, little one, men want a leader.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"I could lead them.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"Sometimes we go into battle.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"You don't.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"I did . . . when I was a younger man.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Dangerosa said: \"Never mind. Women have their way of ruling.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My father tried to console me. \"You will make a great marriage when   the time comes.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    My mother said: \"Happiness does not come with great titles, my child,   but with the good life. If you marry and are a good wife, that will   bring you more happiness than great estates.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    I did not believe her. I wanted to be the heiress of Aquitaine.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    But no one could help loving little William Aigret. He was such a   docile child; and I still ruled the nursery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    Soon after that my grandfather died and my father became the Duke of Aquitaine.","brand":"Crown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303653298405,"sku":"NP9781400082506","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781400082506.jpg?v=1767738857","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-courts-of-love-isbn-9781400082506","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}