The rest of my Report(Except the Conclusion)

Eleanor’s life started off auspiciously. In the happy year of 1122, she was born in Bordeaux, France to William X, duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou, and Aénor of Châtellerault. Her mother died when she was eight years old, leaving the task of raising her to her grandmother and ladies-in-waiting. Creative, sarcastic, and full of fun, they found her a handful. She and her sister Petronilla passed the time by mimicking the various nobles that visited their father. She also studied both Latin and her own Provençal dialect.
Tragedy struck when her father died of illness in 1137. She was 15 years old. The moment William X closed his eyes for the last time, Eleanor inherited his title and lands, making her the most eligible bachelorette in Europe. Her father, knowing his death was imminent, had sent this message to Louis VI, King of France, better known as Louis the Fat:
“Please keep Eleanor and her inheritance safe, and find her a suitable husband to rule over Aquitaine.” Louis was more than happy to oblige, and quickly married her to his son, Louis VIII on July 25, 1137 in the cathedral of Saint André at Bordeaux. His son had been training as a monk all of his life, because his older brother was to be king. When his brother died, Louis VIII was dragged out of the monestary and quickly prepared to rule. All of this was far beyond his own control. Through this, the king gained control of Eleanor’s land. Still age 15, she was the wealthiest person, man or women, to own land in Europe, and also wife to the heir of the French king. Less than a month after her marriage, the king died. The young couple rushed to Paris and were crowned king and queen.
Eleanor had many new responsibilities and difficulties. As queen, she was expected to produce a male heir to the throne. Her first child, however, was a girl: Marie of Champagne. This was, undoubtedly, a frustration. There were even more upsetting things to come. She attempted to help Louis run the country, but one man prohibited her from doing that. Abbot Sugar, a key political advisor to the late king, manipulated Louis. The two differed in their view of most things, and Louis generally went with Sugar’s wishes. When it came time for the Second Crusade, Eleanor was more than willing to escape from her everyday life. She leaped into action, collecting money and recruiting soldiers, even convincing a sizable group of noblewomen to accompany her. Because of her vigor, more knights came from Aquitaine than any other city. 100,000 men and women left for Jerusalem in June of 1147. It was a hard journey, and finally they took a break in Antioch under the protection of Louis’ younger uncle, Raymond of Poitiers. Eleanor so much enjoyed Raymond’s company that rumors began to circulate of her having an affair. Louis apparently suspecting this as well, and it broke their relationship. Hating to be mistrusted, she demanded a divorce. He refused, and went a step further by dragging her forcefully to Jerusalem. In a last-ditch attempt to save their relationship, Eleanor produced another child, a girl. This caused even more hostility, because she had failed yet again to produce an heir. It ended at last when the pope agreed to annul their marriage, on account of consanguinity.
Eleanor and Henry Plantagnet met in August of 1154. He was 18, she was 25. A mere two months later, they were married. Three years later, she was the queen of France. Together, they controlled the whole of West France. Her marriage was a happy one, and together they had many children. Several achievements were accomplished during her reign as queen. She introduced the French wine industry to England, built docks called Queenhithe, and introduced a system of collecting money called “the Queen’s gold”. No other queen had or has since used the system of the Queen’s gold. Eleanor set up one of “the most famous and influencial cultural centers in 12-century Europe”. Her time was filled with acting as regent for Henry whenever he was gone, which was frequent, and governing Aquitaine and Poitou (she was their feudal lord).
Over time, Henry and Eleanor drifted farther and farther apart. He began to limit her governing power, and to have an open affair with Rosamund Clifford. Richard and Geoffrey, arguably her favorite sons, rebelled against their father with her full moral and military support. Henry decided to give her a choice: to retire into a nunnery or to go into house arrest. Refusing to spend her life as a nun, she was locked in Salisbury Castle for 15 years. At Christmas, she was allowed a family visit. Other than that, she had little to no contact with the outside world. In 1189, Henry died, she was released at age 67. She bounced back in to action, becoming regent for her son Richard when he left for the Third Crusade, who “issued instructions to the princess of the realm, almost in the style of a general edict, that the queen’s word should be law in all matters.” She transacted court and financial business, freed all unfairly imprisoned English people, and arranged Richard’s marriage to Berengaria of Navarre. She formed a dynasty throughout Europe by marrying her daughters to kings and dukes. When Richard went to France, Eleanor accompanied him. Finally able to relax, she retired to an abbey for widows and abused wives of powerful men that she had supported her whole life, called Fontevrault. But fate would not have it. Richard was wounded in battle, and died in her arms 1199. With no time to greive, Eleanor began touring Europe, gaining support for her son John, who’s succession was challenged by his cousin, Count of Brittany. He was crowned king on May 27, 1199. Then she was forced to defend Aquitaine against her grandson who wanted it for France. She won, with the help of John. At long last, she retired again to Fontevrault, where she died peacefully two years later at age 82.