Eleanor and the Second Crusade

Paper Summary:

The paper examines the events experienced by Eleanor of Aquitaine and her first husband Louis while on route to Jerusalem during the Second Crusade. Although Louis would be viewed favorably for his efforts, Eleanor would be plagued for the rest of her life with rumors of impropriety and incest.

From the Paper:

"Pernoud records the couple's stay at Antioch in much the same way as Seward. However, Pernoud seems to give more credence to the possibility that an unnatural closeness may have existed between Eleanor and her Uncle. "If we adhere to historical fact, it seems unquestionable that Eleanor acquired a bad reputation at Antioch."(Pernoud,72) He states that the charge of incest was leveled by the chronicler, "William of Tyr, who cannot be dismissed lightly" (Pernoud,72) Despite this assertion, Pernoud also insinuates that Eleanor's reputation may have been the result of her open disputes and disagreements with her husband Louis while displaying complete agreement with her Uncle. Seward does not mention William of Tyr by name, his account states that the only chronicler to make this allegation wrote of them forty-years later. Seward also relays that contemporary authorities have found no evidence to conclude the possibility of incestuous behavior on behalf of Eleanor or her Uncle. "

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