A Queen's Christmas: Eleanor of Aquitaine's special day

 

Christmas 1166 was one to celebrate for one of England's most celebrated queens. Eleanor of Aquitaine was at the height of her powers, one of the most important people in Europe with political influence and cultural kudos that few could match. And as the festive season got under way, she also had a very personal reason to celebrate. For on Christmas Eve 1166, Eleanor gave birth to a son.

The Queens of Fontevraud Abbey

Fontevraud Abbey, France is the burial site of two Queens of England 

(By Pierre Mairé,CC BY 2.5, Wiki Commons)

It was one of the most well known religious houses of the 12th century, made more famous by its associations with the powerful dynasty that dominated parts of western Europe at the time. The Plantagenet links to the Abbey of Fontevraud were extensive. And in death it became the resting place of several of its most famous members. Among them, two Queens of England: Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella of Angouleme.

Another Aenor

The decision of Madeleine of Sweden and Chris O'Neill to name their daughter, Leonore, has turned the name - and its variants - into one of the most popular royal monikers around.  Leonore is another version of Eleanor and in less than ten years this once forgotten regal name has enjoyed a resurgence that has seen it invade just about every royal court in Europe.  While the name may be rare in Sweden - the princess shares her name with just 128 of her fellow citizens - in the royal houses of the 21st century it's hard to get past go without passing an Eleanor.

Leonore of Sweden is following a royal trend with her first name

The name has several variations so in Spain it became Leonor when the Prince and Princess of Asturias surprised many by choosing it for their first daughter, and the country's future queen, when she arrived in October 2005.  In Belgium, the version Eleonore was used by the then Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde for their youngest child, the princess who was born in April 2008.  And it was spelt as Leonore when Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien used it for their youngest child in June 2006.

The Infanta Leonor of Spain, future queen regnant, was the first of a new wave of royal babies to receive the name Eleanor in one of its many versions

And the newest Leonore shares something more with the Eleanors.  Her middle names pay tribute to other royals. The littlest princess of Sweden bears the name of the late Princess Lilian, who died last year, and who was an influential figure in the life of her grandfather, Carl XVI Gustaf, as well as her mother, Madeleine, and her brother and sister.  Eleonore of Belgium has Fabiola as a middle name in honour of the queen of King Baudouin and is also called Victoria, like her godmother Princess Victoria of Sweden.  

Eleonore of Belgium is fourth in line to her country's throne

The meaning of the name is disputed, with some dictionaries giving it as 'shining light'.  But most historians agree that it actually means something far less inspiring.  Its original meaning is often given as 'the other Aenor'.  It came to prominence in the 12th century as the name of one of the most famous queens of all time - Eleanor of Aquitaine.  In her lifetime, she was known as Alienore or 'Alia Aenor' and her mother's name was Aenor.  It's widely thought that her name, which became the most famous in Europe for a while thanks to her power and determination, was just a way of distinguishing her from her mother.  But Eleanor of Aquitaine distinguished herself far more than that and became first queen consort of France and then queen consort of England before becoming so powerful that her husband, Henry II, put her under house arrest.  In the reigns of her sons, Richard I and King John, she was the power behind the throne.  And as a result, many of the princesses of royal courts across Europe were called Eleanor - or a variation of it.  Many were descended from her, others had parents inspired by her and within a few years it had become such a typical royal name that many used it just because it sounded so regal.

Alia Aenor, Duchess of Aquitaine and Queen of France then England - the first royal Eleanor

Now, 800 years after her death, Europe has a new wave of royal Eleanors.  And while the name may have started as a way of not confusing two women who at the time had little importance between them at the court of powerful Duke of Aquitaine, it became a byword for female royal power and magnificence.  The new generation of other Aenors are following in the footsteps of perhaps the greatest female royal role model of all.

Spanish royals cause a stir

While Denmark had it easy picking a name for their heir and Belgium and Sweden used recent history to inspire choices, other European monarchies have delved a bit deeper into their pasts and caused a bit of a stir while doing it.  In Spain, the choice of Leonor for the first child of heir to the throne, Felipe, came totally out of the blue.

 

Infanta Leonor of Spain with her parents, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, and the King and Queen of Spain.  Her cousin, Pablo Urdangarin, stands in front of King Juan Carlos.

But once the surprise had passed, a long list of Spanish royal Eleanors came to light as role models for a future queen.  The name first entered the House of Castile in 1177 when Eleanor, the second daughter of Henry II of England and his queen consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine, married Alfonso VIII.  The new Queen of Castile wielded considerable political power and she enjoyed a successful reign until her husband died in 1214 when she herself became ill, dying soon afterwards .  Her name was passed to her granddaughter and the royal families played queen consort swap, this new Eleanor of Castile arriving in England to marry Edward I and become queen consort.

Eleanor of Castile was the great granddaughter of the first Eleanor, the Duchess of Aquitaine who became Queen Consort of France and then of England.

 

 

No one is quite sure what the name Eleanor means with some linking it to the name Helen or Elena.  It was most likely a name created for that great medieval monarch, Queen Consort Eleanor of Aquitaine, who ruled England as consort from 1154 to 1189 and then exerted her influence as Queen Dowager until her death in 1204.  She was the mother of two kings, a young king, two queens and a duchess among others and her power was unrivalled by many men let alone women.

 

 



Eleanor of Aquitaine was a power player of epic proportions - her control of her lands, her tenants and the men around her has never really been rivaled

 

 

Eleanor's mother was Aenor and it's thought she was named after her, the world 'alia' meaning other being tagged on the front of her name to give Aliaenor or the other Aenor.  Whatever it's origins, her influence meant that it was picked up and used by noble families across western Europe.  It survived as a royal name well into the 18th century with a Queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora, bringing it to prominence again.  Her unique place as a Queen Regnant who became a Queen Consort, being forced to abdicate in favour of her husband, adds another legend to the name.

 

 



 

Ulrika Eleonora was Queen Regnant of Sweden from 1718 to 1720

 

 

Given how long her influence has lasted, Eleanor of Aquitaine is a pretty formidable role model for any young royal.  But the presence of another future queen with the name might be enough to put the Cambridges of using it for a first born daughter who will one day be queen of her country.