My research focuses on the lives of Eleanor and her daughters-in-law Berengaria of Navarre and Isabella of Angoul\u00eame, and their roles as co-rulers with their husbands or sons and as potential competitors with one another. In particular, the relationship of Eleanor and Berengaria, one of England\u2019s most neglected medieval queens \u2013 in part due to the fact she never visited England as queen consort \u2013 have remained obscured from public perception. Berengaria\u2019s absence from the historical record has often been explained away by Eleanor\u2019s dominance during the reign of her son Richard I<\/a>, Berengaria\u2019s husband.<\/p>\n As ever, things are more complex than they appear on the surface. The two women met in the spring of 1191, when Eleanor arrived at the Navarrese court to escort Berengaria to Sicily to meet her future husband. The marriage, it has been argued, occurred at Eleanor\u2019s behest, although the importance of Navarre as an ally to the Angevins against the counts of Toulouse, whose lands abutted the Aquitanian border, cannot be underestimated. Their journey across the Alps and through Italy was largely uneventful, and Berengaria travelled onwards to Sicily as Eleanor returned to the Angevin domains.<\/p>\n Berengaria accompanied Richard as part of the Third Crusade, alongside his sister Joanna, former queen of Sicily. Their marriage on 12 May 1191, at Limassol, Cyprus, was a moment of symbolic significance. Berengaria was crowned the same day, thus marking her status as the new queen consort of England and displaying her potential for power and rule. While the events were recorded by the Angevin chroniclers, given the event was far outside the Anglosphere it had little real impact on the lives of those in the Angevin territories.<\/p>\n We know little of the two queens\u2019 activities during this time, but know that they travelled back to western Europe in 1193, as their presence is recorded in Rome where they witnessed a loan transaction, the only evidence of Berengaria\u2019s political activity whilst queen consort. After this, it is assumed that she took up residence, possibly at Chinon, where she remained for the rest of her reign.<\/p>\n Eleanor, on the other hand, was busy working with Richard\u2019s councillors and government to ensure the running of the domains and to raise the ransom when Richard was captured by Leopold V, duke of Austria, and then sold as a captive to Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI. Berengaria may have been involved with the raising of these funds, however little evidence survives to support this.<\/p>\n Upon Richard\u2019s return to England, he was re-crowned at Winchester Cathedral on 17 April 1194, with his mother by his side. This moment has been used by many historians to demonstrate Eleanor\u2019s importance and dominance. It raises the question: why was this opportunity not used to show Berengaria to the English populace and demonstrate her importance as queen?<\/p>\n Eleanor\u2019s continued rule across the Angevin domains is owed to many factors. It made political sense, given her lengthy experience as queen of both England and France, and duchess of Aquitaine<\/a>, to leave her as a regent in England while Richard was on crusade. She was more capable of dealing with the fractious neighbours and nobility that resided in their territories, as well as Richard\u2019s troublesome brother, John.<\/p>\n Her continued influence as dowager queen, in contrast to the perception that older royal women had lessened importance and power, was primarily due to her receipt of revenues apportioned to the queen consort and her status as duchess of Aquitaine. Without Eleanor, it was difficult to subdue the Aquitanian nobles, as Henry II, Eleanor\u2019s second husband, had found to his cost.<\/p>\n The lack of evidence for Richard and Berengaria\u2019s relationship, and the shortness of time they spent together, suggests the reason why they never produced an heir. It is also possible that marital disharmony was at play. The control of Richard over Berengaria politically, and his decision to position Eleanor as the most important woman in the land, ensured that Berengaria was left out from diplomatic affairs \u2013 not ostracised per se, but not intertwined with her marital family either.<\/p>\n Listen |\u00a0Sara Cockerill and Dan Jones explore the life story of the remarkable medieval queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, on this episode of the HistoryExtra<\/em> podcast<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n Berengaria\u2019s absence from the historical record has often been explained away by Eleanor\u2019s dominance <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
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