Introduction

The author of The Queen's Pawn delves into the early life of the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine in her new historical novel.

After her father's sudden death, fifteen-year-old Eleanor is quickly crowned Duchess of Aquitaine and betrothed to King Louis VII. When her new husband cannot pronounce her given name, Alienor becomes Eleanor, Queen of France.

Although Louis is enamored of his bride, the newly crowned king is easily manipulated by the church and a God that Eleanor doesn't believe in. Now, if she can find the strength to fight for what she wants, Eleanor may finally find the passion she has longed for, and the means to fulfill her legacy as Queen.

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Excerpt

Abbey of Fontevrault

County of Poitou

April 1204

I was my father’s favorite. I knew this from the day I was born. I seemed to take this knowledge in with my mother’s milk.

Men came to my father’s court in the early days, patted my head, and fed me sweets. They took in the stone walls and tapestries of my father’s palace as if they might see beyond them to my father’s lands, stretching from the border of Burgundy to the sea. Those men leaned close to Papa and said, “One day there will be a son to rule all this.” But my brother died, along with my mother, and there was never another heir. I was left, the only child with the strength to follow my father.

I find the thought of my own death a comfort, now that I am so old that my skin is pale and translucent. Now that the loves of my long life, the father who shaped me, the husband who fought me, the son who was loyal to me alone, have all gone down into the dust. My father died far from Aquitaine, but Henry and Richard both lie buried in this abbey. Soon I will lie between them, my body separating them for the last time.

I raise my arm and think to see the sunlight shining through the skin of my palm, so thin have I become. And my back pains me now, as it never did when I was young and rode a horse for days on end, seeking something always, a place I never reached, not with all of my lovers, not even with Henry.

Death, my last lover, holds me closer than any man ever has. If the Church is right, I will soon burn for all eternity in a fiery pit, where demons cast coals on the flames and all who see me will mock me and laugh.

I have always loathed being laughed at.

I have little faith in the teachings of the Church. The priests and their followers seem to me a simple people, telling tales by the fireside to keep away the dark. I have never been afraid of the dark. My father taught me to look into it without blinking, so that I would be ready for whatever comes out of it.

If, as the Church says, I am to suffer the fires of hell, so be it. To avoid such a fate, I would have to repent of my life. That I will never do.

My priest never gives me penance, for he knows that to do so would be wasted breath. So after I have told him the tales of my life, we sit together in silence, and listen to the wind as it moves through the fig trees above our heads.

The priest is the only man allowed here in the women’s cloister at Fontevrault. I spent my life in the world of men, and loved it, with all its pain. But I have made this place where women can be free of men. All men but God. Even I cannot stand between these women and Him. In that last battle, they must fend for themselves.

As my life begins to fade from me as a dream fades at morning, I find that I have no regrets. My priest listens to me speak in lieu of penance or prayer, for my life is a story worth telling.

In honor of my father, in honor of all the love he gave me, all the statecraft he taught me, as well as the strength, I dedicate this tale to him. For without him, and his unswerving regard for me, the story of my life as you read it here would never have been possible. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. As the novel opens, Eleanor’s mother and brother are dead, and she is her father’s heir. Would Eleanor have ever become Duchess without her father’s support?

2. Eleanor’s younger sister, Petra is never considered for a political role by Eleanor’s father. Do you think this has a negative effect on Petra’s relationship with Eleanor? How did Eleanor and Petra interact in the novel? Do you think that they loved each other, even as children?

3. As a child, Eleanor wants to learn to hunt with a falcon and a hawk. Her father has also promised her that she can ride a war horse once she is old enough. Why do you think Eleanor wants to establish dominance over these hunting animals, especially hawks and war horses, two types of animals that are usually reserved for men?

4. To Be Queen is dedicated to Eleanor’s father, William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou. If she were alive today, what might Eleanor think of this dedication?

5. Eleanor never liked the Parisians, and they never liked her. Why? Do you think her attitude towards her husband’s people changes over the course of the novel?

6. For years, Eleanor and Louis are without a child. Who gets blamed for the lack of children? Who was at fault? How does this attitude toward conceiving children differ from our modern point of view? Why?

7. Eleanor and Louis go on Crusade to fight against the Turks in the Levant. Did Eleanor want to take this journey? What was your favorite part of her time in the city of Constantinople? What was Eleanor’s favorite thing about that city?

8. When Eleanor reached Rome, she expected the Pope to grant her an annulment from Louis. Why did she expect this? Were you surprised when she did not get what she wanted? What was your reaction to the Pope blessing her marriage to Louis, a marriage she desperately wanted to get out of?

9. Eleanor was clearly unhappy in her marriage to Louis. What were her reasons for being so dissatisfied with Louis? Do you think she ever truly loved him?

10. When Henry of Normandy walks into the court of Paris, he stares at Eleanor and does not look away. Do you think he planned his seduction of her? Why did she allow herself to be seduced by him?

11. Who do you think Eleanor will be happier with, Louis or Henry? Why? Is happiness a consideration for Eleanor? If not, what does she base her decisions on? Do you agree with her choices?

12. Eleanor was one of the most remarkable women of her time. She was one of the few women ever to wear two crowns in a lifetime, and one of the few women to rule a duchy in her own right. What attributes of her character allowed her to achieve so much?

Weblinks

»	Author Christy English's Blog`
»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Q&A with authot Christy English

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