Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Queen Who Ruled Two Kingdoms, 1137–1204 | Calm Bedtime History

In the ducal palace at Poitiers, on the first day of April in the year 1204, Eleanor of Aquitaine lies in her final illness. She has outlived two husbands, most of her children, and nearly every rival who ever stood against her. For eight decades she has governed the largest duchy in France, been queen of France and then of England, led armies across continents, and spent fifteen years imprisoned by her own husband for supporting her sons' rebellion. The candles burn low in the chamber where she breathes her last, still Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, still signing documents that will shape the futures of kingdoms she will not live to see.