Marie de France, Aliénor d’Aquitaine, and the Alien Queen

Abstract

From the beginning of the twentieth century, there has been extensive speculation about the connection between the notorious French and English queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and the “anonymous” Franco-phone poet Marie de France, two women whose dates of activity and geographical localities amply justify such suggestion. Several scholars identified Marie as an illegitimate daughter of Geoffrey of Anjou, and thus a half-sister of Henry II and sister-in-law to Eleanor.1 Other aristocratic identities were proposed—even that of Marie de Champagne, Eleanor’s elder daughter with Louis VII.2 In addition to such speculation on Marie’s birth and possible kinship to the Angevin royal house, scholars have proposed close literary relations between Eleanor and Marie de France, suggesting that Marie was patronized by Eleanor and was perhaps even part of her “entourage.”3 KeywordsSexual DesireTwelfth CenturyPowerful WomanMale HeirFrench TroopThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.