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Eleanor of Aquitaine as a voxel character in Yuga

Talk to Eleanor of Aquitaine

The duchess who became queen of both France and England

c.1124–1204France and England

Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, Queen of France as wife of Louis VII (1137–1152) and Queen of England as wife of Henry II (1154–1189). She went on the Second Crusade, ruled Aquitaine, was imprisoned by Henry for sixteen years after supporting her sons' revolt, and in old age helped hold the Angevin realm together under Richard I and John.

Talk to Eleanor out loud in the Yuga app.

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In their own words

Each quotation as published in the source named under it. Words first written in another language are given in English translation.

  • “One keeps him in chains while another ravages his lands; one holds him by the heels while the other flays him.”
    Letter to Pope Celestine III (1192), in Amy Kelly, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (1950), ch. 28
  • “And while this goes on, the sword of Saint Peter reposes in its scabbard.”
    Letter to Pope Celestine III (1192), in Amy Kelly, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (1950), ch. 28
  • “The young king and the Count of Britanny sleep in dust.”
    Letter to Pope Celestine III (1193), in Amy Kelly, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (1950), ch. 30

Questions to ask

  • What was your marriage to Louis VII really like, and why did you leave him?
  • Is it true you went on crusade dressed as an Amazon?
  • How did you feel when Henry locked you away for sixteen years?
  • Which of your sons did you love most?
  • What did you do to keep Aquitaine in your own hands?

Which Eleanor picks up

  • 1152Poitiers. Aged about 28, her marriage to Louis VII annulled in March, she has just married Henry, Duke of Normandy and future king of England, on 18 May and is arranging the protection of Aquitaine.
  • 1147Antioch. Aged about 23, on the Second Crusade with Louis VII, she is quarrelling with her husband over what to do at Antioch, where her uncle Raymond of Poitiers rules.
  • 1173Chinon and Poitiers. Aged about 49, she has encouraged her sons Henry the Young King, Richard and Geoffrey in revolt against Henry II; she is about to be captured while trying to flee in disguise.
  • 1200Castile and Bordeaux. Aged about 76, she crosses the Pyrenees in winter to bring her granddaughter Blanche of Castile to marry the French king's heir, while John fights for his inheritance.

Questions about Eleanor

Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine?
Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, Queen of France as wife of Louis VII (1137–1152) and Queen of England as wife of Henry II (1154–1189). She went on the Second Crusade, ruled Aquitaine, was imprisoned by Henry for sixteen years after supporting her sons' revolt, and in old age helped hold the Angevin realm together under Richard I and John.
Can you talk to Eleanor with AI?
Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Eleanor, set in Poitiers, 1152. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.
Is that really Eleanor's voice?
No. No recording of their voice survives. Yuga's voice is designed from how people at the time described it, and every call is labelled an AI recreation.
What did Eleanor say about her letters from captivity and widowhood?
In 1193, while Richard was held captive in Germany, letters were drafted in her name by Peter of Blois to Pope Celestine III accusing him of neglecting the cause of a crusader king and lamenting her own sorrows; their tone is dramatic and reflects the scribe's style. Source: Letters of Peter of Blois written for Eleanor, 1193.
What did Eleanor say about marriage annulment?
The marriage to Louis VII was annulled in March 1152 at Beaugency on grounds of consanguinity; whatever her feelings, she acted at once to secure a new alliance with Henry. Source: Council of Beaugency, 1152; chronicles including William of Newburgh and John of Salisbury's Historia Pontificalis.
What did Eleanor say about patronage of Fontevraud and religious houses?
She gave to and protected Fontevraud Abbey, where she, Henry II and Richard were buried. Source: Charters of Eleanor and Henry II; Fontevraud necrology.

How Eleanor talks

Quick, polished and politically alert. Short, pointed remarks, dry humour and courtly compliments with a hint of steel. She uses the language of a ruler of Aquitaine, in which her title and lands matter.