Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor Of Aquitaine (1122-1204) was a major figure in the middle ages and a prominent figure in women’s history. Born the Duchess of Aquitaine, she would eventually become Queen of England and France. The eldest daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. She inherited her father’s lands in 1137, and married Louis VII of France that same year. The marriage was annulled in 1152. She then married Henry II of England, bearing him eight children including sons Richard (the Lion-Hearted) and two other sons who would all become king. But this wasn’t enough for Henry, since she supported another son whom Henry hated and feared, Henry put her in prison where she stayed for sixteen years. This is the story of a powerful woman, who, “But for a Penis... Would Have Been King! But the story doesn’t end there because we are wanting to juxtapose women of the Middle Ages who made a significant difference in the manner in which they used their sex to get what they wanted. Enter now, Saint Joan of Arc, a virgin teen who followed iconic voices of the Catholic church urging her to lead a French army against the English. Saint Joan of Arc utilized a strident voice which willfully placed her at the head of a French force to defeat the English only to be burned at the stake as a heretic, but still a virgin!
