Queens of England, Eleanor of Provence, 1223 - 1291Eleanor of Provence was born around 1223 in Aix-e

Queens of England, Eleanor of Provence, 1223 - 1291Eleanor of Provence was born around 1223 in Aix-en-Provence and was the second daughter of the Count of Provence and Beatrice of Savoy. Eleanor had three sisters who also married kings and she herself was known for her beauty. Eleanor was known for being clever and very fashionable, as Queen she often imported the latest clothes from France. Eleanor married Henry III on 14th January 1236, she met him for the first time at the wedding ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral. Eleanor was crowned as queen at Westminster Abbey the same day. Eleanor and Henry had at least five children together, including the future Edward I. Eleanor was devoted to her children. When Edward fell ill in 1246, she insisted on staying at the monastery where he was being cared for, for three weeks to nurse him, much longer than was supposed to be allowed. She was also distressed by her youngest child Katherine, who appeared to be deaf and then died aged 3. Eleanor was a faithful wife to Henry, especially during the period of Simon De Montfort’s uprising, when she fled to France and raised an army to help free her captured husband. However she was unpopular with the English people, particularly with the Londoners. One reason was the amount of relatives she brought to England with her, most of them seeking high office or rewards, which angered the English nobles, who wanted these for themselves. She was also seen as imperious and ambitious and as holding too much influence over the King.One incident happened on the 13th July 1263. Eleanor was in a barge on the Thames when she was attacked by Londoners. Stones, mud, eggs and vegetables were thrown at her and she feared for her life before she was eventually rescued by the Mayor of London. Eleanor hated the Londoners too and insisted they pay fines and taxes to her, including a large back payment of Queen-Gold (which was a monetary amount that was paid to the queen, amounting to a tenth of all fines that were due to the Crown), sometimes on flimsy pretexts. Henry died in 1272, after 36 years of marriage and Eleanor was distraught. She remained in England as Queen Dowager and helped to raise several of her grandchildren. Her grandson Henry died in her care in 1274 and Eleanor mourned him deeply, founding a priory at Guildford in his memory and burying his heart there. Fourteen years after her husbands death, she retired to a convent, although she remained in contact with her son. Eleanor died on 24th June 1291, aged 68, and was buried in the Abbey of St Mary and St Melor, but her heart was buried at the Franciscan Priory. The site of her grave in the abbey is unknown, which makes her the only English Queen without a marked grave.  -- source link

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