Great Englishwomen: An Historical Reading Book for SchoolsSynge, M. B. (Margaret Bertha)
History
Great Englishwomen: An Historical Reading Book for Schools
Synge, M. B. (Margaret Bertha)
Women -- Great Britain -- Biography
"Remember, royalty is a public trust," were his last words to the future
king and queen, and on them the words made a lasting impression.
The new Queen of France was very beautiful; moreover she was musical, and
composed songs and poetry; she could read and write, then a rare
accomplishment, and was adored by her southern subjects, who always
welcomed her with joy, and mourned her absence, when she was obliged to
return to her court at Paris.
Now it was at this time that St. Bernard was preaching about the Crusades,
and the king and queen with all their court went to hear him. He had to
preach in the market-place, as no cathedral would hold the crowds that
went to listen. Now the king,--urged by Eleanor,--had already been to war
in France, and in course of war he had ruthlessly set fire to a cathedral,
in which 1,300 people had taken refuge; all had perished, and the king,
stirred by St. Bernard, resolved to atone for this heartless deed by going
to the Holy Land to fight. Eleanor declared that she would go too, so,
dressed as a "gay and courtly pilgrim," and mounted on horseback, she
accompanied Louis to the Crusade. But it was not a success. It led to
disagreement between Louis and Eleanor, and on their return they obtained
a divorce, and Eleanor went back to her own country.
Six weeks after she married Henry, Duke of Normandy, the future King of
England. Louis was very angry, because now Aquitaine was united to
Normandy; both would soon be joined to England, and Louis foresaw
dangerous enemies.
In 1154 Henry became King of England, and he and Eleanor went over to be
crowned. Everything looked bright before them; the queen rode by the
king's side into Winchester, and the handsome and brave young Henry with
his beautiful wife called forth shouts of joy from the English people.
Soon after her marriage, one day, in the grounds of Woodstock, Eleanor saw
the king walking with the end of a ball of silk caught on his spur.
Knowing it was not her silk, her suspicions were aroused, and, without
letting him see, she took up the ball of silk, and the king walking on,
the silk unwound, and the queen traced him to a maze in the park, where he
disappeared. Thus runs the story.
Soon after this, the king left Woodstock for a long journey; the queen,
remembering the silk, then searched the grounds, and found a low door half
hidden by the thicket. She opened it, and went down along a path
underground, which at length led out to a lodge in a remote part of the
forest, and here in a bower Eleanor found a very beautiful lady busily
engaged in work. This was the fair Rosamond, and she could now account for
the silk on her husband's spur. Eleanor was very angry, and it has been
said that she poisoned her rival. Rosamond, however, retired to a convent,
where she lived for the rest of her life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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