And that, of course, is my heroine, Isabelle. To reveal all of that, I needed another point of view-someone who knew her, who was with her, perhaps even a young woman to whom Eleanor had been a mentor.

There were people who reviled her, and many others who revered her. She was a famous heiress she then became queen of France and queen of England and she ruffled a lot of feathers. The reason I felt so strongly about that is that she was notorious even in her own time. I wanted to see her shot from all angles. I didn’t want to see her just from her point of view. I was fascinated by that, and after seeing Fontevraud, I read more about her, and she continued to pique my curiosity.ĬPL: What made you decide to tell the story from the viewpoint of the fictional Isabelle, rather than Eleanor herself?įS: When I embarked on the novel, I toyed with writing it from Eleanor’s point of view, but I quickly discarded that. Her tomb is a thing of mystery, a wonderful design-she probably designed it herself, with an eye to her posthumous reputation.

The following year, I went on a family trip to France, and we visited the abbey at Fontevraud in the Loire Valley-where Eleanor retired, where she spent the last years of her life, which she patronized throughout her life, and where her tomb lies. Why is that?įS: The first salvo was seeing The Lion in Winter in 1968, where she’s portrayed by Katharine Hepburn. Her sure hand and light touch make this both a memorable and an enjoyable read.ĬPL: On your website, you mention that you have been fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine since 1969. But she never expects to find herself face-to-face with Eleanor of Aquitaine.įrancesca Stanfill’s multilayered story offers a rich and absorbing picture of medieval life at all levels, from the sorceress living in a hut in the woods to the falcons’ mews and the exigencies of travel. Specifically, she longs to join the convent at Fontevraud, which attracts both nuns like Lady Fastrada’s sister and well-endowed laywomen in search of a quiet refuge.

Budding friendships with her maid, her steward, and even the noble Lady Fastrada attract Gerard’s ire, leaving Isabelle yearning for the one sure escape available to medieval women: the convent. Isabelle initially welcomes the match, but her new husband soon shows a disturbing need for control over his dependents, including his wife. In the engrossing novel The Falcon’s Eyes, Eleanor appears first as a shining if distant example for Isabelle, a young countess whose impoverished family is delighted to marry her off to the wealthy if less distinguished Gerard de Meurtaigne. One notable exception was Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England thanks to her marriage (following a scandalous affair and divorce) to Henry II of England-although Eleanor spent many of her later years imprisoned by her no longer loving husband, who suspected her of conspiring with their sons against him. Even queens had few rights, garnered little respect, and were tolerated largely for their ability to produce male heirs-preferably in quantity and without exhibiting any unfortunate qualities such as independence or intelligence. Twelfth-century Europe was not a good time or place to be born female.

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