History, Sentiments and Psychology: the Antioch Incident
History, Sentiments and Psychology: the Antioch Incident
No one can say how the kingdom of France would have fared against what would have been a smaller Plantagenet empire if after the Antioch incident Eleanor of Aquitaine had not decided to leave her husband, taking Aquitaine with her into the other camp. There is little doubt that the Queen's decision, which Louis VII came to adopt and support, and which arose from an ‘emotional situation’, came into the matter afterwards. So the Antioch incident requires this chapter's close attention. As seen from this angle, it is a reflection of anxiety felt in the milieux of aristocracy and the church with regard to queens and their sexual desires, and to the political power these women wielded through their influence on kings and the fact that they might give birth to a legitimate heir.
Keywords: France, Plantagenet, Antioch, Eleanor of Aquitaine, milieu, aristocracy, church, Louis VII
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