Today, we visited Fontevraud Abbey... an important centre of French history... I started to write a blog to convey some of the drama generated by previous inhabitants... but then remembered that my good friend Barry had composed some views on the very same topic. We have been plagiarising Glynn and Barry... showing no shame... we worked up courage to embark on our one year excursion only after Glynn and Barry had shown it wasn't so hard... we copied their travel formula... not moving at too fast a pace... we are covering similar territory. With such a history of plagiarism, there is no reputation to protect... why not present Barry's account of Fontevraud Abbey. I would have copied his photos as well... except technical difficulties intervened.
This is what Barry had to say:
Near Angers, we also visited Fontevraud Abbey, a 12th century abbey of both nuns and monks (the blokes were kept in a far corner of the estate, probably to keep up an appearance of propriety), and governed by an abbess, usually from a noble and wealthy family. After the Revolution it became a prison (like Mont Saint Michael) and used as such until 1963. It has a wonderful smoke house, for cold smoking the trout from the Loire, their staple diet.
Of most interest though is that its abbey church houses the tombs of 4 Plantagenets – King Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their son Richard the Lionheart and his wife Isabelle of Angouleme.
Let’s take Richard the First (Lionheart) first, that’s him on the right below… (see photo)
- Despite the Robin Hood story, he only spent 6 months in England
- Spoke no English at all
- Revolted (with his brothers) against Henry II, his father
- Probably murdered his father Henry II a couple of days after getting Daddy to name him as successor
- Taxed the English until they bled, to fund his Holy land follies, and pay his ransom... imprisoned by a brother-in-law (this is true!)
- Very little success in Palestine really
- Murdered thousands of people with his great rival, France’s King Phillip II (trying to buy the Pope off, he did make 2 public confessions to sodomy)
- May have been bisexual, but the only evidence of that were reports of him “taking women by force” (i.e. rape) – produced no legal heirs. Died married, but did not see his wife for the last 8 years of his life
Now for Mummy – Eleanor of Aquitaine
Now doesn’t she look lovely there in death? (See photo below.) Just as you would expect an Abbess to be, peaceful, calm and in prayerful mode. Hmmmm…….
The Facts
- In about 1146 she married Louis VII of France, by whom she had 2 daughters but no son (important)
- In 1152 she either bribed or blackmailed the Pope into granting an annulment on the grounds that Louis was her 4th cousin
- The same year she married a 3rd cousin – Henry II of England; they had 8 kids (including Richard and Bad King John)
- In 1171 or thereabouts she got her 3 sons, including Richard, to revolt against her husband Henry (not successfully)
- In 1173 or thereabouts, Henry captured and imprisoned her until his death 15 years later (when he was beaten in battle, imprisoned and probably murdered by Richard)
- She was probably involved in the Popish difficulties Henry had with Thomas a’Becket, which led to Tom’s murder (in the cathedral)
- In 1200, at the age of 77, she was taken prisoner by somebody somewhere, ransomed back, then decided it was time to retire
- In 1200 she had herself made Abbess of Fontevraud, where she died in 1204.
GOOD LORD, WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE?
Au’voir
Barry et Glynnis
Great writing Barry.... bringing history to life.
My sympathies lie with Robin Hood. He played the obfuscation game with the Sherrif of Nottingham... all in the hope of staying alive until the return of Richard the Lionheart... who, in reality, was a CAD... he wasn't even an Englishman.. how could you trust a guy who killed his father and wouldn't visit his wife..... even on mother's day.
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