In this new biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine - one of the most exciting women in European medieval history - author Douglas Boyd takes us to the heart of this extraordinary woman. He reveals her as a peculiarly 'modern' character - she rejects as a liberated woman the subordinate role decreed by the Church and Salic law; she refused to be a consenting victim of ethnic cleansing; and she promotes her vision of a continent wide dynasty - and uniquely sets her into the context of southern French civilisation, with its love of comforts and pleasures of life. Boyd's new biography will not only recreate the turbulent life of this extraordinary woman, but take us into the world she knew - her friendships, the food she ate, the clothes she wore, the sounds, sights and smells around her - and thus bring her to life as never before.