During the 12th century a French woman became queen of France. And queen of England.
How could one person rule two countries?
Eleanor of Aquitaine married King Louis VII when she was 15. It didn't take long before Eleanor was known across Europe; she was intelligent and beautiful.
The religious wars, called the Crusades, raged across Europe and the Middle East. While King Louis fought, Eleanor suited up in armor with 300 of her ladies-in-waiting. Eleanor and her ladies-in-waiting traveled east, bringing bandages to wounded soldiers and encouraging them to keep on fighting.
Eleanor's first marriage didn't last long. She disagreed with Louis's ideas, and she wouldn't back down. Angry, Louis asked for a divorce. Eleanor felt relieved.
Soon, Henry II, king of England, fell in love with Eleanor. Only one year later, she married him. But her opinions were as strong as ever. This time, when Eleanor disagreed with her husband, he locked her up alone in a dark tower so she'd change her mind (she didn't). But once Henry died, Eleanor ruled all of England—that's how one woman became queen of two countries.
