If there were a contest for the weirdest headdresses, I would nominate the escoffion, hennin (a broader term) and wimple which were popular in Europe 1250–1500, especially among the royals and the smart set in France and Burgundy. The clothing of the time was dictated by strict laws: only

Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron was written between 1348 and 1352 and it is large! A hundred stories told over 10 days by a group of young aristocrats (three men and seven women) who have fled Florence to avoid the Black Death. When some of today’s literary critics and academics

Henry II and Eleanor appear in the film Becket (1964); Fair Rosamond does not. However, many find homoerotic undertones in the key relationship between Henry and Becket. The film is an adaptation of a 1959 play by Jean Anouilh and both feature a number of significant historical inaccuracies.

The original Woodstock Palace may have been more of a hunting lodge than a palace and it was probably rebuilt several times. Now it is long gone and Blenheim Palace stands in its place. It is situated near the town of Woodstock, northwest of Oxford. All that remains of Rosamond,

Chapbooks were the original "street literature" or pop culture from the 16th century onwards, and they often were read aloud since not enough people knew how to read. They were called chapbooks because they were sold by peddlers known as "chapmen" - usually printed on single

The Forteresse Royale de Chinon was built by Henry II of Anjou who died there after being defeated by his sons Richard and John in 1189. Henry, Eleanor, their son Richard, their daughter Joan and other members of the extended Plantagenet family are buried at the nearby Abbey of Fontevraud

Geoffrey Chaucer gently satirized the legend of Fair Rosamond in this undated poem, in which he takes the role of the pining poet whose affections are not returned by the Lady but oh, the suffering is worth it: "For though I weep a basin of tears,/Yet may that

Christine de Pizan was born in Venice (her father was from Pizzano, not Pisa), but she spent most her life in Paris. Her Le Livre de la cité des dames or City of Women was first published in 1405. The title and theme of the book are derived from St.

Technically, this is the coat of arms of Eleanor's County of Poitou (at Poitiers), which was absorbed into the duchy of Aquitaine. The Coat of Arms for Aquitaine has a horizontal lion (see at bottom), which may be compared with the imperial Chinese dragon at the bottom of

Fellini's film came out in 1980; it was not well received. These are some of the posters and DVD covers...

All that remains of Godstow Nunnery are these ruins, in Oxford’s northern suburbs, just up the Thames. Nearby is the Trout Inn (at bottom), which puts in appearances in the Inspector Morse TV series. Rosamond's home town of Clifford is further west, near Hay-on-Wye, by the Welsh

Henry II is shown above left, Henry the Younger is shown center bottom, and Richard I, the Lionheart, is on the right. This image is from an illuminated manuscript, said to be from between 1250 and 1259. Henry's Angevin empire can be seen in this visual:

Rosamond's retreat to Godstow reminds me of a host of writers (plus Rapunzel) who have found inspiration in their own private tower. One of them was the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin. In 1807, when he was 37, he retreated into this tower overlooking the Neckar River in Tübingen

We don't know much about Marie de France but we do have The Lais de Marie de France, 12 Breton lais (poems) comprising wonderful tales of adultery and romantic love, Celtic magic and the supernatural and they are available today translated in elegant prose (I have the translation

Eleanor confronts Rosamond inside the secret bower. The painting below is by late pre-Raphaelite painter Evelyn de Morgan from around 1901 to 1905. She was a fascinating figure in her own right, believing in spiritualism, feminism (she supported the suffragettes) and pacifism. Many of her paintings are women-centered. Note the

In the century that followed Henry and Eleanor, the rose garden metaphors associated with Fair Rosamond and courtly love were adapted by the most famous of French medieval poems, Roman de la Rose. In this allegorical dream-poem, the lover tells of his quest for the rose (his love) inside the

This is Rossetti's pre-Raphaelite Rosamond (1861), hiding out in the royal manor of Woodstock. Note the red silk cord in her hand, by which she would know if Henry was on his way. The model here is Fanny Cornforth, whom Rossetti often used. She became his housekeeper after

The rose became the floral symbol of England with the marriage in 1236 of Henry III and Eleanor of Provence, who was associated with the Golden Rose of Provence. From this rose was derived the red rose of the House of Lancaster and the white rose of the House of

In this popular "history," an anonymous writer portrays Eleanor of Aquitaine as the complete sadist. First, she strips the poor innocent Rosamond then she roasts her between two fires. To follow, she places two toads on Rosamond’s breasts to suck away, while she bleeds her slowly to

The Patient Griselda story is the most well known example of the "wife testing" genre, where a husband wonders if his wife might be unfaithful to him and so he sets in motion a series of tests for her. The results can go both ways. Griselda first appears

The Lion in Winter film posters from 1968 are above and below. Curiously Peter O'Toole had played Henry II earlier, in 1964, in Becket. Mediocre movie, although it was successful commercially and it won three Academy Awards, perhaps because of its great cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine

La Princesse de Clèves (1678) was published anonymously, but its author is now thought to be Madame de La Fayette, who lived most of her married life in Paris, where she participated in the salons. The novel was very successful and it is still widely taught in French schools, if

Tristan and Yseult (or Isolde) became popular when Henry and Eleanor were on the throne. French-English and German storytellers all took a crack at enhancing the older Celtic plotlines. As Joseph Campbell put it, the legend dramatizes a conflict between love and marriage, in an era when aristocratic families were

* 1151 Eleanor’s marriage to King Louis VII of France is annulled; she marries King Henry II of England * 1153 Death of St. Bernard of Clairvaux * 1165 Henry II first meets Rosamond de Clifford * 1166 John is born (the last child born to Henry and Eleanor) * 1166 Eleanor relocates to