Eleanor of Aquitaine

[Jim Eshelman]

Eleanor of Aquitaine, the richest and most beautiful women in Europe, first Queen of France and then Queen of England, imprisoned for a dozen years, immortalized in history and film, mother of Richard the Lion-hearted and his fumbling brother, was born in Poitiers, France September 17, 1122 (OS). *(The year and place are slightly contested, but historians have nearly all settled on them.)'

No time is known.

I have rectified ("spectified") a time of 3:00 PM (or maybe slightly later) from seven main events. The progressions came together quite well and then the lunar returns required no further time modification.

• Married Louis VII: p Moon-Sun conjunction
• Anointed Queen of France: p Moon-Venus conjunction (probably on natal Zenith)
• Married Henry II: p Moon-Sun opposition
• Her husband died (but also when she was set free from prison): A complicated event with a p Moon-Saturn conjunction.

Having settled on a tentative time of 3:00 PM LMT, the SLRs (including demis) produced the following on first try with no need for further time modification. The named planets are all within 2° of angles and nearly all are within 1°.

• Married Louis IV: SLR t Jupiter on MC. DSLR t Sun on EP.
• Anointed Queen of France: SLR t Sun on MC
• Marriage annulled (a victory); dSLR t Pluto 0°00'; from Asc, r Jupiter on EP-a
• Married Henry II: SLR t Sun on IC
• Became Queen of England: SLR complicated, not an ideal chart
• Start of 12-year imprisonment: t Jupiter-Pluto sq. on angles (tied to her Moon, might be too benefic but shows a political overthrow)
• Husband Henry II died: DSLR r Pluto on Dsc, r Saturn on MC, Moon-Saturn-Pluto &c. fits well - captures very well the literal death of spouse, the fundamental life change, and her (believed to be) highly ambivalent emotion (she seems to have loved him)
• Died (apparently of old age in her 80s): SLR perhaps too benefic? Of was she spiritually centered for the event/ t Jupiter on r Moon on MC (all < 1°)(. Both Neptunes connected. Pluto aspects both luminaries.

This is a remarkably strong run of charts.

I'm not displeased that King Henry II, who imprisoned her for personal and political reasons for the last 12 years of his life, had Saturn near the Ascendant of this chart for Eleanor.

[Jim Eshelman]

Can we refine this with SNQ angles? (I'm not going to take the time to run SQs or even SSRs.)

Her SNQ for date and place of death has natal and progressed Saturn on Zenith: Either exactly right or back up chart 2°.

Her SNQ for being anointed Queen of France has t Sun on Dsc 0°11'.

When she became Queen of England, the 3 PM time has SNQ MC exactly conjunct progressed Moon. However, an alternate fitting contact is Asc op. t Jupiter, which requires the angle be reduced 3°32'.

Ther start of her imprisonment has SNQ IC 1°18' shy of transiting Saturn, SNQ Dsc 1°44' past transiting Pluto. Either could be taken as accurate (or their average for the working time). I like the 3 PM time 'straight up' best because it also has SNQ Asc square her natal Moon-Neptune opposition within 1° for Moon, slightly more for Neptune.

The day her husband died overseas (and she was freed from prison), her SNQ for London had Dsc op. t Venus exactly (0°06' at noon) but 2°41' short of transiting Pluto. I don't know how fast the news reached London. Two days later is a quite remarkable chart. At noon:

0°11' Sco - SNQ MC
0°46' Tau - p Jupiter

24°11' Sag - SNQ Asc
24°34' Gem - t Venus
24°56' Gem - t Pluto

I suspect she news reached her and her jailers two days later, but even with the date of death, there is no complaint of the chart.

[Jim Eshelman]

Behold the proposed chart of the richest and most beautiful woman in Europe of her time and one of the continent's greatest monarchs:

Eleanor.png

As a monarch, the constraint placed on her for so much of her life is likely the consequence of so many more debilited planets than dignified planets:

Mercury in Virgo - exalted
Pluto in Aries - home

Venus in Virgo - fall
Saturn in Cancer - detriment
Uranus in Leo - detriment
Neptune in Virgo - detriment

[Jim Eshelman]

BTW, speaking of "richest and most beautiful," note these hidden aspects in the Novien:

11°24' Can - Jupiter
11°53' Lib - Sun
13°14' Lib - Venus

There is also in the Novien the "seclusion, asylum, exile" pattern attributed to Saturn-Neptune aspects:

2°18' Pis - Moon
6°28' Vir - Neptune
7°16' Gem - Saturn