She was intelligent, scandalous and sexy.
She was wildly famous, in fact. the most famous woman of her time.
She was the hero of thousands of women and a champion of women’s rights. Men also adored and respected her.
She had an ethereal beauty with long blond hair and green eyes and was the embodiment of the Venus Archetype.Who was she?A celebrity?
An actress?
A humanitarian?
Well in many ways she was all three but she was not born in the 1920s or even the 1960s.
In fact she was born in the 1122 and her name was Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Never heard of her?
Well I would like to rectify that situation. Unfortunately many powerful women in history are not well known.
She was the Queen of both France and England and she ruled Aquitaine in Southern France in her own right.
She gave birth to Richard the Lion Heart – I am sure you have heard of him!
So why am I talking about her close to Valentine’s Day?
Because she set up the COURT OF LOVE in Aquitaine and thereby began what we now think of as romantic love.
Our concepts of falling in love are still influenced by her.
She inspired the very first LOVE SONGS and she supported the very first Troubadours (musician specialising in love songs).
What few people understand is that love songs were in fact the very first steps toward women’s liberation.
Why?
Because they elevated women’s status for the very first time. Before that women’s status was lower than that of a horse. In most countries at the time, it was not even against the law to kill your wife!
(If you would like to find out more about love, success and happiness then come to my FREE 1 Day Event coming up soon CLICK HERE for more info.)
Eleanor instead promoted a scandalous idea . . . that women should be loved and adored.
She put aside one of her castles as the very first refuge for battered wives.
She divorced her first husband, the King of France, mainly due to sexual incompatibility.
She remarried a man of her own choice, the King of England, who was 10 years her junior.
When that man was unfair to her sons, she supported them to gain power.
She supported art and artists, music and musicians, love and being loved.
She was, in many ways, the very first modern woman, almost a thousand years ago.
She was needless to say way ahead of her time, a true pioneer. Thank goodness for women like her who were willing to create and march to their own tune.
So today close to Valentine’s Day I raise a toast to one of the women in history I love.
I am so grateful to all those people both women and men who supported equality and humanity.
And love is one of those values that I believe is worth celebrating. It is at the very heart of the evolution of all humanity.
Lots of love to you. Think about the people you love and why and then let them know.
If you would like to find out more about love, success and happiness then come to my FREE 1 Day Event called the 22 Principles of Success, Love and Happiness both in Sydney and Melbourne coming up soon CLICK HERE for more info.