Editing Eleanor of Aquitaine (section)

==== Later years in England (1159–1168) ====

It was not till September 1160 that Henry again summoned Eleanor and the children to be with him in France.{{sfn|Weir|2012|p=152}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}} Louis VII's second wife had died that year, providing him with only two daughters but no male heir, and he promptly arranged a third marriage. Therefore, Henry II decided to immediately arrange for Prince Henry's marriage to Marguerite, despite their being only children. For this he obtained a special dispensation from the church, and the marriage proceeded on 2 November, unbeknown to Louis.{{efn|Since Louis VII and Eleanor's marriage had been annulled for consanguinity, the marriage between their children was also problematic. Complicating this was the fact that Louis had once again married a relative, taking [[Adela of Champagne]] as his third wife in 1160.{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}}}{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=151–152}} Eleanor remained in France and in September 1161 gave birth to their second daughter, [[Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile|Eleanor]], at [[Domfront, Orne|Domfront]], Normandy.{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}} The number of years between the birth of Geoffrey (1158) and Eleanor (1161) compared to Queen Eleanor's other pregnancies has given rise to speculation about the presence of another child. [[John Speed]], in his ''History of Great Britain'' (1611), states that Eleanor had a son named Philip, born sometime between 1158 and 1162 and died young. His sources no longer exist, and he alone mentions this birth.{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=154–155}} Henry and Eleanor finally returned to England on 25 January 1163, after their prolonged absence,{{sfn|Weir|2012|p=157}} which also marked the end of her duties as regent in England.{{sfn|Weir|2012|p=158}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}

February 1165 saw Henry back on the continent to arrange the marriages of their daughters Matilda and Eleanor to cement an alliance with Emperor [[Frederick Barbarossa]] and Eleanor joined him on 1 May, acting as his regent in Anjou and [[Maine (province)|Maine]].{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=163–164}} It was there that another daughter, [[Joan of England, Queen of Sicily|Joanna]], was born at Angers in October, although Henry was not there, having returned to England only two weeks after her arrival. During much of these times the royal couple saw very little of each other, Henry not joining Eleanor till she asked for his help in dealing with a potential revolt in March 1166. His conflict with Breton nobles was settled by betrothing Prince Geoffrey to [[Constance, Duchess of Brittany|Constance]], daughter of [[Conan IV, Duke of Brittany]].{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=163–167}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}

These long periods of separation would give rise to speculation and then rumours of Henry's infidelities, and a resultant rift between him and Eleanor. The most notorious of these stories was that of an alleged affair with [[Rosamund Clifford]]. By late 1166, Henry's affair had become known,{{sfn|Pernoud|1967|p=135}} and was acknowledged by 1174. Henry had a reputation for philandering; he fathered other, illegitimate, children throughout the marriage. Eleanor appears to have taken an ambivalent attitude towards these affairs. [[Geoffrey of York]],{{efn|However, it is likely that Geoffrey was born before Henry and Eleanor were married. Some chroniclers confine accounts of his affairs to his youth and later years beyond Eleanor's child bearing.}} for example, was an illegitimate son of Henry, but acknowledged by Henry as his child and raised at [[Westminster]] in the care of the Queen.{{efn|Eleanor was well aware of her husband's infidelities, and this was even an expectation of the spouses of aristocrats{{sfn|Turner|2009}}}}{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=93–94}}{{sfn|Turner|2009}}

Following the birth of Princess Joanna, Eleanor remained at Angers. Henry did not join her for Christmas that year, only crossing to France in March 1166, where he would remain for another four years. The unprecedented separation at Christmas also led to speculation of discord, but Henry was with her by Easter that year, when she conceived their last child, [[John, King of England|John]]. After Easter, Eleanor returned to England, and Christmas 1166 was again spent apart, with John having been born on Christmas Eve. Eleanor did not join Henry in France till they spent Christmas 1167 together at Angers. This year also saw her bringing Matilda, then only eleven, to the continent in September in preparation for her marriage to the much older [[Henry the Lion]], Duke of Saxony, which took place on 1 February 1168.{{sfn|Weir|2012|p=167}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}

Henry II's reign was marred by a bitter feud with [[Thomas Becket]], which began in 1163. Becket was initially a close friend and adviser, then his chancellor and eventually Archbishop of Canterbury. There has been some speculation as to what role Eleanor may have played in this, but very little evidence. During his exile in France from 1164, Becket unsuccessfully sought her help. What little evidence exists though, suggests that she urged reconciliation.{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=159–162}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}

In December 1167, Eleanor gathered her movable possessions in England and transported them on several ships to [[Argentan]]. Christmas was celebrated at the royal court there, and immediately afterward she left for her own city of Poitiers. Henry and his army went with her before attacking a castle belonging to the rebellious [[Lusignan]] family. Henry then went about his own business outside Aquitaine, leaving [[Patrick, Earl of Salisbury]], his regional military commander, as her protective custodian. When Patrick was killed in a skirmish with the Lusignans, Eleanor, who proceeded to ransom his captured nephew, the young [[William Marshal]], was left in control of her lands. There she would remain until 1173, a move that facilitated Henry's control over a corner of his realm where the vassals were continually rebelling. This move also led to speculation of a marital breakdown.{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=169–172}}{{sfn|Turner|2009|loc=cap 5}}

By this time, Louis VII and his third wife had finally had a son, [[Philip Augustus]]. Philip's birth in 1165 ended Henry II's attempts to add the throne of France to the Angevin empire through dynastic alliances.{{sfn|Weir|2012|pp=164–165}}