No worries at all - it's difficult to have nuanced convos over social media sometimes without feeling like you're writing an essay 😊 you have my best wishes and solidarity for the situation in the US at the moment, and I hope you have chance to research soon!

not the only marks of what we might consider as a feminist. She did not conform to the boundaries expected of her, but personally I find it difficult to label her a feminist when, as far as I know, we don't have substantial evidence for her advocating for women's rights and she's not an outlier.

we think of her as 'exceptional' or not - if we're talking about her as an advanced woman of her time and that makes her feminist, there are also other woman exercising similar power and roles, if not more, in the 12th C. Her longevity and to an extent her education makes her stand out, but they're/

and consideration of her as a 'feminist' really needs a lot of context as to what else was happening at the time with regards to patronage of and by women, whether she improved matters materially for all women, their access to justice, etc - it goes far beyond patronage. It also ties in to whether /

Pappano which is probably the best piece discussing their connection. The question of whether Eleanor was a feminist or not is a bit of a difficult one - not just because of the anachronism of the term, but there are certainly instances where she is focused on herself at the expense of other women

Sorry for the delayed reply! June Hall McCash 'The Role of Women in the Rise of the Vernacular' Comparative Literature (2008) is available on JSTOR and refs Eleanor and the lais. Sharon Kinoshita 'Cherchez la femme' is also on JSTOR. Ed collection EOA: Lord and lady has a chapter by Margaret Aziza/

I haven't looked directly at the Arthurian links, but I do know some people that have so will post those tomorrow.

With regards to feminist activity, do you mean anything which enhanced women's rights or supported women?

Hi Cheryl, I've done a brief bio here (Eleanor of Aquitaine – Team Queens share.google/wFcapadj71n3...) though we can now more confidently state her birth date was 1124. I've published bits and pieces on her - is there anything specific you're after and I can send the best suggestion?

Yes, very grateful after the last year for those who are still with us to celebrate!