She was the most influential and powerful woman of her time - attractive, witty, and educated. Moreover, she was the heiress of a wealthy duchy that encompassed the entire southwest of France. Eleanor of Aquitaine, also known as Alienor or Eleonore, was not lacking in self-confidence, and even her contemporaries in the 12th century were torn between admiration and suspicion, if not outright hatred. Throughout her life, she primarily sought to assert herself against male dominance and claims to power. Married very young to the French crown prince, she became queen just days after her wedding and thus found herself at the center of court intrigues. Although she initially managed to win her royal husband to her side in times of doubt, over time, the estrangement between the power-conscious duchess and her husband grew.