1. Ambition

Wife and mother to a dynasty of kings, crusader, prisoner and formidable political operator.

This is the story of the young Eleanor of Aquitaine.

At 16 she has one ambition - to become the Duchess (and ruler) of the Aquitaine. But her father has other ideas...

Though Eleanor of Aquitaine lived 900 years ago, she is very modern woman.

At 16 she inherits the richest province in France and plans to run it her own way, as her grandfather promised she could. The men around her have other ideas – a young woman with so much power is far too great a threat.

There is a kidnap attempt, a midnight escape on horseback, bribery, an armed invasion and a forced marriage to the sexually repressed young French king.

Even then, Eleanor finds a way to challenge the status quo and march to her own drum, always determined to decide her own destiny. Intelligent, tough, imaginative and witty, Eleanor first scandalises then subtly reshapes the world she inhabits.

This gains her a host of admirers as well as, inevitably, powerful enemies determined to bring her down. Somehow she stays one step ahead of them all.

It’s not that Eleanor think likes a man – it’s that the men have no idea how to contain someone with power who thinks like a woman.

Written in five parts by Shaun McKenna.

Eleanor ...... Rose Basista
Petronilla ...... Cecilia Appiah
Duke William ...... John Lightbody
Archbishop Laroux ...... Roger Ringrose
Pierre ...... Luke Nunn

Director: Marc Beeby

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2020.