I, Eleanor, Queen of England, unhappy mother, pitied by no one, have arrived at this miserable old age. Two sons lie in dust and their unhappy mother is tortured by their memory. King Richard is in irons. His brother John ravages the kingdom with fire and sword. I know not which side to take. If I leave England, I abandon the kingdom of my son John, torn by civil war. If I stay, I may never see the dearly beloved face of my son Richard again. There was nothing the Pope could do about her plight. Money, however, could do the trick. Two years and 34 tonnes of gold later, Richard was ransomed into freedom, but his kingdom was bankrupt.


我，埃莉诺，英格兰王后，不幸的母亲，却无人同情，已至悲惨暮年。两个儿子在六尺之下，而他们悲伤的母亲，终日为此黯然神伤。理查国王成了阶下囚，他的弟弟约翰，想挑起战争，陷国家于水火。我不知该站在哪边，若我离开英格兰，便是任由约翰将这个王国，毁于内战之苦。如果我留下来，那我也许就再也无法见到我的挚爱之子，理查。 对于她的困境，教皇也无计可施，而金钱始终是万能的。花费两年时间，缴纳了34吨黄金，理查重获自由，但他的王国已近崩溃。