But it was Eleanor's homeland, Aquitaine, that was the greatest prize. A vast stretch of land between Anjou and the Pyrenees. A place where wine-steeped Latin culture had been polished anew by Provencal sensuality. Its capital, here in Poitiers, the home of troubadours and courtly love. No wonder then that Eleanor grew up, as her contemporaries put it welcoming, vivacious, her handsome head perhaps turned by all those lovelorn lyrics of knights enslaved by beauties and bent on besieging their virtue. So this is what Eleanor brought to the match: grandeur, territory, wealth, a lot of wealth, and the glamour of Aquitaine. No wonder Henry thought that with this marriage he'd got, well, pretty much everything. Everything that is, except the crown of England.


而是埃莉诺的家乡，阿基坦才是价值非凡的礼物。它位于安茹和庇里牛斯山之间，地域辽阔。在这里，普罗旺斯的声色犬马，又将酒色浸淫的拉丁文化发扬光大。首府普瓦捷是吟游诗人和古典爱情的胜地，埃莉诺在这里成长，与她的同龄人一样，热情大方，活泼动人。聆听骑士们表达倾慕的诗词，她会怦然心动。而年轻的骑士，也会为其美貌所俘获，为其贞洁而折腰。所以他们一拍即合。门庭，领土，财富，大笔的财富，以及阿基坦的魅力，无怪乎亨利认为这样的婚姻，可称得上完美，除了一点，英格兰的王冠。