Episode 98 - Eleanor of Castile: Spanish princess and English queen

We’re joined in the studio by senior properties historian Nick Holder and author Sara Cockerill to look back at the remarkable but largely untold story of Eleanor of Castile. Born in 1241, she was raised as a Spanish princess, before becoming queen consort to Edward I in England.

Join us as we discuss her devoted relationship with her husband, and how she helped him to survive civil war, a crusade to the Holy Land and accumulate a large property empire for the English Crown. We also reveal how Eleanor’s legacy can be traced across a number of English Heritage sites that featured in her life, while her cultural influence in architecture, design and even gardening still survives to this day.

To read about the Eleanor Cross in Geddington – one of 12 crosses Edward I erected at the places where Eleanor’s body rested during the journey south to Westminster Abbey after her death – go to www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eleanor-cross-geddington

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