Middle+Ages+Letter

Queen Tamara, Tbilisi, Georgia August 18, 1209

Eleanor of Aquitaine, London, England

Dear Queen Eleanor,

Your life inspires me. I live thousands of miles away from you, and yet have still heard of your greatness. We both have many things in common. We both are queens and women who will stand up for their rights. However, I was always an heir to the throne, while you gradually gained your power through wit.

You started out the daughter of the duke of Aquitaine, who died when you were fifteen. You were then betrothed to the second son of King Louis VI of France, as your protection was given to the king on your father’s death bead. When your husband became king in 1137, he was shy and you had to perform many of his duties. Eventually, you got released from this deal, by getting your marriage annulled with King Louis VII; you became Queen of England through your marriage with King Henry II in 1154. Your court you made in 1168 held some of the greatest writers of the twelfth century. In 1189, on the death of your second husband, your son, King Richard became king.

When your son went on a journey to the Holy land on the Third Crusade in 1190, where he got his nickname, “the Lion-hearted,” you became regent of England. During this time, you controlled rivals of King Richard, such as his jealous brother John and King Philip of France, until your son came back in 1194. What a life you have led.

I am also a queen. When I was 19, in 1178, I was crowned co-ruler of Georgia, a civilization in Asia Minor. Six years later, I became ruler. My first husband, George Boolybski was chosen by powerful nobles who wanted him to rule Georgia, instead of me. They did not want me to rule because I was a woman.

However, the parliament I had created instantly decided that he was a bad fit as he sent troops to their death against Muslims and Persians. I married again to Prince David Sosland in 1189, to which I bore two children, a son and a daughter. My ex-husband was angered by his exile, so he attacked Georgia twice with Russian troops and was defeated. He soon became a threat.

He then fled south and allied himself with the Turks who attacked Georgia and were defeated. I then led my troops to victory in two battles. I had to quell a rebellion and then send troops to the aid of my cousin, Alexios Comnenus, emperor of Byzantine, in 1205.

Several years later, my kingdom was once again besieged by the Emir of Ardabil in 1209. He killed 12,000 Georgians, but I responded by killing him and 12,000 of his followers with my army, not counting the slaves I acquired from his army.

We both are strong woman in a world where men rule. We must keep fighting for our kingdoms and our rights. I hope your years are spent with happiness. Sincerely,

Tamar Bagrationi, by the will of our Lord, Queen of the Abkhazians, Kartvels, Rans, Kakhs and the Armenians, Shirvan-Shah and Shah-in-Shah and ruler of all East and West

"Eleanor of Aquitaine." //Biography Resource Center//. Gale, 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2009. .  "Tamara." //Biography Resource Center//. N.p., 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2009. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/ BioRC?vrsn=149&OP=contains&locID=erde79591&srchtp=name&ca=43&c=1&AI=U13993296&NA= Tamara&ste=12&tbst=prp&tab=1&docNu