I'm reading the biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the greatest heriones of the Middle Ages. She was the wife of two kings--King Louis VII of France, and King Henry II of England--and the mother of three: King Henry, King Richard I, and King John, all of England. There are limited original documents about her that survive (she was born in 1122 AD), but one of the few is a Pipe Roll accounting which lists all of her belongings as she ascended the English throne: "Forty-two gowns of silk, linen, and wool, many richly embroidered: fourteen pairs of shoes, six of them embroidered with gold thread; five mantles of various colours furred with ermine; a great quantity of veils; and ten warm undershirts (spelling modernized)".
What good is it to be the Queen if you can only have fourteen pairs of shoes?
8 comments:
Yes, but you know that in the middle ages nobody really had shoes, you were of the nobility to have two! So in modern translation that probably amounts to about 250 pairs. Does that sound a little better? Love the red heels, they'd look fantastic with a satin dress with heavy gold embroidery:)
Hahaha i agree. Thats exactly what i was thinking when i was reading that, then again i have a addiction to shoes.
Good point! Royalty is not what it's cracked up to be. Much better to be a celebrity who's famous for being famous and owns thousands of shoes.
so did you guys not find out if it's a boy or girl?
No. It was too early. We're planning on finding out, though.
Be careful when sharing this tidbit with husbands. Spencer replied that is 14 pairs of shoes were good enough for the queen, then why do I need so many? Men. Sheesh.
I tagged you, so you better check out my blog.
AMEN ON NEEDING SHOES!
Post a Comment