5-6+Jake+M.

=Monday, March 26th= Elanor and Louis were betrothed to each other later than was typical of betrothals during the 12 century. Louis' reason is quite simple. As he puts it, "I am second son and second choice, that is why I have not been promised in marriage" (Konisburg 20). Louis says tha t he is simply second choice and feels that he there was no for him to be betrothed until his brother, who was originally planned to marry Eleanor, broke his neck, making Louis the heir. Elealor's reason is a bit strange. According to Abbot Suger, Eleanor's her father and grandfather felt they would live forever. Because they assumed that, they thought that they wouldn't need a duchess. This tells us that her family is strange but stubborn and strong-willed.

In __ A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver __, people's decisions makes massive changes in other peoples lives. A fine example of this would be while on the Crusades, finding a place to stay. King Louis would like everyone to make camp on a plateau but Eleanor prefers the beautiful valleys below. Geoffrey of Rancon said, "The King has given us orders for us to stay in close ranks. It is difficult to reckon direction among these mountain peaks. It is absolutely necessary that we stay close together" (59). Eleanor ignores the loyal lord's request and insists on going down to the valley anyway. King Louis goes to look for her and gets attacked by Turks. "It was a slaughter" (59). If Eleanor had been satisfied with her original camping ground, she would have spared the lives of her soldiers. Her decisio n greatly effected the lives of the soldiers, their families, and the momentum of the group.

= Tuesday, March 27th = According to Abbot Bernard, Geoffrey died because of his sins, or Divine Justice, but Matilda believes that it had nothing to do with sins, but it was just a trick of fate. Divine Justice is essentially just justice that is carried out by God. On the topic of Geoffrey's death and Abbot's opinion, Matilda says, "It was a fever, an accident, a trick of Fate, that killed my husband Geoffrey after he made peace at the court of the Capets" (84). She believes that his death was no coincidence. Abbot thinks that he died for a reason and that frustrates Matilda because she sees him as such a great person. From Abbot Bernard's point of view, Geoffrey brought his death upon himself based on his sins. Matilda will be stubborn and defend the ones she loves but if Divine Justice is a real thing, Geoffrey's sins killed him.

Eleanor and Matilda argue with Henry about whether or not Thomas Becket would make a good Archbishop. Both of their arguments are compelling. Eleanor and Matilda feel that Thomas Becket would be a poor choice for an Archbishop. According to Eleanor, "Thomas will choose to serve God rather than you" (116). Eleanor understands the idea that Henry has of combining the laws but feels that the result would be too chaotic. Henry's argument is about his politics, not about actual people. He says, "What can I do to convince you that I must have one set of laws in all my kingdom?" (115). He thinks that if he appoints Becket as Archbishop, he will be able to narrow down the laws from the Church's laws and the government's laws, to just the government. Because Henry is the king, he will end up appointing Becket but the outcome will not be peaceful and Becket will choose to serve God over Henry.

= Friday, March 30th =

Eleanor and Henry's teaching methods are completely different. King Henry believes that teaching is about repetition and monotony. He tells his son, Henry, "'Routine is as necessary to life as water is to beer; it is the base that holds the flavor and spices together'" (139). King Henry means that without boring parts in life, nothing would be special. Henry prefers that Young Henry perform boring errands instead of acting royal and king-like. Eleanor's method is more practical than Henry's. She thinks that if a boy is to become a king, why not teach him to become a king? She let's Richard make important decisions and collect taxes as she oversees everything he does. The different styles obviously breed two different boys. Because of King Henry's harsh approach to Young Henry's education, Young Henry learns to dislike his father and lean towards Eleanor's shelter. King Henry worries about this and, in a frenzy to win back his son, offers Young Henry the crown of England. After Young Henry saw how badly he had been treated compared to Richard, he decided that he would wage a war against his father. The teaching styles of the parents have a massive effect on their children.

The Courts of Love have a great impact on the way women are treated today. In the past women have been regarded by men as unimportant, but today we see that women are usually treated greater than or equal to men. In fifth grade, a lot of kids go to charm school and learn some manners. A lot of those manners, such as waiting for the women to be seated before the men and taking the meal orders of the women first, are about treating women correctly. "Until the inventions of Queen Eleanor and Marie of Champagne, women were considered nothing but property" (135). Without The Courts of Love, women might still be considered property. A few years ago, America even had a woman run for president. She wasn't elected, but without the Courts of Love she wouldn't have been able to throw her name in the hat. When I am at dinner with my family I can see my father treating my mother very well thanks to the Courts of Love.