3-4+Drewv+M.

Eleanor and Louis were betrothed late because of their cocky parents who thought that both of these children were not necessary to further their wealth and power. Eleanor's father and grandfather both thought so highly of themselves that they thought they were immortal. "Eleanor was saved because her father and grandfather thought that they would never die (E.L. Konigsburg page 20)." Louis' parents were negligent in betrothing him early on because he was not the first heir to the throne. They eventually betrothed him because their first born son broke his neck. "I would have been one if my brother Philip's horse had not tripped over that old sow and broken Philip's neck in the process. == One person's actions and decisions can affect the lives of so many people. A bad decision by one person can snowball into consequences so many other people. Don't jump to decisions without considering how the outcome will affect those who are directly and indirectly involved. Eleanor selfishly connives the crusade leader into setting up camp in the valley down below because she wants to be in a cooler, more relaxing environment. The leader goes against the protocol to satisfy Louis' wife's needs and the outcome is aweful. They are ambushed by the Turks and so many lives are lost all because of Eleanor's demand to veer off course.

In my own words, Divine Justice is god's way of telling you that you did something wrong and now you will have to pay for your mistakes, like karma. To me, Divine Justice doesn't mean that god will punish you with death, but with whatever action he thinks fits the crime. Abbot Bernard thinks Geoffrey died because of Divine Justice and I agree with him. One of the worst decisions Geoffrey made was to take King Louis' steward and held him hostage for so long. I am not exactly sure why he was reinstated to the church but I think it is because god knew he did some wrong things but he also knew there was some good left in him. Soon after he was reinstated to the church, he paid the ultimate price, death. What Abbot Bernard thinks about his death is somewhat like the saying, "what goes around, comes around. Eleanor refuses to believe in Divine Justice. This is proven when she says, "It was a fever, an accident, a trick of fate, that killed me husband Geoffrey after he made peace at the court of Capets." (Konigsburg 84).  I strongly believe that Divine Justice does exist and it affects not only the person or persons causing the harm, but so many others around them. In this case, Geoffrey thought he was doing right by not by not attacking while King Louis was on Crusade but then made up for it by capturing Louis' steward and holding him hostage. So many lives were affected and changed because of one man's decision. Everyone should live their life expecting to pay for their sins. However, when the wrong doer pays for his or her sins, so many of their friends and family members suffer too. They suffer in a different way than that of the wrong doer. I think without believing in Divine Justice, people may not try to be good people.
 * 1) Discuss the idea of Divine Justice and why Abbot Bernard thinks Geoffrey died because of this. IF Divine Justice DOES exist, how does it connect with our EQ: To what extend can a person's decisions and/or actions change his/her life and the lives of others?
 * 2) Why are Eleanor and Matilda against Becket being appointed archbishop? Why was Henry for it? What might the outcome be?

Eleanor and Matilda are against Thomas being appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury because Eleanor thought that it is not the king's job to appoint an Archbishop, it was the Pope's job. She also says that her ex-husband, Louis tried to appoint a regular bishop and it caused a lot of problems. Eleanor says, "My former husband, Louis once tried to appoint only some minor bishop, and it brought nothing but trouble" (Konigsburg 112). Matilda, on the other hand, said that Thomas Beckett would not remain loyal to King Henry. She tried to Henry that his loyalty will change. Mother Matilda says, "He is a man of conscience. I see that by how conscientiously he serves you a chancellor. He will choose to serve God instead of you" (Konigsburg 113). Both women tried to warn Henry about Thomas Beckett, but King Henry said he is the king and what he says goes. King Henry wanted Thomas Beckett to be both chancellor and the Archbishop of Canterbury because he didn't want to have two sets of laws in his land. He said if Thomas wore both hats, then it will be the king's laws that are used and not the church's laws. I think the outcome might be that the women are right. Thomas seems a little too perfect.

Wiki Post Three

=Henry and Eleanor's ways of teaching were very different. Eleanor's method of teaching their children was by hands on learning. She taught her son Richard how to rule Aquitaine by having him participate in everything she did. "Richard travelled with his mother wherever she went. He took part in every ceremony. He sat by his mother when she held court and when she collected taxes" (Konigsburg 139). Henry likes to teach in a way that his apprentice (his sons in this case) watches what he does closely for a long time and hopes that his sons make him proud. Henry gives his son, Young Henry small, menial jobs to keep him occupied. However, those jobs did not teach Young Henry how to rule a kingdom. "Your father will not let you rule because he considers himself the greatest puppeteer in Europe" (146). This shows Eleanor's impatience with her husbands teaching methods. I think the EQ affects Henry and Eleanor because they as parents do not have an united front. The children are confused as who to follow in order to learn how to rule their land and their people. In essence, their parents actions have greatly affected their children's lives.= =These rules of Courtly Love written by Eleanor and Marie have affected the world today because it taught men to be kind to women and treat them with respect. Pulling out a chair or holding a door open for a woman are examples of such kindness. However, in modern times, most people marry each other because th ey love one another, not to gain property, money or a title as they did in the middle ages. "In the middle ages, marriages amongst the nobility were typically based on practical and dynastic concerns rather than on love" (Schwartz website).=