The Courts of Love: The Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine Read Online Free Page A

my father through new eyes. Not that Raymond ever spoke against him. But when he told me of affairs in Europe I realized that my father had only a very small part in them.
    Raymond was interested in Bernard of Clairvaux, who was at this time in conflict with my father.
    “He is a very powerful man,” Raymond told me, “and it is unwise to cross swords with him.”
    “And that is what my father is doing         .         .         .         crossing swords?”
    “I should not be talking to you thus, dear child. Let us sing a beautiful song together. That is more suitable to the occasion, I am sure.”
    “Let us sing certainly         .         .         .         but first I would hear of this Bernard of Clairvaux.”
    “If you have not heard of him, assuredly you soon will. He is a monk and he is renowned for his power with words. He draws the most hardened sinners to the monastic life. It is said that mothers hide their sons, wives their husbands and friends their companions for fear that he will lure them away from them. As a young man he went to the monastery of Cteaux because it was noted for its austerity, and that was the life he chose.”
    I grimaced. “How tiring such people are!” I cried. “They want to be miserable themselves and to make everyone else so at the same time. If they want to starve and mourn, I say, let them, if they will allow those who want to enjoy life to do so.”
    He laughed at my vehemence. “I see you are a little hedonist. I am of your opinion. But we cannot ignore this Bernard. He is becoming too powerful a figure in the world.”
    “It seems to me that one must either be very wicked or very good to win the approval of the people.”
    He laughed again. “And an observer of human nature too, I perceive. What a wise niece I have.”
    “Tell me more of this Bernard.”
    “He and his followers became so well known that many wanted to join their Order and there was not room at Cteaux to hold them so they decided to build a new monastery. They went in search of a place where they could build it and they came upon the wooded valley of Langres which was very dark and gloomy and would have to be cleared.”
    “They make me impatient,” I said. “Why choose a place which demanded a lot of hard work before they began to build? They might have chosen a sunny plain somewhere.”
    “But that would not suit Bernard. He believes that only by suffering can a man come to God. So they worked hard; they cut down trees; they settled there and built the famous abbey of Clairvaux. They endured great hardship and as a matter of fact, Bernard became so ill because of the austere life he led that they feared he would die.”
    “He had none but himself to blame.”
    “You are a realist, my dear little niece. Of course you are right. But there was great consternation. He was regarded as a saint. You have heard of the great doctor William of Champeaux. He went to Bernard. He cured him, taught him that it was possible to live frugally and be healthy. So now we have Bernard traveling the country, urging people to forsake their evil ways and whipping them up to a frenzy of piety. But the point of his discourse now is the acceptance of Innocent II as the true Pope.”
    “I know of the rivalry between the two Popes.”
    “It is splitting not only France but the whole of Europe. There are the supporters of Anacletus and those of Innocent.”
    “But why are there these two Popes?”
    “Because there was a split among the Cardinals and each candidate for the Papacy declares himself the winner. It is dividing the whole of Christendom. Italy stands for Anacletus and France for Innocent. At least that was how it was until Bernard took a hand in the dispute. You see, Louis sent for Bernard. Louis, indulgent as he is to his own appetites—and his immense body bears witness to that—is a very religious man. How the ascetic Bernard and