Episode 2: 1278 to 1290 - Eleanor of Castile transforms Leeds Castle into a queenly paradise
January 7, 2019
It’s the remarkable and often overlooked Eleanor of Castile who’s the star of this episode, not her famously ruthless husband, Edward I. She not only transformed a standard Norman motte and bailey structure into the elegant castle we know today; she brought some much-needed civilisation to the English court and established a precedent for women (ok, queens) to become major property owners in their own right.