Return to power
On September 3 1189 Richard was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey in the presence of his adoring mother. She was now sixty-seven, a very old woman for her times, but one who kept well. The following year Richard left for the Middle East on his joint crusade with king Phillip II stopping in Sicily and then Cyprus. In Sicily he reunited with his mother who had travel first to France, then Navarre were she made a deal with its king, Sancho the Wise, to have his daughter marry Richard. From there, Eleanor and her future daughter-in-law traveled over the Alps reaching Richard just before his departure. A few days later she returned home, stopping briefly in Rome during the coronation of the new pope, an old friend. She secured the Archbishopry of York for her son Geoffrey Plantaganet (thus removing him from the throne), obtained a legateship for the Archbishop of Rouen (to use it against the Chief Chancellor of England) and funds for her trips.
Although she didn't spend much time with her kids while she was imprisoned, they stayed close to her. One of Richard's first acts as Richard I after ascending to the throne in 1189 was to free Eleanor and give her control over English political issues. Eleanor's outstanding leadership skills were on full display over the latter 15 years of her life. Together with her younger son, John, Eleanor served as vice regent while Richard spent the majority of his time away on crusade. Eleanor continued to hold a lot of power even after Richard died in 1199, when her official participation in English politics ended. She was still actively involved in Aquitaine's affairs up until her death in 1204 at the age of 82 maintaining her role as one of the most influential and revered people of medieval Europe.
