She was about twelve years old when she had to leave the warmth of
          Southern France to marry an unknown man in the colds of the English
          winter, becoming Henry III's queen on 4 January 1236. Henry III had
          first tried to marry Jeanne, Countess of Ponthieu, until he was told
          by his brother Richard of the beauty of the four Provence sisters.
          Richard married Sanchia and the two other sisters also married two
          brothers: Margaret to King Louis IX of France and Beatrice to Charles
          of Anjou, King of Naples and Louis IX's younger brother.
              The marriage would remain a happy one but Eleanor became unpopular
          when her uncles arrived from Savoy to become the king's favourites.
          When Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury, died in 1240, Eleanor
          wrote to the pope to have her uncle, Boniface of Savoy, take that
          position. However, Boniface was resented as was also Eleanor's
          extravagance.
              In 1252 Henry III went to France because of a revolt in Gascony,
          Eleanor becoming Regent together with Richard, the king's brother. In
          1254 Eleanor went with her son Edward to Spain to attend Edward's
          marriage; on the way back she and the young couple were invited to
          visit the French Court.
              During the civil war, Eleanor provided active support, raising
          money on her jewellery. After the battle of Evesham she quickly joined
          her husband and son in England. In 1272 her husband died and Eleanor
          became Regent until her son, now King Edward I, returned to England.
            In 1275 she lost both her daughters, the Queen of Scots and the
          Duchess of Brittany. In 1280 she retired to the convent of Amesbury,
          yet was still involved in her family's affairs. She remained in
          Amesbury until her death in 1291.
 

Source: Leo van de Pas