William the Conqueror
defender leader military ruler
Matilda Augusta was born on 7 February 1102 in Sutton Courtenay, England. Matilda was the daughter and designated heir of King Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. She had a brother William Adelin (Atheling) who was born on November 1103. William Adelin died in the disastrous sinking of the White Ship. Her grandparents were William the Conqueror and his wife Matilda of Flanders and King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret. Little is known about her early childhood.
Matilda's mother had a bad experience being educated in a nunnery so she took control of her daughter’s instruction. Matilda was literate and knew how to embroider.
Matilda completed her education at her husband’s court, acquiring regnal, military and diplomatic skills in abundance.
Although the magnates of England had promised Matilda's father that they would support Matilda's succession in 1127, 1131, and perhaps 1133, many apparently did not welcome the prospect of a female monarch. Consequently, when Henry died in 1135 and Stephen of Blois seized the crown, the majority recognized him as king. Shortly thereafter many in Normandy acknowledged him as duke, giving him control of substantial territory on the Continent, and the long struggle between the partisans of Matilda and Stephen commenced.
While adherents fought on her behalf in England, Matilda at first abetted her husband's efforts to secure several castles in southern Normandy. In October 1136 she led troops to Le Sap to bolster a siege that Geoffrey had mounted. Although Le Sap did not fall, the overall success that Geoffrey and Matilda enjoyed up to 1139 set the stage for Geoffrey's eventual conquest of Normandy. In 1139 Matilda turned her attention more directly to England, crossing the channel on 30 September. Her support, which had previously been confined largely to Gloucester and surrounding areas, increased considerably after Stephen was captured by her partisans at the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141. On 2 March a council of magnates at Winchester acknowledged Matilda as "Lady of England and Normandy." Now clearly in the ascendant, Matilda moved to secure her position. By midsummer, she was at Westminster attempting to win the support of the Londoners, but the burghers angered at her demands and exactions, took up arms and forced her to retreat to Oxford. That flight marked the beginning of a decline in Matilda's fortunes.
In August 1141 she succeeded in taking the city and royal castle of Winchester and had laid siege to the castle of Stephen's brother, Henry, bishop of Winchester, located within the city's walls. But she and her forces were, in turn, beset by a siege directed by Stephen's wife, Matilda of Boulogne. The latter proved so effective that the empress, with a small escort, was forced to make a desperate escape. Riding, according to Florence of Worcester, "in the male fashion" (astride rather than sidesaddle), and then carried in a makeshift litter dragged behind two horses, Matilda was able to reach the temporary safety of Oxford. Meanwhile, her half brother Robert (earl of Gloucester and her most prominent supporter) was captured in the rearguard action fought to cover Matilda's escape. A prisoner exchange was arranged in November - Robert for Stephen of Blois.
The newly freed Stephen laid siege to Oxford Castle on 26 September 1142, leading to another daring escape by Matilda. One night near Christmas she and a few supporters lowered themselves to the frozen Thames outside the castle walls and, passing directly through Stephen's camp under the cover of darkness, made their way to Wallingford. However, Matilda was never able to regain the advantage against Stephen in England. In 1148 she departed for Normandy, which was by then in the hands of her husband, Geoffrey. The initiative in the struggle for the crown was taken up by her son, Henry, who married Eleanor of Aquitaine and ascended to the English throne as Henry II in 1154.
Matilda is famous for her bitterly fighting for the crown of England against her cousin Stephen, count of Blois for nearly two decades beginning in 1135.
Matilda was an important historical figure whose battle with Stephen had a profound impact on the politics of her time. In addition, as the mother of Henry II (and the person who helped put Henry on the throne) she played an important part in the story of English succession.
Matilda preferred to be buried at the monastic site of Bec rather than the grander but more worldly Rouen and believed her to have substantial, underlying religious beliefs. Like other members of the Anglo-Norman nobility, she bestowed considerable patronage on the Church. Early on in her life, she preferred the well-established Benedictine monastery of Cluny alongside some of the newer Augustinian orders, such as the Victorines and Premonstratensians. As part of this patronage, she re-founded the abbey of Notre-Dame-du-Vœu near Cherbourg.
As time went by, Matilda directed more of her attention to the Cistercian order. This order was very fashionable in England and Normandy during the period and was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a figure of particular importance to Matilda. She had close links to the Cistercian Mortemer Abbey in Normandy, and drew on the house for a supply of monks when she supported the foundation of nearby La Valasse. She encouraged the Cistercians to build at Mortemer on a grand scale, with guest houses to accommodate a range of visitors of all ranks and may have played a part in selecting the paintings for the monastic chapels.
Some contemporary detractors described Matilda as "haughty." Although there may be some truth to this and similar charges, it seems that they were at least in part a reflection of a general prejudice against women operating in the traditionally male spheres of warfare and politics. For instance, the author of the Gesta Stephani asserts that she displayed "an extremely arrogant demeanor instead of the modest gait and bearing proper to the gentle sex." Several other chroniclers, both favorable and unfavorable, remarked upon Matilda's "masculine" qualities; for example, William of Malmesbury called her a "woman of masculine spirit." Such language was typically employed when writers of the period described women who wielded considerable authority or, more especially, played a role in military affairs.
Empress Matilda was married to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, from 1114 to his death in 1125, a marriage that conferred upon her the title of empress. Matilda was a faithful and loyal wife, administering her duties as Empress well.
Three years later she married Geoffrey, the Count of Anjou. Matilda and Geoffrey’s marriage was tempestuous. They both had violent tempers. Matilda could be haughty and arrogant and she decided to leave Geoffrey in 1129 and returned to her father in England.
Henry I, also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts.
Matilda of Scotland was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England in the absence of her spouse on several occasions.
William Adelin was the son of Henry I of England by his wife Matilda of Scotland and was thus heir apparent to the English throne.
Henry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor.
Henry then called upon his good relations with Count Fulk V of Anjou to negotiate the betrothal of Matilda to Fulk’s son Geoffrey le Bel. They were married in June of 1127. Matilda was 25 and Geoffrey was 14.
Henry II ruled as King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, Count of Anjou, Maine, and Nantes.
Geoffrey VI was Count of Nantes from 1156 to 1158. He was also known as Geoffrey of Anjou and Geoffrey FitzEmpress.
William FitzEmpress was the youngest of the three sons of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.
Matilda of Flanders was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and sometime Regent of these realms during his absence. She was the mother of ten children who survived to adulthood, including two kings, William II and Henry I.
