Matilda Queen of England

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(Middle Life)
 
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'''Matilda''', Princess of England, Queen of Germany, Countess of Anjou, heiress to Normany, Queen of England in 1141
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'''Matilda''', Princess of England, Queen of the Romans, Countess of Anjou, heiress to Normany, [[Monarch of England|Queen of England]] in 1141.  Called "Empress" but never crowned by the Pope.
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This article is written and copyright by Will Johnson, wjhonson@aol.com, Professional Genealogist 2008.
  
 
==First Marriage==
 
==First Marriage==
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On 25 Mar 1133, Matilda had her first child, the future Henry II, and the year following on 1 Jun 1134, her second who would become Geoffrey, Count of Anjou.  Matilda's husband, antsy for influence, took this opportunity to make small military harassment's on his father-in-law Henry, to try to compel some settlement out of Norman property for them and their children.  Matilda backed her husband, and thus was estranged from her father Henry when he died 1 Dec 1135 in England.  Nevertheless, although one source claims that on his deathbed he declared for his favorite nephew Stephen, this is not likely, and other sources state that on his deathbed he declared again that Matilda was his heir and all his interests should flow to her.
 
On 25 Mar 1133, Matilda had her first child, the future Henry II, and the year following on 1 Jun 1134, her second who would become Geoffrey, Count of Anjou.  Matilda's husband, antsy for influence, took this opportunity to make small military harassment's on his father-in-law Henry, to try to compel some settlement out of Norman property for them and their children.  Matilda backed her husband, and thus was estranged from her father Henry when he died 1 Dec 1135 in England.  Nevertheless, although one source claims that on his deathbed he declared for his favorite nephew Stephen, this is not likely, and other sources state that on his deathbed he declared again that Matilda was his heir and all his interests should flow to her.
  
==Civil War==
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==Civil War 1135-41==
 
On Henry's death, Stephen, then Count of Mortain and married to the heiress of the County of Boulogne, landed in England to seize the throne.  Stephen had been his uncle's favorite nephew, the son of Henry's closest sister Adele.  The barons and bishops having sworn to uphold Matilda as heiress now had to confront their own oaths.  It is likely that now was when the statement was sworn that Henry had disinherited Matilda on his deathbed and released them from their bond.  It seems credible that they might believe such a statement, as Geoffrey was known to have been harassing his father-in-law and Henry and Matilda were then estranged.
 
On Henry's death, Stephen, then Count of Mortain and married to the heiress of the County of Boulogne, landed in England to seize the throne.  Stephen had been his uncle's favorite nephew, the son of Henry's closest sister Adele.  The barons and bishops having sworn to uphold Matilda as heiress now had to confront their own oaths.  It is likely that now was when the statement was sworn that Henry had disinherited Matilda on his deathbed and released them from their bond.  It seems credible that they might believe such a statement, as Geoffrey was known to have been harassing his father-in-law and Henry and Matilda were then estranged.
  
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After three years of armed struggle, she at last gained the upper hand at the Battle of Lincoln where an army led by her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, in February 1141, captured King Stephen, and sent him to imprisonment at the castle of Bristol which Matilda controlled.
 
After three years of armed struggle, she at last gained the upper hand at the Battle of Lincoln where an army led by her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, in February 1141, captured King Stephen, and sent him to imprisonment at the castle of Bristol which Matilda controlled.
  
==Later Life==
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==Civil War 1141-52==
 
However, despite being declared "Lady and Queen of the English" at Winchester and winning over Stephen's brother, Henry of Blois, the powerful Bishop of Winchester, Matilda alienated the citizens of London with her arrogant manner. She failed to secure her coronation and the Londoners joined a renewed push from Stephen's Queen and laid siege to the Empress in Winchester. She managed to escape to the West, but while commanding her rearguard, her brother was captured by the enemy.
 
However, despite being declared "Lady and Queen of the English" at Winchester and winning over Stephen's brother, Henry of Blois, the powerful Bishop of Winchester, Matilda alienated the citizens of London with her arrogant manner. She failed to secure her coronation and the Londoners joined a renewed push from Stephen's Queen and laid siege to the Empress in Winchester. She managed to escape to the West, but while commanding her rearguard, her brother was captured by the enemy.
  
 
Matilda was obliged to swap Stephen for Robert on 1st November 1141, and the King soon reimposed authority over part of England.  The dramatic part of the story is over and the two sides now engage, in various small maneuvers over many years, dragging out the war with no resolution in sight.  One more dramatic scene however occurs in 1142.  Robert has gone to Normandy to attempt to persuade Geoffrey to lend her personal presence to Matilda's cause.  Matilda is in her stronghold at Oxford when Stephen makes a surprise attack.  The place is laid under seige and after some time, Matilda determines to make her escape.  The ground is white covered with snow, and Matilda clad all in white is lowered from a tower and steals across the lines, escaping to Abingdon six miles away where she obtained horses and rode to safety at Wallingford.  Stephen takes Oxford, but the great advantage he could have had is gone.  Robert now joins her at Wallingford and has brought with him, her son Henry, now ten years old, who would remain in the stronghold at Bristol under a tutor for the next four years.
 
Matilda was obliged to swap Stephen for Robert on 1st November 1141, and the King soon reimposed authority over part of England.  The dramatic part of the story is over and the two sides now engage, in various small maneuvers over many years, dragging out the war with no resolution in sight.  One more dramatic scene however occurs in 1142.  Robert has gone to Normandy to attempt to persuade Geoffrey to lend her personal presence to Matilda's cause.  Matilda is in her stronghold at Oxford when Stephen makes a surprise attack.  The place is laid under seige and after some time, Matilda determines to make her escape.  The ground is white covered with snow, and Matilda clad all in white is lowered from a tower and steals across the lines, escaping to Abingdon six miles away where she obtained horses and rode to safety at Wallingford.  Stephen takes Oxford, but the great advantage he could have had is gone.  Robert now joins her at Wallingford and has brought with him, her son Henry, now ten years old, who would remain in the stronghold at Bristol under a tutor for the next four years.
  
Meanwhile Geoffrey has gone on the offensive in Normandy and after a rapid campaign, it falls into his hands, with Rouen surrendering Jan 1144.  In 1148, after the death of her half-brother, Matilda finally returned to Normandy, leaving her son Henry to fight on in England.  In 1152 the Treaty of Wallingford recognised Henry as Stephen's heir.
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Meanwhile Geoffrey has gone on the offensive in Normandy and after a rapid campaign, it fell into his hands, with Rouen surrendering Jan 1144.  In 1148, after the death of her half-brother, Matilda finally returned to Normandy, leaving her son, who, in 1154, would become Henry II, to fight on in England.  Henry was knighted in 1149 by King David of Scotland and they with the Earl of Chester were going to attack Stephen, but the Earl's allegiance had again been bought back by Stephen and so this came to nothing.  Henry returned to Normandy.  Upon his return, his father handed over to him the duchy of Normandy and retired to his own county of Anjou.  Stephen now took this time to try to get the Pope to consecrate Stephen's son Eustache as King of England.  Pope Eugenius however rejected this attempt on the grounds of the original violated oath (to Matilda).
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Henry again invaded England, Stephen's heir Eustache went mad and died in 1153 and shortly afterward, that same year, the Treaty of Wallingford recognised Henry as Stephen's heir to the throne, even though Stephen had another living son.
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==Later Life==
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Matilda retired to Rouen in Normandy during her last years, where she maintained her own court and presided over the government of the duchy in the absence of Henry. She intervened in the quarrels between her eldest son Henry and her second son Geoffrey, but peace between the brothers was brief. Geoffrey rebelled against Henry twice before his sudden death in 1158. Relations between Henry and his youngest brother, William, Count of Poitou, were more cordial, and William was given vast estates in England. Archbishop Thomas Becket refused to allow William to marry the Countess of Surrey and the young man fled to Matilda's court at Rouen. William, who was his mother's favourite child, died there in January 1164, reportedly of disappointment and sorrow. She attempted to mediate in the quarrel between her son Henry and Becket, but was unsuccessful.
  
Matilda died at Rouen on 10th September 1169 and was buried in Fontevrault Abbey, though some of her entrails may possibly have been later interred in her father's foundation at Reading Abbey.
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Although she gave up hope of being crowned Queen in 1141, her name always preceded that of her son Henry, even after he became king. Matilda died at Notre Dame du Pre near Rouen on 10th September 1169 and was buried in the Abbey church of Bec-Hellouin, Normandy (or Fontevrault Abbey), though some of her entrails may possibly have been later interred in her father's foundation at Reading Abbey. Her body was transferred to the Rouen Cathedral in 1847; her epitaph reads: "Great by Birth, Greater by Marriage, Greatest in her Offspring: Here lies Matilda, the daughter, wife, and mother of Henry."

Latest revision as of 21:57, 19 November 2010

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