[11] In 1108, Henry left Matilda and her brother William Adelin in the care of Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, while he travelled to Normandy; Anselm was a favoured cleric of Matilda's mother. [114] Matilda had not been particularly active in asserting her claims to the throne since 1135 and in many ways it was Robert who took the initiative in declaring war in 1138. [157] Many started to leave Stephen's faction. Matilda is said to have been lowered from St Georges Tower using ropes. Basing her campaign in Oxford, Matilda battled, sieged, and even made an elaborate escape during her enduring efforts to claim the English throne. [228] Additionally, it was also conventional that newly elected kings use dominus until their coronation as rex, 'king', the interval being counted as an interregnum. Older histories suggested that Matilda of Scotland gave birth to a child in the city of Winchester in July 1101. In response, Robert of Gloucester and Ranulf advanced on Stephen's position with a larger force, resulting in the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141. Coins were issued in her name and arrangements were made for her coronation. [46], Now aged 23, Matilda had only limited options as to how she might spend the rest of her life. [195] In 1147, Henry intervened in England with a small mercenary army but the expedition failed, not least because Henry lacked the funds to pay his men. [226] While Marjorie Chibnall believed the Glastonbury and Reading Abbeys' instances of regina Anglorum are either errors for domina Anglorum or else inauthentic; David Crouch judged this unlikely to be a scribal error and pointed out that Stephen's supporters had used rex Anglorum before his formal coronation, that she was hailed as regina et domina at Winchester in March 1141, and that she "gloried in being called" the royal title. Why was England's first queen never crowned? [226] Notably, Matilda's husband Geoffrey never adopted the equivalent dominus Anglorum. The Empress was was the only surviving legitimate child of Henry I (reigned 1100-1135), and his designated heir - but she was a woman and England's nobles were . The narrator says that sometimes parents do the opposite and ignore their children. [79] Henry I was delighted by the news and came to see her at Rouen. [112] The rebels appear to have expected Robert to intervene with support, but he remained in Normandy throughout the year, trying to persuade the Empress Matilda to invade England herself. [47] She does not appear to have expected to return to Germany, as she gave up her estates within the Empire and departed with her personal collection of jewels, her own imperial regalia, two of Henry's crowns, and the valuable relic of the Hand of St James the Apostle. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. [2] At her father's death in 1135, her cousin King . Around three hundred passengers including Matilda's brother William Adelin and many other senior nobles embarked one night on the White Ship to travel from Barfleur in Normandy across to England. Stephen had the church on side through his younger brother Henry, the bishop of Winchester and the support of the nobles. Empress Matilda (c. 7 February 1102-10 September 1167), sometimes called Empress Maud, was the second child of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. [189], The character of the conflict in England gradually began to shift; by the late 1140s, the major fighting in the war was over, giving way to an intractable stalemate, with only the occasional outbreak of fresh fighting. [62][nb 8], Henry began to formally look for a new husband for Matilda in early 1127 and received various offers from princes within the Empire. [13] During the years of the Anarchy, works such as the Gesta Stephani took a much more negative tone, praising Stephen and condemning Matilda. [102] Geoffrey invaded Normandy in early 1136 and, after a temporary truce, invaded again later the same year, raiding and burning estates rather than trying to hold the territory. Robert of Gloucester had garrisoned the ports of Dover and Canterbury and some accounts suggest that they refused Stephen access when he first arrived. Family Life. [178], At first, the balance of power appeared to move slightly in Matilda's favour. 1141: Stephen beaten Stephen is defeated at the battle of Lincoln and is captured by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. [148] Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury was unwilling to declare Matilda queen so rapidly, however, and a delegation of clergy and nobles, headed by Theobald, travelled to Bristol to see Stephen, who agreed that, given the situation, he was prepared to release his subjects from their oath of fealty to him. [190] Some of the Anglo-Norman barons made individual peace agreements with each other to secure their lands and war gains, and many were not keen to pursue any further conflict. [38] Her husband was occupied in finding a compromise with the Pope, who had excommunicated him. [107] Stephen received the support of Pope Innocent II, thanks in part to the testimony of Louis VI and Theobald. The rest of the country remained under the control of local, independent barons. [77] It was decided that Matilda would return to Geoffrey at a meeting of the King's great council in September. [53], Initially, Henry put his hopes in fathering another son. [28], Paschal fled when Henry and Matilda arrived with their army, and in his absence the papal envoy Maurice Bourdin, later antipope under the name Gregory VIII, crowned the pair at St Peter's Basilica, probably that Easter and certainly (again) at Pentecost. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. [223], The Anglo-Saxon queens of England had exercised considerable formal power, but this tradition had diminished under the Normans: at most their queens ruled temporarily as regents on their husbands' behalf when they were away travelling, rather than in their own right. 1122 (23rd September) Concordat of Worms [144], Matilda received Stephen in person at her court in Gloucester, before having him moved to Bristol Castle, traditionally used for holding high-status prisoners. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. She travelled with her husband to Italy in 1116, was controversially crowned in St Peter's Basilica, and acted as the imperial regent in Italy. Now back in Oxford, and having missed her opportunity to become queen, Matilda was forced to release Stephen from prison in exchange for her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, who had since been captured. [18] On 25 July Matilda was crowned German queen in a ceremony at Mainz. Summary: Chapter 1: The Reader of Books The narrator describes how most parents think that their children are the best and the smartest. 'mistress'), are possible. Historians Jim Bradbury and Frank Barlow suggest that an oath was taken in 1131; Marjorie Chibnall is more doubtful that this occurred. Matilda, Empress (1102-1167)Daughter and heir of King Henry I of England, who waged a 15-year civil war to establish her right to rule the kingdom of England and the duchy of Normandy . [151] Nonetheless, Matilda then advanced to London to arrange her coronation in June, where her position became precarious. Although Matilda had powerful supporters at her back, forces loyal to Stephen remained in the city. This is a hasty judgement based on two or three hostile English chroniclers; such evidence as there is suggests Geoffrey was at least as much to blame". Stephen may have thought it was in his own best interests to release the Empress and concentrate instead on attacking Robert, seeing Robert, rather than Matilda, as his main opponent at this point in the conflict. Google may use the cookie to deliver targeted advertisements. Her only full brother was William Adelin, though she may have had 22 more siblings based on the number of mistresses her father had. With Stephen now released from prison, he rallied his forces and sieged Oxford in an attempt to capture Matilda. [171] Just before Christmas, Matilda sneaked out of the castle with a handful of knights (probably via a postern gate), crossed the icy river and made her escape past the royal army on foot to Abingdon-on-Thames and then riding to safety at Wallingford, leaving the castle garrison to surrender the next day. [52] The problem was further complicated by the sequence of unstable Anglo-Norman successions over the previous sixty years. 'queen' carried the implication of a king's wife only, the Old English: hlaefdige, lit. [70] Hildebert, the Archbishop of Tours, eventually intervened to persuade her to go along with the engagement. But her cousin Stephen of Blois contested her right to the throne and formed a coup, whereby he raced to Winchester to be crowned first. [121] The Pope declined to reverse his earlier support for Stephen, but from Matilda's perspective the case usefully established that Stephen's claim was disputed. David of Scotland also invaded the north of England once again, announcing that he was supporting the claim of Matilda to the throne, pushing south into Yorkshire. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. [60] If this failed to happen, Matilda was Henry's preferred choice, and he declared that she was to be his rightful successor if he should not have another legitimate son. [256] The German academic Oskar Rssler's 1897 biography drew heavily on German charters, not extensively used by Anglophone historians. Oxford Castle Prison. [13] Matilda had originally cautioned against the appointment, but when the Prior of Mont St Jacques asked her for a private interview on Becket's behalf to seek her views, she provided a moderate perspective on the problem. [226] Several interpretations of the title (Latin: domina, lit. Empress Matilda, as daughter of Henry I, was the rightful heir to the throne but as a woman and as the potential first Queen of England (ever), she was overlooked by many of the aristocracy to be unable to take on the responsibility the title would have given her. Matilda and Henry V had no children, and when he died in 1125, the imperial crown was claimed by his rival Lothair of Supplinburg. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics". . [237] A second design was minted at Bristol and Cardiff during the 1140s. [116][nb 14], Stephen responded quickly to the revolts and invasions, paying most of his attention to England rather than Normandy. [181] Later in the year Geoffrey de Mandeville, the Earl of Essex, rose up in rebellion against Stephen in East Anglia. 1. [116] Despite this victory, however, David still occupied most of the north. [122] The following month, the Empress was invited by her stepmother, Queen Adeliza, to land at Arundel instead, and on 30 September Robert of Gloucester and Matilda arrived in England with a force of 140 knights. His wife Matilda was sent to Kent with ships and resources from Boulogne, with the task of retaking the key port of Dover, under Robert's control. Strictly speaking, the ceremonies were not imperial coronations but instead were formal "crown-wearing" occasions, among the few times in the year when the rulers would wear their crowns in court. [46] Some offers of marriage started to arrive from German princes, but she chose to return to Normandy. Sources favourable to Matilda suggested that Henry had reaffirmed his intent to grant all his lands to his daughter, while hostile chroniclers argued that Henry had renounced his former plans and had apologised for having forced the barons to swear an oath of allegiance to her. What were the three reasons that Empress Matilda lost her advantage? [81] She made arrangements for her will and argued with her father about where she should be buried. [80] At Pentecost 1134, their second son Geoffrey was born in Rouen, but the childbirth was extremely difficult and Matilda appeared close to death. [13], Matilda helped to deal with several diplomatic crises. Matilda ruled for a short time, calling herself Lady of the English. [183] Ranulf of Chester revolted once again in the summer of 1144. [245] 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. Edmund King disagrees that the Empress received an invitation to. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. [17], The couple met at Lige before travelling to Utrecht where, on 10 April, they became officially betrothed. [86], When news began to spread of Henry I's death, Matilda and Geoffrey were in Anjou, supporting the rebels in their campaign against the royal army, which included a number of Matilda's supporters such as Robert of Gloucester. [126] Another theory is that Stephen released Matilda out of a sense of chivalry; Stephen had a generous, courteous personality and women were not normally expected to be targeted in Anglo-Norman warfare.