(aka “matilda of england”)
(aka “maude”)
(the daughter and heir of ‘king henry I’ of ‘england’)
matilda and her younger brother willian adelin were the only legitimate children of king henry to survive to adulthood. her brother died in the “white ship”, making matilda the last heir from the paternal line of her grandfather “william the conqueror”
as a child, matilda was betrothed to (and later married) henry V (holy roman emperor). this is how she acquired the title “empress”. the couple had no children. when widowed, she was married to “geoffrey of anjou” with whom she had three sons (the eldest became henry II of england)
matilda was the first female ruler of the kingdom of england. but the length of her effective rule was brief (only a few months in 1141). she was never crowned and failed to consolidate her rule (both legally and politically). for this reason, she is normally excluded from the list of english monarchs. her rival “stephen of blois” is listed as monarch from 1135 – 1154. their rivalry for the throne led to years of unrest and civil war in england (“the anarchy”). she secured the inheritance of the “duchy of normandy” through the military feats of her husband geoffrey.
(she campaigned for her oldest son’s inheritance, living to see him ascend the throne in 1154)