Empress Matilda (1102 - Rouen, 10 September 1167)

The daughter of Henry I Beauclerc, Matilda married the Emperor Henry V in 1114. In 1120, the death of her brother left her as Henry I’s only heir. She was a widow by 1125 and in 1128 remarried to the Count of Anjou, Geoffrey Plantagenet. In 1127 the barons of King Henry I recognised Matilda's right to the succession in an oath. In 1133 she gave birth to a son, the future Henry II. In 1135, on the death of Henry I, Geoffrey of Anjou intended to assert the rights of Matilda and the young Henry. However, Stephen of Blois, the grandson by his mother, Adela, of William the Conqueror, seized the crown with the support of the English barons. Matilda’s half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I Beauclerc, supported her claim. Matilda landed in England in 1139 but was unable to profit from her victory at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141. After years of civil war Matilda finally left England in 1148. During this time Geoffrey conquered Normandy (1141-1144) and returned the duchy to their son Henry (1150). Being without an heir, King Stephen was ultimately to pass the crown of England to Henry in 1154.

Bibliography :

- François Neveux. - La Normandie des ducs aux rois, Xe-XIIe s. - Rennes : Ouest-France, 1998.