Matilda the Queen

Matilda (Maude), daughter of King Henry I of England, becomes his designated heir at the death of her brother at sea. At age 11 she is married to Heinrich V, king of Germany and the Holy Roman Emperor. Though he dies when she is in her twenties, she continues to use the title of Empress throughout her life. Her father then marries her off to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, a boy 12 years her junior. When her father dies, she is pregnant in Normandy and unable to attend his funeral. Three weeks later her cousin Stephen, Count of Blois, like Matilda a grandchild of William the Conqueror, has himself crowned king by his bishop brother. This usurpation is despite his having pledged to support Matilda's inheritance. With help from her stepmother, she invades England and begins an eighteen-year civil war in England. Stephen controls the Welsh border and western England. Matilda controls the southeast. The war continues, both sides winning and losing battles. In one notable event, Matilda escapes capture at the siege of Dover Castle at night in midwinter, climbing down a rope made of tied sheets, and fleeing across an icy river, cloaked all in white. Matilda's attempt to have herself crowned at Westminster Cathedral fails when the Londoners revolt and lock the gates of the city against her. Eventually her 14-year old son, Henry Fitzempress, joins in the fight, with a six-year break. Matilda's illegitimate brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester, leads her forces until he dies. Henry Fitzempress takes command. After 18 years of stalemate fighting, the nobility and the church force a truce and a meeting of Henry and Stephen. The two men agree to a treaty in which Stephen names Henry as his heir (his own son having died), and he is to continue to rule as king until his death. He dies a year later of natural causes, and Henry Fitzempress becomes King Henry II, with Eleanor of Aquitaine as his queen. After his coronation, Matilda leaves England for Normandy, never to return.