Matilda of england biography channel

Matilda was an indomitable woman! She was the daughter of King Henry I of England, and was his sole legitimate child after the death of his son Prince William in the ‘White Ship’ disaster.*

She was married first to Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire, and then when he died in 1125, her father Henry married her off again, this time to Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou.

Matilda was nominated by her father as the heir to the throne of England, but in 1135 Stephen of Blois claimed that his uncle had changed his mind on his deathbed, recognising Stephen instead as his successor to the throne.

BBC - History - Historic Figures: Matilda (1102 - 1167)

The powerful English barons backed this claim.

Matilda was incensed at this news and refused to accept this decision quietly.

Stephen did not have the ruthless temperament required to control the ensuing turmoil as civil war broke out when his dispute with Matilda became common knowledge. This period of civil war became known as ‘The Anarchy’ and lasted fo Matilda | Consort of the Holy Roman emperor Henry V, Claimant ...

JIN