The+Empress+Matilda

Empress Matilda (c.1102-1167) has traditionally been relegated to the role of a rival claimant to the English throne in the reign of her cousin, King Stephen (r. 1135-1154). Recent scholarship, however, has advocated that Matilda was chosen by her father King Henry I as his legitimate successor to the throne, a role she performed throughout her short but historically significant reign as the first (albeit uncrowned) queen of Englan d.

**__Matilda as Heir__**
The death of William Adelin in 1120 left England without an heir, and led Henry I to look to his daughter to inherit his kingdom. He had ample reason to, her firm upbringing and experience gained through her marriage to Emperor Henry V of Germany preparing her to rule a country. [1] Despite this, Henry did not reach the decision to invest the heirship in Matilda lightly. Indeed, contemporary historians report that he deliberated “long and deeply”. [2] Henry must not have found Matilda wanting as he overlooked several potential male claimants in his search for a successor, [3] proving he had considerable faith in her ability to rule. To cement Matilda’s claim to the English throne, Henry had his magnates swear an oath of allegiance to her in 1127. [4] This oath appears to have been a reflection of the wide acceptance Matilda had already gained as heir, as high-ranking nobles “strove with each other for the honour of swearing first”. [5] Thus, it is evident not only that Henry selected Matilda as his rightful heir, but also that her elevation to this position received considerable support from the nobility.

**__The Anarchy__**
The sudden death of Henry 1 in 1135, [6] however, reignited the succession debate, and despite the dying king assigning “all his lands … to his daughter in lawful and lasting succession,” [7] Matilda’s cousin Stephen was able to have himself crowned. [8] He soon proved to be a weak and ineffective king, and as a result when Matilda landed on English soil in September 1139 many of Stephen’s baronial leaders defected. [9] This led to a period of intense civil war known to history as the anarchy and described as a time of such “universal turmoil and desolation” [10] that “Christ [and his saints] slept”. [11]

﻿ **__Matilda as Queen__**
After arriving in England the Empress quickly consolidated power over most of the southwest of the country. From this base she began issuing writs and charters, minting coins, and bestowing patronage, [12] acts traditionally associated with a crowned ruler. It is apparent through actions such as these that Matilda was viewed, at least by herself and those loyal to her, as a queen regnant (further evidenced through her frequent references to England as ‘my kingdom’ and ‘my crown’.) [13] Following the capture of Stephen in January 1141 this recognition extended to most of England, as Matilda was acknowledged as the sole source of royal authority and a council of bishops and magnates presented her with the crown. [14] This gesture is unequivocal proof that her contemporaries considered Matilda as Queen of England, and plans for a coronation were almost certainly underway when the empress and her supporters were chased out of London by the discontented populace in late 1141, [15] effectively ending her campaign for the throne.

**__Legacy__**
It is undeniable that Henry I intended for his daughter to rule his kingdom after his death, and that for the few months between February and late summer 1141, Empress Matilda performed the role of sole monarch. That she was not crowned in no way detracts from her significance as an historical personage – that is, the first female monarch of England and pioneer for all future queens.

 [1] Marjorie Chibnall, //The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English// (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1991), 11, 45. [2] Ann Lyon, ‘The Place of Women in European Royal Succession in the Middle Ages,’ //Liverpool Law Review// 27 (2006): 367. [3] Ibid., 367-8. [4] Charles Beam, //The Lioness Roared: The Problems of Female Rule in English History// (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) 36. [5] William of Malmesbury, //William of Malmesbury’s Historia Novella//, ed. Edmund King, trans. K. R. Potter (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998), 9. [6] Chibnall, //The Empress Matilda//, 64. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[7] William of Malmesbury, //Historia Novella//, 13. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[8] Chibnall, //The Empress Matilda//, 65. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[9] Beam, //The Lioness Roared//, 26. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[10] //The Chronicle of Henry of Huntingdon//, trans. Thomas Forester: in //The High Middle Ages, 814-1300//, ed. Archibald R. Lewis (Englewood Cliffs, 1970), 400. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[11] ‘The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,’ in //The Online Medieval & Classical Library//: http://omacl.org/Anglo/part7.html (accessed 23 August 2011). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[12] Beam, //The Lioness Roared//, 26; 49. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[13] Ibid., 54. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[14] Ibid., 53. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[15] Ibid., 57.