Wife Of The Conqueror, Queen of England | Matilda of Flanders | PART 1

Matilda of Flanders who could also have been known as matild or M is an often brushed over figure famous only for being the wife of William the Conqueror of supposedly agreeing to his hand after he beat her up and for being very short as this video and part two in our next video will show only some of these facts are true others are definitely false and much more evidence shows her as a Powerhouse of a woman with influence over her husband their children and his lands much of Matilda's early life is shrouded in mystery a tentative date for her birth year exists of 1031 her parents however we do know the future count Baldwin the 5th of Flanders and Adela of France daughter of Robert II King of the Franks the reason for mata's birth year of 1031 is attributed to a contemporary chronicler William of zier who stated that Baldwin apparently rebelled against his father in that year partially because his marriage to Adela was unconsummated this is not likely however as in fact Baldwin had rebelled much earlier than this and he and his father agreed to co- rule in 10:30 further to this is the fact Matilda had two brothers Robert and Baldwin and it's not sure what order they were born in there were apparently other brothers and sisters but no details remained for them so we cannot even be sure if they existed or not Flanders itself was a hugely important principality a stepping stone between England and France important for trade as well as for holding back invasions from Scandinavia prior to Baldwin V Flanders had struggled with both Germanic and French languages being spoken large areas were uninhabitable as swamp land and towns were small compared to their neighbor of Normandy but Matilda's father improved his lands by creating new roads and canals to stimulate trade especially in wool and this in turn modernized flanders's growing Urban centers but this wasn't the only reason Matilda was described in her lifetime as Highborn she could also claim lineage to Alfred the Great of England the Holy Roman Emperor Charlamagne and was related to most of the French nobility from the day of her birth Matilda was a glittering prize for those who wanted to marry into this wealth power and ancestry the 12th century chronicler Lambert of adre gives a detailed description of the castle where Matilda grew up in Brugge it was made of wood was large and Grand and stood on a hill overlooking the town below it was made up of cellers and granaries on the lowest floor with the dwelling areas on the next story up including the grand chamber for Baldwin and Adela to sleep Matilda would have spent time in a large private room just off this with the maid who watched watch the children and would have slept on the uppermost story of the property with her sisters if they indeed existed her brothers on the other side of the palace Matilda's main female role model was her mother Adela who interestingly had something of a marriage of equals with her husband she played an active role in the politics of her husband's lands and her signature appears on more than half the charter issued during Baldwin's Reign from the start Matilda had a strong influence of a Noble woman participating in running a kingdom not only this but Adella oversaw the education of all her children something expected of noble and Royal women at this time unlike later centuries higher born women in the 11th century were almost expected to be intellectually more educated than their husbands encouraged as daughters to read while Sons practiced hunting and training for war Matilda almost certainly knew Latin which was spoken at court as well as Flemish although less likely that she knew how to write Noble women had Clarks to write for them as they dictated but she was still literate in the sense of being able to read she would also have learned embroidery and possibly the harp and VI two instruments that were extremely popular at the time and of course she would have learned how to manage an estate and most importantly for the time in which she lived Matilda would also have received a strong education in religion Adela was responsible for for encouraging Baldwin to reform the Church in Flanders as well as founding several abies and Collegiate colleges little surprise she later became a nun Matilda would also have been influenced by her devout Aunt Judith of Flanders and her grandfather King Robert also known as the pious Matilda was alive at a time when the monastic movement was sweeping across all of Europe and she would later become one of the biggest patrons of it in both England and Normandy Matilda may also have become influenced by another powerful woman Emma of Normandy Emma had married Ethel red of England in 10:02 and when he was defeated by his rival Kut of Denmark she had in turn married him as well becoming Queen of England twice the first woman to do so Emma had grown a great Fortune of her own and had great influence over both husbands although her second marriage appeared to be more between equals she was exiled by Harold hairf foot in 1037 and Baldwin generously offered her sanctuary in his lands although in reality this was likely to make what might prove to be a great Ally while Matilda was likely very young when Emma arrived perhaps younger than 6 years old the exiled Queen stayed for a few years and it's likely Matilda gained the benefit of her experience at the English Court during her stain Brugge Emma paid her own way and used her extensive network throughout Europe to promote her son haur Kut as the rightful King of England in 1039 Harold harfoot was dead and Emer and her sons were triumphant as they returned home to England it was a masterclass in politics allies and how a woman could influence matters seemingly run by men there was no set age for when girls were married off but as would become common in later centuries marriages could happen as young as 12 for daughters in her late teens sometime around the late 1040s Matilda's father received an ambassador from the English king Edward the Confessor an English thing known as brri he was apparently conventionally handsome and masculine with blonde hair and an enormous wealth under his control back in England the chronicle of ches spry claims Matilda fell instantly in love with this man who was probably 10 to 20 years older than her when he returned to England without her parents knowing she sent an offer of marriage this was the ultimate in 11th century teenage rebellion in an era when daughters were expected to acques to their parents' knowledge and choice of a future husband for them as it turned out brri wasn't interested and he rejected her offer Matilda was Furious she had risked her reputation and the anger of her parents to someone who was despite wealth and good looks her social inferior and had been rewarded with the embarrassment of a public Rejection it was something she would never forget and in later years it was breitrick who would regret how he had handled the event but by 1049 when Matilda was about 18 her father was eager to put the whole rejection behind them he began to look across the border to his powerful neighbor Normandy they were increasingly Frankish in their ways and language but Normans were also proud of their Scandinavian Roots having been founded as a Viking settlement just the century before and leaned into the idea of being powerful Nordic Warriors at that time the duche for its current leader had named himself as the first Duke of it was Duke Robert I of Normandy he had only two surviving children a daughter named Adelaide and a son William both were illegitimate although whether they shared a mother is unknown William's mother was a local girl named Hera whose father was either a Tanner Undertaker or Apothecary and she and Robert probably met when he was in his mid-20s in short she wasn't Noble Robert seems to have genuinely fallen in love with Hera however as when she became pregnant he ensured her comfort and gave her relatives prestigious positions at his court many years later after William took control of both England and Normandy stories were created around his birth to show he had always been Des for greatness of his mother dreaming of her inside stretching out and covering both England and Normandy all the tiny newborn William grabbing the rushes from the floor with unequaled strength for a baby at the time in reality no one even gave thought to record his birth anywhere just the baby of a liaison between the jke and a local woman however William's father was proud of his only son and brought him up by his side at court he would as it turned out be his only son in January 1035 he named the boy as his Heir while later chroniclers was sensitive to his nickname of the bastard writing from eras when this word carried great shame there was no such stigma at the time of William's birth marriage still did not always occur in favor of instead keeping concubines and illegitimacy was not considered a barrier to inheritance by 10:49 William had after a struggle for his rightful place and lands from his uncles become a respected and feared leader across Europe he had proven more than once that he was forceful in his military might and for the 11th century World brutal savagery was the yard stick of a good ruler William had grown into a dominating and inflexible man and was known for his brutal punishments to those who are on the losing side however none of this would have mattered had had William not also been astute in political matters and recognized that Brute Force alone would not be enough he was also oddly enough extremely Pious and devoted much of his life to religious Pursuits including reforming the church and building several flourishing churches across his domains matild and William could not have been more different physically excavations of the little remains we have of their possible bodies their remains having been shuffled about and damaged during religious riots show William was probably about 5' 10 an enormous height at the time and spoke with a harsh raspy voice Matilda was around 5 foot tall normal height for women in those days despite misreports of her remains once suggesting she was only about 4T she was Slender and apparently very beautiful but looks were not important politics were and William could immediately see the attraction of Matilda as his wife there were many other accomplished and attractive Noble women who were eligible but Matilda had been brought up to understand politics and importantly knew something of international Affairs her lineage was also Flawless and while his own illegitimacy wasn't a barrier to take the dukedom Matilda's Heritage would make life a lot easier for both William and their potential children when Baldin received Messengers bearing William's offer of marriage he was glad to listen to them his last were being threatened by the Holy Roman Emperor and the English king Edward had agreed to send men to flanders's Coast to Aid the emperor both William and Baldwin could do well out of being friendly allies and for Flanders an alliance with the powerful Normandy jkom would increase trade for them across Europe however Matilda herself apparently refused to marry William on the grounds of his illegitimacy The Story Goes that he was so infuriated by the snub that William rode with all haste to bruise accosted Matilda as she came out of church and dragged her into the mud by her hair he then proceeded to beat her within an inch of her life before riding off and leaving her to be tended by her bewildered female attendance her father immediately declared war on Normandy for such Behavior but then he was shocked by Matilda apparently claiming she would marry none but William who she claimed must be a man of great courage and High Daring to have beaten her up in her own father's lands a great deal of this story is likely very very false with a tiny grain of Truth it is possible that Matilda initially refused the match although quite how much say she would be allowed especially after the debacle with breitrick is very debatable the story described above never appeared in any contemporary Source but rather in two dubious sources about 200 years after William and Matilda lived the idea that a noble or Royal marriage would start off this way is Unthinkable especially given how much Adela had impressed into her daughter her ancestry and position and while it's not impossible William a man with a renowned violent temper might have thought about taking his rage out on Matilda it's hugely unlikely that Matilda would somehow wish to marry him after this it is possible Matilda may have felt less than thrilled about the match it's even possible gossip reached the Norman Court but nothing is certain about the story only that the sources for it are not contemporary and are unreliable for their bias with the betral confirmed William then turned his attention to gaining permission for the marriage from the pope but initially the marriage was condemned although marriage wasn't formally part of society yet and the church itself was not the PowerHouse it would become a few centuries later it was still prudent to have its blessing on the matter one of the new laws created by the church to maintain control over ecclesiastical matters in Europe and so by default the grasp of power in Europe was that of only allowing marriage outside of seven degrees of kinship it's thought this could have been a possible reason for the church rejecting the marriage as Matilda and William were at least related in both the fifth and seventh degree however it's important to note at this point that the church's rules probably did not stem from any real con concern over the possible incest of two people related only by an ancestor Seven Generations before but in the control this gave the church if you were on friendly terms with the church you could reject your wife if she didn't give you an heir if you were too closely related or Escape an abusive husband for the same if you were on bad terms with the church they could reject your marriage to make things difficult for you gleefully knowing you and your potential spouse merely shared a great great great great grand AA for William the pope was nervous as was most of Europe at the idea of this young Duke gaining even more power and wealth than he already had by aligning Normandy with a niece of the king of France and while William could simply have gone ahead with the marriage anyway immediately as some rulers did his religious devotion wouldn't allow it the jke had a contingent of Bishops and ecclesiastical advisers around him at all times to allow him to do pen for his savagery on the battlefield so at first he sent the most Pious of his Bishops to reason with Pope Leo two years of fruitless negotiations went on until at last William's piety was worn down Baldwin was equally as determined the match should go ahead to give him a powerful Ally for Flanders and William wanted Matilda the marriage went ahead anyway without the blessing of the church and while the date is uncertain Matilda and William were certainly married before the end of 1053 when she was described as his consort even the place is uncertain as some sources say the wedding took place in the Cathedral at IL or in the chapel of the castle there and other sources still place it in Ruan some historians suggest this might mean the wedding took place secretly or with little celebration not unexpected if they didn't want the church to immediately catch wind of it in 1476 an inventory was taken of Treasures held at bio Cathedral amongst them two matching cloaks believed to be the wedding garments of matild and William they were covered in small golden crosses precious jewels and embroidered flowers along with a wide strip of cloth of gold across the back this was not necessarily meant to be stylish but more an advertisement of how wealthy they were William even possibly wore a helmet at the ceremony to emphasize his Warrior nature early on Matilda made it clear she was not going to sit back and be a demure wife popping out hirs William took the opportunity to remove his uncle the Archbishop of Ruan who apparently objected to his nephew's marriage on the grounds of consanguinity however the official reason was that the Archbishop spent more time on hunting and spending money on luxuries than he did spending time in religious duties and his removal was approved by a Papal leot the real reason is probably also that William saw a possibility to remove a relative who was something of a rival who wanted his duy but the interesting part is that sources for this event state it was both William and Matilda who decided to remove his uncle William and Matilda then traveled to his Palace at Ruan the gleaming capital of Normandy along with her parents who stayed on for a few days until the wedding festivities were finished Not only was it likely the Duke wished to impress his pretty new bride but equally to show her off to his subjects allowing her impressive ancestry to outshine any doubt over his own and More Than This their marriage brought attention from other lands outside France as Edward the Confessor sent a message that he wanted to name William as heir to the crown of England to prove the validity of his offer he sent two hostages with his Archbishop of Canterbury Robert oier thing is they were wolfo and harken the son and Grandson respectively of Earl Godwin of Essex someone Edward wanted to keep in check while it may seem strange that Edward wanted to pass his throne to a Duke from Normandy there had actually been a lot of ties between the two places both countries had a shared Viking Heritage and many spouses had gone between Normandy and England to marry into the other's royal family for for at least over a century King Edward himself had spent a good chunk of his childhood with his siblings in Normandy so he knew it pretty well and probably had fond memories of living there added to this was the fact Edward had no children with his wife Edith who happened to be the daughter of Earl Godwin there's a theory that far from not consummating his marriage with Edith because of his piety Edward actually refused to sleep with Edith because of his growing dislike like towards the ambitious Godwin family eventually sending Edith off to a nunnery and outlawing her family was what triggered the need for him to name another successor considering his ties to Normandy it's not surprising he looked across the channel to William William even had some hereditary connections through his great aunt Emma of Normandy and Matilda had even closer connections and importantly could trace her ancestry to Alfred the Great but having said said all this despite the connections made we can't even be certain that this offer was ever really made most evidence comes from Norman writers chronicling events after they happened so it could be true or it could be made up in order to justify what William did it's not as though Edward was still around to ask by that point but on the flip side the anglosaxon chronicle also confirms that William traveled to England in 1051 to make certain this was a a real offer of the throne and the English king gave the Duke a ring and sword as proof of his promise the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was pro- English before anything else and wasn't likely to bother puffing up a Norman dukee who invaded so we can perhaps give this Source a little more consideration and even if William took it seriously he must have known he was unlikely to receive much support for his claim in England and obviously the powerful Godwin family who controlled most of southern England would oppose him but however enticing the prospect of one day becoming England's king must have been he had more pressing concerns closer to home and Matilda would take an active part in them Henry I King of France had made an ally of Williams enemy Jeffrey count of Ono as well as supporting a rebellion led by Williams two uncles Archbishop M and William of Ark this left Normandy in a dangerous position surrounded on all sides by enemies the Duke's usual tactic of stab first asked questions later worked well in seeing off Muer and AR even when they were bolstered by forces from the French King they would later flee Normandy forever however Henry and Jeffrey worked together to continue leading campaigns into Norman territory in 1054 and 1057 and this was harder to shake off Matilda must have been somewhat dismayed by event not least because no one likes fighting over an easy life but because her marriage had been intended to create closer links between France and Normandy the ongoing conflict proved that this simply wasn't happening however Matilda remained the steadfast loyal wife by William's side and it wouldn't be long before she probably took on her role as Peacemaker this was considered a position unique to Royal and Noble wives during the 11th centuries as well as centuries before and after of a wife being able to use the fact she was female to peacefully mediate a resolution between Waring parties it's highly likely that although it isn't recorded Matilda used her position to try to calm the waters when necessary on top of this she had also fulfilled one of the main duties necessary for a duchess creating hires not long after their marriage Matilda gave birth to a boy named Robert after both William's father and her grandfather the king of France like a lot of their children the exact date of little Robert's birth isn't certain but it was possibly around 1053 Matilda was immediately in love with her firstborn child but William was less impressed nicknaming him certose or short boot due to his short height it was the first time there would be conflict between Matilda and William with one parent doting on the child and another being unnecessarily cruel she would go on to give birth to three more Sons Richard who was born around 1055 and little William in 1060 her last son would be Henry born around 1068 after his father became king of England Matilda and the Duke also had daughters but the chroniclers gave them far less notice and as a result it is difficult to know their names and dates for certain the eldest daughter may have been adeliza born around 1057 and then Cecilia in 10 58 there was also constant born sometime before 1061 and Adela who would have been born just after the events of 1066 there may have been two other daughters respectively named Agatha and Matilda but the evidence for them is very scanty and Agatha May in fact be adeliza what is certain is that Matilda was pregnant several times and at a time when Midwifery was simple and difficult even Noble and Royal women could and often did fall prey to being ill after childbirth dying from fever or blood loss or simply from being too weak during pregnancy due to a diet low in protein and ion on top of this the life expectancy of infants was extremely low and if someone managed to survive beyond the age of five they had a good chance of making it to adulthood amazingly not only does Matilda appear to have remained healthy and strong throughout her many pregnant ancies at least eight of her children survived Beyond infancy it's possible there were some miscarriages that were not noted down but it was still an amazing feat to pull off in the 11th century this ability to give birth to so many heirs protected Matilda's position immensely Matilda's role as a mother was especially important in the formative years of her children especially as children up until the age of seven were considered to have no moral reasoning there therefore their mother acted as a sort of moral compass who watched them closely as well as providing the beginning of their education while the children would not have been breastfed by their mother in order to allow her to become pregnant again quickly instead having a wet nurse for that the evidence shows that the children were all brought up alongside Matilda at her husband's court she even had some help from the children's grandmothers as Hera and Adela both came to visit for extended periods of time and knew their eldest grandson Robert as a result pretty well William of malmsbury also states that despite the fact boys would have mostly been focused on by their fathers both Matilda and William looked after the education of their children as boys were expected to start learning how to ride and swing a sword from a young age William likely took great pride in teaching his sons this but Matilda would have focused on the other important aspect for them that of reading writing and Latin Sons were also expected to take part from an early age in politics and to have a good grounding in it sources show all four of their sons were witnesses to several Charters while still children and with her understanding of international politics it's likely Matilda took on another role expected of upper class women to advise them politically and on matters of policy added to this was the role of teaching them about religious matters something William was also Keen to impart on his sons however despite the juke's focus on his male heirs Matilda did not neglect her daughters at that time there were only two Avenues open to daughters of the nobility marriage or the church marriage wasn't guaranteed as young men often went off to battlefields and died leaving a population made up of more women than men but the duchess was determined her girl should have at least as good an education she herself received and she employed tutors to ensure it such as arul of CH who was hired to teach the Arts Latin rhetoric and logic sources appeared to show the girls were all close to Matilda and remained by her side until they had to leave either for a nunery or marriage The Duchess also made sure to carefully choose the tutors for her sons as well and her eldest son Robert had at least three to prepare him for one day ruling Norman after his father everything seemed to be going well for Matilda and William and their growing family their marriage was successful both in terms of expanding their brood and in a partnership between them both the economy of Normandy had a boost throughout the 1050s through ART culture and wine and the Duke and Duchess built many luxurious palaces to fit their lifestyle some of which can be glimpsed through their remains today at places like Khan Bayou and vuk which was apparently their favorite many powerful noblemen and ecclesiastical advisers flocked to normandy's flourishing Court either to seek a powerful position or generous patronage Matilda was the center for the poetry and culture That Grew Court however commissioning histories of her and Williams families as well as patronizing Latin poets and other literature she would also raise the standard and etiquette of the Norman Dynasty by overseeing Grand Banquets filled with pork venison beef Swan Heron and duck all prepared with spices and herbs that would have been Out Of Reach for the lower classes as well as ensuring there were entertainments in the forms of musicians jesters and Poets and further Triumph came in 1059 when a new pope was elected Nicholas II however the previous Pope Benedict th 10th had been deposed and William quickly offered military assistance istance to the new pope against Benedict in exchange for the tiny matter of seeing his marriage and children as valid the approach worked and Nicholas retroactively sanctioned their marriage asking only that they make penants by building two new Abes this they would do creating the Abbey of s Trin and the Abbey of s etien at KH as well as founding several hospitals throughout Normandy life was going well and yet Matilda would face her greatest challenge yet as William would change the course of European history Forever by invading England throughout it all Matilda would remain his loyal wife but she would also rule Normandy alone as Regent become England's first Norman Queen of England and influenced the lives of not just her husband but also of her children long after her death come back next week to see part two of Matilda's story if you enjoyed this video don't forget to like And subscribe so you don't miss any new documentaries [Music]