Matilda of Flanders, wife of one of the greatest figures of the medieval world, was herself a figure of greatness. She was a small woman, standing at a height of four feet, eleven inches. Her petite stature was by no means a reflection of her character. She was a strong match for her future husband, the imposing William Duke of Normandy, later the Conqueror. When necessary, she was able to act as regent in his stead. Despite her small stature, she produced a large family. She was, in a word, her husband’s counterpart.
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Matilda's Background
Matilda came from Flanders, a territory to the east of Normandy. Her parents were Count Baldwin V and Adela, daughter of French King Robert the Pious. She was also a distant descendant of Rollo the Viking, the founder of Normandy. This ran into a conflict with her marriage because William was a direct descendant of Rollo. They were said to be cousins in the fifth degree. In the 11th century, a marriage between cousins was a sacrilege and needed a dispensation from the church to go forward. As luck would have it Pope Leo IX forbade the marriage in Autumn of 1049, during the council of Rheims.
Apparently, the familial tie to Rollo is only one of three possible reasons for the Pope’s ban of the marriage. The other two reasons being rumors of other familial ties via marriages. All these reasons, including the relation to Rollo the Viking, discussed by David Douglas, a prominent Norman historian, cannot be one hundred percent verified. The only evidence, one way or the other, was that William’s bid for Matilda’s hand was rejected by the Pope.
That wasn’t going to stop a man like the Conqueror. By 1053 Matilda is recorded as William’s consort in a charter to the Holy Trinity, suggesting that the marriage went ahead without papal consent. Matilda and William went on to establish one monastery each in recompense for their scandalous marriage. In 1059 Pope Nicholas II approved their union after the fact because of their generous donations.
Tall Tales
There’s a folktale about William and Matilda’s courtship, popularized by Agnes Strickland’s Queens of England compilation. It claims Matilda was at first unwilling to entertain William’s proposal. According to this account, she changed her mind when he accosted her on the way home from church and physically beat her because of her rejection. How this could cause Matilda to accept William is anyone’s guess, but the story has no evidence to back it up. It’s likely made up or exaggerated due to centuries of word of mouth rumor.
The Bayeux Tapestry
Appaling courtship practices wouldn’t be the only error in Strickland’s account, given the fact that she is one of the sources that puts Matilda as the master embroiderer of the Bayeux Tapestry. This was later refuted by most mainstream archeologists and historians. The Tapestry is a 223 by 1.5 foot piece, which depicts the Battle of Hastings and William’s victory in England. Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half brother, probably commissioned the Tapestry. It’s likely it was produced in Canterbury with a heavily religious influence, by skilled women – but not necessarily royal women.
Queenly Qualities
Like William, Matilda is said to have been a strong woman. Contemporary poets didn’t embellish her beauty for posterity sake. This is probably because she didn’t act as patron for any of them. She put her funds towards enhancing religious and educational endeavors. This is what those very same poets praised her for. There is also letter evidence between Matilda and Pope Gregory VII in the later years of her life to show that she donated heavily to the church.
This strong, wise woman of conviction was well suited to a man like William. He was able to leave her as regent of Normandy, his prized dukedom, while he went on campaign to conquer England. He returned the following year and in 1068 took Matilda to England to crown her as Queen. Prior to her reign, and during, there are more than several charters, concerning land ownership, bearing her name both in England and in Normandy suggesting she was trusted with regency in each location throughout the years.
Trouble In Paradise
The chronicles show this impressive and successful partnership faltering when Matilda and William’s eldest son, Robert Curthose, decided he should have Normandy. He had been the recipient of oaths of loyalty from the Norman nobles when his father had gone on campaign to conquer England, and he’d grown to expect his inheritance of Normandy. William refused to part his kingdom, and the father and son began a war that lasted five years. The Conqueror temporarily conceded Normandy to Robert during negotiations with the Norman nobility in 1078. William had been wounded in battle with Robert, but returned to fight another day in 1080. The church interceded on the battlefield and was able to stop this attempt.
All throughout these grievances, Matilda could not bring herself to fully side with her husband against her first born. She was caught sending money to Robert in exile, and incurred William’s wrath. It is believed that this family conflict finally took its toll on Matilda and, after a bout of illness, she died in Normandy in 1083.
Concluding Thoughts
It must be said that this queen was, like her husband, great. Though petite, she bore her husband four sons and at least five daughters. All of their children were well educated and several of them made affluent careers and marriages. She ruled several times in her husband’s stead, and she was described by contemporaries as wise and lauded for her strength during her 17 year reign.
Further Reading and Streaming...
The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England, by Fraser, Antonia, and John Philip Brooke-Little, 1995.
Epistolae selectae, Das Register Gregors VII, ed. Erich Caspar (Berlin: Weidmann, 1920-1923), ep.1.71 & 7.26, p.102-103 & 507, dated April 1074 and May 1080.
Documentary Uncovering the Bayeux Tapestry, Directed by Dan Snow. Little Dot Studios, Accessed 10 May 2023.
Agnes Strickland’s Queens of England, “Chapter 1. Matilda of Flanders, Wife of William the Conqueror.” by Agnes Strickland, et al., Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1894.
“The Women of 1066,” by Elizabeth Muir Tyler. England in Europe English Royal Women and Literary Patronage, c.1000-c.1150, University of Toronto Press.
The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis by Vitalis, Ordericus, and Marjorie Chibnall. Clarendon Press, 2003.