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3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English

Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English

Hardcover

Series: English Monarchs

Biographies GeneralGeneral World HistoryBritish History

ISBN10: 0300266081
ISBN13: 9780300266085
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: Jul 14 2026
Pages: 464
Weight: 1.50
Height: 1.70 Width: 6.10 Depth: 9.30
Language: English
An authoritative new biography of Empress Matilda

Born in 1102, Empress Matilda combined the blood of two dynasties: the house of Wessex and their conquerors, the dukes of Normandy. As a widowed German empress, she was named as heir successor by her father, Henry I. But, after his death in 1135, Matilda's place on the English throne was usurped by her cousin, Stephen of Blois. Civil war followed, and she ruled the south-west of England in opposition.

Elisabeth van Houts explores the remarkable life of medieval England's only queen regnant. Van Houts examines female rulership in the Middle Ages, from Matilda's relationships with her husbands, to her self-identification as granddaughter of William the Conqueror. Matilda used her persuasiveness effectively with the men who surrounded her, including her father, husbands, half-brothers and cousins.

This is a fascinating account, which reveals Matilda to be an assertive, if on occasion disappointed, woman who made the best of her position with intelligence and stamina.

Also from

Van Houts, Elisabeth

Also in

British History