Matilda of Flanders

Female Abt 1031 - 1083  (~ 52 years)


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  • Name Matilda of Flanders  [1
    Born Abt 1031  Flanders, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Gender Female 
    Died 02 Nov 1083  Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Buried Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Notes 
    • Matilda de Flandre was born circa 1031 at Flanders, Belgium. She was the daughter of Baldwin V de Lille, Comte de Flandre and Adela de France, Princesse de France. She married William I 'the Conqueror', King of England, son of Robert I, 6th Duc de Normandie and Herleva de Falaise, in 1053 at Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Eu, Normandy, France. She died on 2 November 1083 at Caen, Normandy, France. She was buried at Abbey of the Holy Trinity, Caen, Normandy, France. As a result of her marriage, Matilda de Flandre was styled as Queen Consort Matilda of England on 11 May 1068.

      From Wikipedia

      Matilda of Flanders (French: Mathilde de Flandre; Dutch: Mathilda van Vlaanderen) (c. 1031 - 2 November 1083) was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.

      Marriage

      Matilda, or Maud, was the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adèle of France, herself daughter of Robert II of France. According to legend, when Duke William II of Normandy (later known as William the Conqueror) sent his representative to ask for Matilda's hand in marriage, she told the representative that she was far too high-born, to consider marrying a bastard. After hearing this response, William rode from Normandy to Bruges, found Matilda on her way to church, and dragged her off her horse by her long braids, threw her down in the street in front of her flabbergasted attendants, and rode off. Another version of the story states that William rode to Matilda's father's house in Lille, threw her to the ground in her room (again, by the braids), and hit her (or violently battered her) before leaving. Naturally, Baldwin took offense at this but, before they drew swords, Matilda settled the matter by agreeing to marry him, and even a papal ban on the grounds of consanguinity did not dissuade her. They were married in 1053.

      There were rumors that Matilda had been in love with the English ambassador to Flanders, a Saxon named Brihtric, who declined her advances. Whatever the truth of the matter, years later when she was acting as Regent for William in England, she used her authority to confiscate Brihtric's lands and throw him into prison, where he died.

      Duchess of Normandy

      When William was preparing to invade England, Matilda outfitted a ship, the Mora, out of her own money and gave it to him. This indicated that she must have owned rich lands in Normandy to be able to do so. Even after William conquered England and became its king, it took her more than a year to visit her new kingdom. Even after she had been crowned queen, she would spend most of her time in Normandy and sponsor ecclestial houses there.

      Queen

      Matilda was crowned queen in 1068 in Westminster, in a ceremony presided over by the archbishop of York. During the ceremony she was said to be sharing in power with her husband and the people were said to be fortunate to be ruled by the ability and wisdom of the queen.

      For many years it was thought that she had some involvement in the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry (commonly called La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde in French), but historians no longer believe that; it seems to have been commissioned by William's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and made by English artists in Kent.

      Matilda bore William eleven children, and he was believed to have been faithful to her, at least up until the time their son Robert rebelled against his father and Matilda sided with Robert against William.

      She stood as godmother for Matilda of Scotland, who would become Queen of England after marrying Matilda's son Henry I. During the christening, the baby pulled Queen Matilda's headress down on top of herself, which was seen as an omen that the younger Matilda would be queen some day as well.

      After she died, in 1083 at the age of 51, William became tyrannical, and people blamed it on his having lost her.

      Contrary to the belief that she was buried at St. Stephen's, also called l'Abbaye-aux-Hommes in Caen, Normandy, where William was eventually buried, she is intombed at l'Abbaye aux Dames, which is the Sainte-Trinité church, also in Caen. Of particular interest is the 11th century slab, a sleek black stone decorated with her epitaph, marking her grave at the rear of the church. It is of special note since the grave marker for William was replaced as recently as the beginning of the 19th century.

      Matilda of Flanders (French: Mathilde de Flandre; Dutch: Mathilda van Vlaanderen) (c. 1031 - 2 November 1083) was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.

      Marriage

      Matilda, or Maud, was the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adèle of France, herself daughter of Robert II of France. According to legend, when Duke William II of Normandy (later known as William the Conqueror) sent his representative to ask for Matilda's hand in marriage, she told the representative that she was far too high-born to consider marrying a bastard. After hearing this response, William rode from Normandy to Bruges, found Matilda on her way to church, dragged her off her horse by her long braids, threw her down in the street in front of her flabbergasted attendants and rode off. Another version of the story states that William rode to Matilda's father's house in Lille, threw her to the ground in her room (again, by her braids), and hit her (or violently battered her) before leaving. Naturally, Baldwin took offense at this but, before they could draw swords, Matilda settled the matter by refusing to marry anyone but William; even a papal ban by Pope Leo IX at the Council of Reims on the grounds of consanguinity did not dissuade her. William and Matilda were married after a delay in c. 1051-2. A papal dispensation was finally awarded in 1059 by Pope Nicholas II.

      There were rumors that Matilda had been in love with the English ambassador to Flanders, a Saxon named Brihtric, who declined her advances. Whatever the truth of the matter, years later when she was acting as Regent for William in England, she used her authority to confiscate Brihtric's lands and throw him into prison, where he died.

      Duchess of Normandy

      When William was preparing to invade England, Matilda outfitted a ship, the Mora, out of her own money and gave it to him. This indicated that she must have owned rich lands in Normandy to be able to do so. Additionally, William entrusted Normandy to his wife during his absence. Matilda successfully guided the duchy through this period in the name of her fourteen year old son; no major uprisings or unrest occurred.

      Even after William conquered England and became its king, it took her more than a year to visit her new kingdom. Even after she had been crowned queen, she would spend most of her time in Normandy, governing the duchy, supporting her brother's interests in Flanders, and sponsoring ecclesiastic houses there. She only had one of her children in England; Henry was born in Yorkshire when Matilda accompanied her husband in the Harrying of the North.

      Queen

      Matilda was crowned queen on May 11, 1068 in Westminster during the feast of Pentecost, in a ceremony presided over by the archbishop of York. Three new phrases were incorporated to cement the importance of English consorts, stating that the Queen was divinely placed by God, shares in royal power, and blesses her people by her power and virtue.

      For many years it was thought that she had some involvement in the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry (commonly called La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde in French), but historians no longer believe that; it seems to have been commissioned by William's half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and made by English artists in Kent.

      Matilda bore William nine or ten children. William was believed to have been faithful to her and never produced a child outside of their marriage. Despite her royal duties, Matilda was deeply invested in her children's well-being. All were known for being remarkably educated. Her daughters were educated and taught to read Latin at Sainte-Trinité in Caen founded by Matilda and William in response to the recognition of their marriage. For her sons, she secured Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury of whom she was an ardent supporter. Both she and William approved of the Archbishop's desire to revitalize the Church.

      She stood as godmother for Matilda of Scotland, who would become Queen of England after marrying Matilda's son Henry I. During the christening, the baby pulled Queen Matilda's headdress down on top of herself, which was seen as an omen that the younger Matilda would be queen some day as well.

      Matilda fell ill during the summer of 1083 and passed away in November 1083. Her husband was present for her final confession. Without her presence, a distraught William became increasingly tyrannical until his death four years later in 1087.

      Contrary to the belief that she was buried at St. Stephen's, also called l'Abbaye-aux-Hommes in Caen, Normandy, where William was eventually buried, she is entombed at l'Abbaye aux Dames, which is the Sainte-Trinité church, also in Caen. Of particular interest is the 11th century slab, a sleek black stone decorated with her epitaph, marking her grave at the rear of the church. It is of special note since the grave marker for William was replaced as recently as the beginning of the 19th century.

      Height

      Reputed to be 4'2" (127 cm) tall, Matilda was England's smallest queen, according to the Guinness Book of Records. However, in 1819 and 1959, Matilda's incomplete skeleton was examined in France, and her bones were measured to determine her height. The 1819 estimate was under five feet, while the 1959 estimate was 5' (152 cm) tall. A reputed height of 4' 2" (127 cm) appeared at some point after 1959 in the non-scientific literature, misrepresenting the 1959 measurement.

      Family and children

      Matilda and William had at least nine children. The birth order of the boys is clear, but no source gives the relative order of birth of the daughters.

      Robert Born between 1051-1054, died 10 February 1134. Duke of Normandy, married Sybil of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey of Conversano.
      Richard Born c.1054, died around 1075.
      William Born between 1056 and 1060, died 2 August 1100. King of England, killed in the New Forest.
      Henry Born late 1068, died 1 December 1135. King of England, married Edith of Scotland, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. His second wife was Adeliza of Louvain.
      Adeliza (or Adelida, Adelaide) Died before 1113, reportedly betrothed to Harold II of England, probably a nun of St Léger at Préaux.
      Cecilia (or Cecily) Born c.1056, died 1127. Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen.
      Matilda Born around 1061, died perhaps about 1086. Mentioned in Domesday Book as a daughter of William.
      Constance died 1090, married Alan IV Fergent, Duke of Brittany.
      Adela died 1137, married Stephen, Count of Blois.

      Another daughter, Agatha, who was reportedly betrothed to Alfonso VI of Castile, is often ascribed to William and Matilda, but her existence is doubtful, and may be a simple confusion with Adeliza. There is no evidence of any illegitimate children born to William.

      Matilda was a seventh generation direct descendent of Alfred the Great and was a descendant of Charlemagne through her maternal grandfather, Robert II of France
    Person ID I3994  Bosdet Genealogy
    Last Modified 16 May 2013 

    Father Baldwin, V Count of Flanders,   b. 19 Aug 1012,   d. 01 Sep 1067, Lille, Nord, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 55 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Mother Adela of France, Countess of Flanders,   b. 1009, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 08 Jan 1078/79, Messines, Ypres, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Married 1028  Amiens, Somme, Picardie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 4
    Family ID F213  Group Sheet

    Family William I 'the Conqueror', King of England,   b. Between 1027 and 1028, Falaise, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 09 Sep 1087, Rouen, Caux, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 60 years) 
    Married 1053  Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Children 
     1. Robert III 'Curthose', 8th Duc de Normandie,   b. 1051, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 10 Feb 1133/34, Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 83 years)
     2. Richard of Bernay, Duke of Bernay,   b. 1054, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Abt 1081, Hampshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 27 years)
     3. Cecilia de Normandie,   b. Between 1054 and 1055, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 03 Jul 1126, Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 72 years)
     4. Adeliza de Normandie,   b. Abt 1055,   d. Abt 1065  (Age ~ 10 years)
     5. William II 'Rufus', King of England,   b. Between 1056 and 1060, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 02 Aug 1100, Hampshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 44 years)
     6. Constance de Normandie,   b. Between 1057 and 1061, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 13 Aug 1090, Bretagne, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 33 years)
     7. Adela of Normandy,   b. 1062, Normandy, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 08 Mar 1136/37, Marcigny-sur-Loire, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 75 years)
     8. Agatha de Normandie,   b. Abt 1064,   d. Bef 1080  (Age ~ 15 years)
     9. Henry, I of England,   b. Sep 1068, Selby, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 01 Dec 1135, Saintt-Denis-le-Fermont, Picardie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 67 years)
     10. Matilda de Normandie,   d. Bef 1112
    Family ID F396  Group Sheet

  • Sources 
    1. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_of_Flanders.

    2. [S188] Royal Genealogies Website (ROYAL92.GED).

    3. [S180] Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy, Alison Weir, (Name: The Bodley Head; Location: London, U.K.; Date: 1999;).

    4. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_V_of_Flanders.