Matilda Queen of England
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Matilda was obliged to swap Stephen for Robert on 1st November 1141, and the King soon reimposed authority over part of England. The dramatic part of the story is over and the two sides now engage, in various small maneuvers over many years, dragging out the war with no resolution in sight. One more dramatic scene however occurs in 1142. Robert has gone to Normandy to attempt to persuade Geoffrey to lend her personal presence to Matilda's cause. Matilda is in her stronghold at Oxford when Stephen makes a surprise attack. The place is laid under seige and after some time, Matilda determines to make her escape. The ground is white covered with snow, and Matilda clad all in white is lowered from a tower and steals across the lines, escaping to Abingdon six miles away where she obtained horses and rode to safety at Wallingford. Stephen takes Oxford, but the great advantage he could have had is gone. Robert now joins her at Wallingford and has brought with him, her son Henry, now ten years old, who would remain in the stronghold at Bristol under a tutor for the next four years. | Matilda was obliged to swap Stephen for Robert on 1st November 1141, and the King soon reimposed authority over part of England. The dramatic part of the story is over and the two sides now engage, in various small maneuvers over many years, dragging out the war with no resolution in sight. One more dramatic scene however occurs in 1142. Robert has gone to Normandy to attempt to persuade Geoffrey to lend her personal presence to Matilda's cause. Matilda is in her stronghold at Oxford when Stephen makes a surprise attack. The place is laid under seige and after some time, Matilda determines to make her escape. The ground is white covered with snow, and Matilda clad all in white is lowered from a tower and steals across the lines, escaping to Abingdon six miles away where she obtained horses and rode to safety at Wallingford. Stephen takes Oxford, but the great advantage he could have had is gone. Robert now joins her at Wallingford and has brought with him, her son Henry, now ten years old, who would remain in the stronghold at Bristol under a tutor for the next four years. | ||
| − | Meanwhile Geoffrey has gone on the offensive in Normandy and after a rapid campaign, it | + | Meanwhile Geoffrey has gone on the offensive in Normandy and after a rapid campaign, it fell into his hands, with Rouen surrendering Jan 1144. In 1148, after the death of her half-brother, Matilda finally returned to Normandy, leaving her son, who, in 1154, would become Henry II, to fight on in England. Henry was knighted in 1149 by King David of Scotland and they with the Earl of Chester were going to attack Stephen, but the Earl's allegiance had again been bought back by Stephen and so this came to nothing. Henry returned to Normandy. Upon his return, his father handed over to him the duchy of Normandy and retired to his own county of Anjou. Stephen now took this time to try to get the Pope to consecrate Stephen's son Eustache as King of England. Pope Eugenius however rejected this attempt on the grounds of the original violated oath (to Matilda). |
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| + | Henry again invaded England, Stephen's heir Eustache went mad and died in 1152 and shortly afterward, that same year, the Treaty of Wallingford recognised Henry as Stephen's heir to the throne, even though Stephen had another living son. | ||
==Later Live== | ==Later Live== | ||
Matilda died at Rouen on 10th September 1169 and was buried in Fontevrault Abbey, though some of her entrails may possibly have been later interred in her father's foundation at Reading Abbey. | Matilda died at Rouen on 10th September 1169 and was buried in Fontevrault Abbey, though some of her entrails may possibly have been later interred in her father's foundation at Reading Abbey. | ||
