March 1141, Matilda of England was granted the title of Domina Anglorum, or “Lady of the English,” or translated as “female feudal lord” (Chibnall, Church Reform 114). This title didn’t reference men or any relationship with one, the first title Matilda received without any connotation. With titles such as “the daughter of Henry I of England, the widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, and the mother to the future Henry II of England,” (Beem 1), as well as the widow of Count Geoffrey of Anjou, but until 1141, all of these titles neglected her own achievements and individuality. Men dominating women and society is not uncommon in early civilization and culture, and Matilda was no different from any other woman in her deserving time to heir King Henry I. Along with a misogynistic society, her rival cousin with an intimidating presence in England, and her second husband’s lack of initiative do deal with France, Matilda had no chance to rightfully claim what was hers.
Matilda of England was the only legitimate daughter of King Henry I and Matilda of Scotland. Her mother impressed upon her the importance of religion and kindness, as well as the idea that a woman is successful through the men around her. In a letter to Archbishop Anselm, the man who married Matilda of Scotland to King Henry I and later cared for Matilda of England and her twin brother, who passed at a young age. When Matilde was only twelve years old, she married the Holy Emperor of Rome, Henry V of Germany, earning the title Empress. After the death of Henry V, with no children to be heirs, her father summoned her back to France and gave her in marriage to Count Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou. Henry I hoped that “he might have successors through her grandchildren” (William of Newburgh). She birthed three sons, one of who eventually became king of England. The king, in an effort to ensure the succession of his rule by Matilda, “made the bishops, earls, barons, and all persons of consequence, confirm by oath the kingdom of England… to her” (William). However, after the death of the king, the throne was not given to Matilda but instead taken by her cousin, Stephen of Blois. The new King Stephen proved to be inept and lacked a firm grip on those he ruled, which let Matilda to accept the loyalty of key political figures, along with those who remembered their oath to the previous king. While Empress Matilda earned the titles of female feudal lord and an alternative monarch, there was a growing tension and difference between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, causing a civil war known as “The Anarchy.” As The Western Experience summarizes, the civil war “was resolved with the compromise that the son of Matilda… would succeed to the throne at Stephen’s death,” (295). Matilda was still never really perceived as the Queen of England, despite the fact that she had the privilege to the position of authority, as a result of the men encompassing her and the control they set upon her.
With Matilda’s first husband, he provided opportunities that excluded many women during the Middle Ages. Becoming the wife of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V bestowed upon her the title of Empress, which she held and administered for the rest of her life, long after the death of the emperor. This title was so impressive that her second husband, the Count of Anjou, even signified himself as “the husband of Matilda, daughter of the king of the English and former wife of Henry, Roman emperor” (Beem 5). Geoffrey even used the success and power of his wife to increase his own success and power. His military competence and his title as Count of Anjou provided territorial power and political status, but most of what he gained was inspired by Matilda. Most notable of his accomplishments is his conquest of Normandy, claiming the right of dukeship. Charles Homer Haskins outlines the military successes of Geoffrey Plantagenet in the acclimation of the provinces in Normandy, but Haskins mentions repeatedly that the only reason that he decided to and was able to do what he did was because of the resources provided to him by Empress Matilda (Haskins 129, 130, 131). Almost none of Geoffrey’s military successes could have been credited without his wife and her halfbrother, Robert of Gloucester. Robert provided the manpower and the leadership necessary to commit such intense military actions. Geoffrey was clever using available opportunities and alliances wisely, even when said opportunities were originally unavailable to him.