Why do you think this almost Queen of England never quite made it to her father’s throne? Let me know below and remember to check me out on Patreon at www.patreon.com/historycalling and on my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling

@etiennee9813

Жыл бұрын

Y'know: Empress out-ranks Queen. Look at Victoria: Empress of India [for a brief duration]; Catherine the so-called Great, Empress of The Russias [if not quite-all Russians] & Austrian by birth. Matilda was a King-maker [and a Grandmother of mine]. Danged woman was never satisfied with anything! Lucky for her that she landed a Plantagenet dude, in the end. We Plantagenet Men are said-to-be comely: "Philip The Fair" & all-that. I sport all of the Plantagenet features: long legs; red hair; bone-white skin. A walking-advert for Sunscreen.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

Apparently she spoke German mainly. That wouldn't have helped her win friends and influence people. Plus she had a comfortable life in Aachen. If only as a dowager Empress. That may excuse her reticence and staying in France. Stephen had no qualms it was England or nothing and stay a minor noble in the Loire Valley. Apparently also, she had raven-black hair. There is only one contemporary portrait of her sat at her table with her courtiers.

@etiennee9813

Жыл бұрын

@@English_Dawn And, as for Stephen: 《Blois-Blois-Blois》! Nobody has a good thing to say about him. If I were King, I would be "Stephen-II" ! Isn't that enough to make you gag? Cheers!!

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@etiennee9813 Well, he had more nous than Matilda, being the first on the scene. Rubbish in battle being captured at the first battle of Lincoln. Going back on his word having promised Henry I he would support Matilda's claim. His brother Henry Bishop of Winchester double -crossed for fun. Crowned Stephen then sold him out to Matilda before selling her out to Stephen. Still, even he had his good points. He founded the Hospital of St. Cross (an almshouse) which serves it's original purpose to this day. Matilda who mostly spoke German probably wished her father had left her in Aachen?

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@etiennee9813 Red hair? Matilda is a grandmother of yours? She famously had raven-black hair. However Barbarossa from her court was similarly coifured as your good self but nobody had taught him to swim. Hope you learnt. You never know when it comes in handy. Many Plantagenets were dark-haired. Edward IV and his grandson Henry VIII were perhaps "runts in the litter".

For any who might think this all sounds familiar, Matilda was the inspiration for Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons in the House of the Dragon, the Black Queen, only surviving child and named successor of Viserys I, whose death led to the civil war.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Indeed she was. I just want to see Rhaenyra making a dramatic escape in the snow in season 2 :-)

@aidanrogers4438

Жыл бұрын

*Only surviving child of Viserys and Aemma. Why did I forget about all of Alicent’s children with him?!

@bevinboulder5039

Жыл бұрын

I was noticing that the events sounded like the Dance, only without the dragons.

@victoriamooney2176

Жыл бұрын

@@aidanrogers4438 Viserys only considered Rhaenyra and barely acknowledged the others so it's easy to forget there were siblings lol

@YmustTh3w0rldG0r0und

3 ай бұрын

From the first episode, I totally got that's where George RR Martin got the inspiration from.

no pressure whatsoever, but-- if you ever do an Eleanor of Aquitaine video, I know it's going to be legendary. I love this channel so much!

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

Ever watched "Inspector Morse"? The Randolph Hotel features in many of them. The Randolph Hotel is in Beaumont Street. Earlier Beaumont Palace had been there. Eleanor gave birth to both Richard and John in it. Ever heard of the legendary 'Fair Rosamund"? Rosamund Clifford was a nun from Godstow Abbey nearby. Alleged that she was killed (poisoned) on the orders of Eleanor.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Haha, thank you. I'd be happy to do one but given how poorly the medieval stuff is doing I'm very hesitant unfortunately. Matilda (so far) and the White Ship video have done pretty poorly by my standards, which is quite disheartening as I think they're both fascinating stories. :-(

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Eleanor was a bada** from what I remember reading about her. I'd put nothing past her :-)

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I think medieval history sadly is too much of a whistle-stop tour, a box-ticking exercise, Battle of Hastings, check, Magna Carta, check, Henry V, check Bosworth Field, check (It wasn't even the last battle but Stoke Field 2 years later does not usually get a mention). People are in too much of a hurry to get to the Tudors and the "juicy stuff". The Americans make great play about Gettysburg. It's full of monuments and guides etc. The "English Gettysburg" Towton where there was appalling loss of life and butchery on a scale of it's own and the largest ever in England by comparison is practically unknown. It has a monument, singular, I think with both coloured roses placed on it at the anniversary. Go down most main streets and I dare say most people aren't aware of it or where it took place.

@barbarak2836

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling It is pretty sad that people want to hear only about their knight in shining armor, Henry VIII, which I do not understand. I guess because he was a murderer. People who think medieval history is boring need to watch the movie, "The Lion in Winter."

The problem is that Matilda left England (and Angevin France) when she was 8. Her idea of loyalty and nobility was shaped by her time on mainland Europe. No woman had inherited the throne in her own right. A woman in England might have accepted a proxy or placeholder queen. A queen who was standing behind or even beside her husband until her son came of age to claim his right to his grandfather's throne. Empress Matilda did not understand this. She was asserting her right to rule in her own right. This would not go over well with barons at the time. But her being the obedient wife would not have worked either because even though Geoffrey was Count of Anjou and Maine he wasn't a Duke and it would have been very hard for the lords particularly the ones in Normandy to accept him because they wished to claim Maine for themselves. A compromise would have been made to give most of Maine to the Norman barons and they accept Geoffrey, Matilda and Henry in England. But Henry died before he could broker this peace/piece (see what I did there) because Geoffrey was too stubborn. Thus making him the worst possible husband for Matilda. People point to Queen Matilda Steven's wife. But it is a huge difference between fighting for your husband and son and asserting your own right to rule. Had Emoress Matilda shown mercy or magnity towards the lords they would have walked all over her because her husband was too busy stealing land in France to worry about England. I think Matilda's circumstances, poor match for second husband, youth of her son because most children died in infancy and her unfamiliarity and inabilty to understand Norman-English culture made it impossible for her. But she did hold it together long enough to have her son take the throne which was a great victory in itself. The true tell was the fact they basically couldn't wait to get the throne into Henry's hands.

@coronaviruskillerforthegoo3353

Ай бұрын

also she did not understand the people and Stephan did. she married a man that was hated by the lords. she target the people as traitors that led to people turning on her.

We need a Netflix series now on Matilda

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I'll second that!

@ttp436

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Great report thank you

@thesnakechronicles6832

2 ай бұрын

House of the dragon! Rhaenyra is based off of Matilda! The empress who never was

@AndreCoelho-cd2zt

20 күн бұрын

Not Netflix. They are not good at historical stuff

@Userinterfaceexperience

21 сағат бұрын

Starz* it’s their wheelhouse haha

She still won in a way because her son Henry II became the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty who ruled England longer than any royal house before or since them.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes and she got to live to see it which is nice too (unlike Anne Boleyn for instance, who never knew what would happen to Elizabeth).

@anikethchakraborty3238

27 күн бұрын

yes, because King Stephan made her son the king

@onagaali2024

27 күн бұрын

@@anikethchakraborty3238 I beg to differ. More like Henry forced him to because Stephen's son Eustace preceded him in death and Stephen himself was dying, had no choice but to agree to Henry's terms as they were winding down the 19 year civil war.(aka,The Anarchy) Stephen is still wrong and dirty as mop water for taking Empress Matilda's birthright that her own father King Henry I decreed prior to his death in 1135. That's why the crown succeeded through Empress Matilda's line and NOT King Stephen's.

@CaptainPikeachu

27 күн бұрын

@@anikethchakraborty3238 that doesn’t change that Matilda still won in the end

One of your best entries to date, HC! I loved the derring-do of the escape in the snow. What a remarkable woman. "Lack of diplomacy"??!! Please! I kept thinking of the books written about "uppity women" throughout history and how Matilda definitely fits into that category. Until next week, HC! Be well! 👏👏👍

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I love the snow escape as well. It's a brilliant medieval story (though probably not much fun for those who experienced it first hand). :-)

@2010Tigresa

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling People were stronger then than they are today. Greetings from Uruguay!

@CZPanthyr

Жыл бұрын

I always strive to be an "uppity woman"!

@anthonymorris2276

4 ай бұрын

All good except the grating - and totally irrelevant - reference to “climate change”. Yes, there was snow on the ground throughout much of England in Matilda’s time. This was because the “Mediaeval Warm Period” was coming to an end, followed by the “Little Ice Age”. It has nothing to do with “climate change” in the modern sense of that expression, beyond proving that “climate change” - as a natural phenomenon - has been with us throughout history.

So cool to think that Matilda and Eleanor knew each other. In the grand span of history to see two cool female figures so close in time blows my mind.

Thank you so much for carrying on with a sequel to your White Ship video! What a messy time was endured by all after the death of Henry I! I do wonder if William the Aethling would have had an easier time than Matilda or Stephen in consolidating power, if he had survived the shipwreck. There were so many powerful people in competition with one another, and so much depended on who was Johnny-on-the-Spot (or William- or Henry-on-the-Spot, if you will).

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, this was intended as a sequel. :-) I was going to do this video first initially and then thought, 'nope, I'm gonna need to set the scene with the White Ship disaster first so that I don't have to do too much in one video'.

@johnslaughter5475

Жыл бұрын

William Aethling would have had no problem. He was the legitimate heir and Henry was grooming him for the day he'd wear the crown. If I remember correctly, William was supposed to be going back to England, when he boarded the White Ship, for some very important things to teach him how to be the king. In fact, though, William did survive the shipwreck. He was in a boat with his guards and he heard his sister screaming. He had the boat put about to rescue her. But, it was overwhelmed by the people in the water and he went under in an ill-fated attempt to rescue his sister.

This video is a great summation of both the antagonists Stephen and Matilda, and also of the times they lived in which made the whole messy Anarchy possible. Not only was Matilda the inspiration for Rhaenyra, there is a great series called Pillars of the Earth which also follows the struggle as a backdrop to the building of the Wells Cathedral. Thank you for posting this, I enjoyed it very much!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it. I've been told about Pillars of the Earth before. I really must look it up.

@spottedreptile2671

Жыл бұрын

It’s a wonderful production with a terrific cast and a nice angle on the whole thing.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Matilda doesn't come out well! She comes out as a child-killer. She had Donald Sutherland fighting her corner though.

@mounamounayer4818

2 ай бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Read Ken Follett's book 'The Pillars of the Earth' first before you see the series. The book is wonderful.

It's a pity that Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois weren't married to each other, sparing everyone a lot of grief. They weren't, I think, ever free at the same time.

Historical Matildas are always great tales. Huzzah for medieval history!

I enjoyed this very much, and also being on the live feed for awhile, although I had to stop for lunch when the soup began to burn! I accept the explanations you offer for Matilda's failure to secure the crown both initially, and later on when she acquired more support. In the case of her father and Uncle William II, being on hand when the previous king died and immediately lining up solid support were key. Neither one of them was the eldest son of the Conqueror, but each in turn acted decisively, before competing heirs could get to England (and later, of course, Henry locked his eldest brother up for life at Devizes). Stephen followed their example. (Thanks to Edward Spencer's great book "The White Ship" for that info. After your video on that tragedy, I devoured the Earl's book in less than two days). Why Matilda didn't consolidate her power after she gained control over Stephen seems a bit less clear, but sources say that Stephen was forced to acknowledge Henry Plantagenet as his heir, and maybe Matilda was just as content to leave the rest of the struggle to her son.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Ann and I'm glad you made it into the premiere (though honestly, I don't know if I'm going to continue with them. They don't seem to help viewer numbers). I'm glad you enjoyed reading more about the White Ship disaster too :-) Yes, Matilda could have acted more decisively. I'm not sure what was going on there either.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

England was unruly. The Normans had a job holding onto it. William the Conqueror cleared a lot of people from their homes because he liked hunting. This is the New Forest. Not new. His son was killed there by accident or design. You had to be a fighter to survive as well as politically astute. You had to be a people manager of the first water as well as being able to handle a sword and ride a war-horse. It wasn't an "optional extra". No one is going to support a weak king or queen. The barons called the shots. There were two more civil wars the Barons Wars 1 & 2 coming up. King John didn't keep them on-side and had to sign the Magna Carta and lost his kingdom to the French. How can you risk your life in battle, which were sadly all too common, if your king or queen would not risk theirs? The soldiers weren't "mugs". There's been any number of Saxon queens now mostly forgotten, Alfred the Great's mother for an instance as well as the widow of King Edwin who secured much of the Midlands (Murcia) against the Danes, that deserve to be better known. Very good administrators.

I have to concur HC, being a woman didn't help her cause, and she certainly didn't know how to play the game of thrones, but she did win in the end as her son became king of England, thank you as always HC. 👑😊

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, hopefully that gave her some solace in the end. Thanks as always for watching and commenting :-)

@simon112

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling always a plesure HC, till next Friday, Merry Christmas.😊

@waltonsmith7210

Жыл бұрын

She played it better and got closer to the throne herself than most people wouldve done.

@Sienna6164

Ай бұрын

@@waltonsmith7210I think that her greatest flaw and what ultimately lost her throne was her arrogance- even pro- Matilda chronicals detail her haughtiness. If she was a bit more accommodating to her subjects, I think that she would have reigned as queen

Wonderful story ...history comes alive. Thanks

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome. Yes, it's a wonder Matilda's story isn't more famous actually. It's a real thriller.

thank you for explaining the way succession worked- my initial thought was exactly as you said- surprise it hadn't gone down the direct line but hearing the context it makes sense- it sounds like she wasn't neccessarily that interested in the english crown for quite a while (althought it may be that she chose to make sure she and her family were firmly and safely established in france, and leaving her children safely there before going for england). another great vid

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, it is difficult (for me too in fact) to let go of the idea of male primogeniture, but things were definitely more fluid back then. I'd love to know as well exactly why she didn't make a play for the throne earlier, but it makes for a fascinating debate if nothing else :-)

I totally missed this one and The White Ship Disaster when they came out. I realized that I didn't know Matilda's full story and started doing some reading and then wondered if you'd done a video, and I was so pleased to find it. The Wars of the Roses and the Tutors are indeed fascinating, but I'd love to learn more about other periods of English history. I would *love* a video on Eleanor of Aquitaine. She's fascinating!

@stelladonaconfredobutler9459

Ай бұрын

Matilda was a superstar!

The inspiration for Rhaenyra Targaryen in Fire and Blood, the Black Queen, usurped by her half-Hightower brother even if she was her father's chosen and named Heir and every Lord had sworn fealty to her 😥😥 Granted, Matilda's death was relatively quiet, nothing like Rhaenyra's brutal execution at the Usurper's hands. Two usurped queens who deserved much better...

@totallynotarandomer8958

26 күн бұрын

He’s a Targaryen not Hightower and if you want to get into specifics rhaenyra was half Arryn but she’s still a Targaryen

@josefinacabrera589

15 күн бұрын

Rhaenyra the half-Arryn

I was looking forward to this video for days and days and you did not disappoint! Much as I love this period of England's history, I've always been a little fuzzy on the details. I am fuzzy no more! Thank you for explaining everything so clearly and so thoroughly. I enjoyed this fabulous video and it's going into the library as a favorite.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. It was quite a learning curve for me too to get to grips with it all, but it helped doing the White Ship video first as it meant I already had some idea of who the main players were.

Great episode. The only factor that I can think of that wasn't mentioned that I can think of is the traditional animosity that I understand existed between Normandy and Anjou at that time. Indeed it makes Duke Geoffrey an odd choice for second husband whilst perhaps explaining his oddly passive role in Matilda's struggles in England?

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

Do you mean the Vexin? Her son put great store by it.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I think the Anjou marriage was to try and improve relations. Matilda's brother had married an Anjou princess, but his early death ruined that attempt at an alliance.

@edithengel2284

Жыл бұрын

He wasn't passive; he was trying to keep things sorted out in his and also Matilda's lands in France, especially Normandy, of which by rights she was duchess after her father's death.

you have such a beautiful voice.. Great video. how about a video of Matilda of Tuscany? She was amazing and her buildings and bridges military forces are still standing today. and her fierce loyalty to the Catholic Church

this video was amazing!!! you are the first person teaching me about this early of english history and i’m loving it! was so cool making the connection to the ship wreck video you did recently as well

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Yes, the shipwreck video was intended as a bit of a prequel to this video (not that you need to watch one to appreciate the other).

As always, excellent work. Thank you!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

OH WOW. THANK YOU DON for such a remarkably kind donation to the channel. That's so generous of you, especially at this time of year and given lots of people's financial uncertainties these days. I certainly hope you continue to enjoy the channel's content so that you're getting your money's worth :-)

I do enjoy your videos. Thank you ❤

Your videos are on a list of channels that I use as my "Comfort Videos". I like watching them while I relax or before I go to bed. 😴I know I'm late to the party but keep up the good work!❤

It is the most fascinating of Civil Wars, widely ignored and little known or studied/taught - thankyou HC.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I agree. It always amazes me how many people say they'd never heard anything about this period.

Thank you for sharing the story of Matilda. I commend you on your ability to research history and present your findings so concisely.

After watching its first season Matilda reminds me of Rhaenerya from House of the Dragon. I haven’t read the book HOTD is based on so I wonder if Rhaenerya’s fate will look like Matilda’s. Like how the main Song of Ice and Fire series is based on the war of the roses.

@thesnakechronicles6832

2 ай бұрын

Rhaenyra is based off Matilda good catch! George likes to turn these real life historical events 10x crazier than the real thing but with dragons things go off the rails 😂

Thanks for an informative and very well researched video!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

My pleasure. Thanks for coming to the premiere :-)

Yay!!! Nice to see something about Matilda on KZread!

A really excellent history. Thank you.

whenever you make a video about medieval stuff, i drop everything just to watch it! i hope you make more 🥰

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you :-) I wish more people did the same as you to be honest. Poor Matilda isn't getting that much love at the moment (at least not by my standards). There's more medieval madness next week :-)

@beth7935

Жыл бұрын

Me too! I love anything Mediaeval!

FAIR AND WELL WRITTEN Video essay... Great job.

I wouldn't be surprised if Stephen agreed some kind of deal with Matilda when he let her go, maybe not to challenge him while he lived, but I guess we'll never know. I can't believe that he simply let her go though - there must have been more to it besides the points you rightly raised.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Hmm, it's certainly a possibility and an interesting idea. If he did make such a deal with her, he'll have regretted it though, as she clearly didn't abide by it and treated him quite roughly when she had him in her power.

The Matilda and Stephen struggle should be considered an important part of English history as it lead to a civil war but (in my school, I don't know about anyone else's) it was completely skipped over. The first I ever learned of it was in my early twenties when I read some of the Brother Cadfael books which take place during this era, though Matilda is referred to as Maude. I've learned more since, of course. I agree with what you said about why Matilda never got the throne, that although being a woman didn't help her case, it wasn't the only reason and her stubborn personality and ability to offend people were a factor. I also wonder if the fact she still insisted on using the "Empress" title even after her imperial husband died rather than using "Queen Matilda of England" was another factor, it made it sound as though she was putting England second and the English nobles wouldn't have liked that.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Someone else mentioned the same thing about the Empress title. I didn't read anything about that, but it's certainly a possibility. I wasn't taught any of this in school either, though I do remember doing a little bit about the Conquest. It was a lot of Stuart history for me though, at least in later years.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

You are right. English history is so full much of it is jettisoned and slipped over, especially on tv, in the rush to get to the Tudors and Victoria. Many monarchs are skipped over ruthlessly. Did you know Richard II is supposed to have invented the handkerchief? That James I of England (VI of Scotland) was responsible for Sirloin steak? Talking about Civil Wars we have had too many. Not just the anarchy but a couple of Barons Wars ending with the Parliament we have today, the problems with Edward II and the Earl of Lancaster ending at Boroughbridge. The WotR starting in 1455 and lasting until Stoke Field in 1487, the Hotspur Rebellion near Brother Cadfael's Abbey at Shrewsbury, in 1403 and Henry V's first battle where he was badly wounded with an arrow in the face 6 inches deep, to the Civil War between Charles I and Parliament, these are purely in England in the main not to mention wars with Wales and Scotland. Credit to you for not falling into the regular mysandry trap. It was a men's world etc. Monarchs had to live in the saddle and fight. If they didn't no one would fight alongside them in the many frequent battles. You had to earn loyalty for hundreds of years. You swore fealty to only those whom had your respect. If a woman or weak male didn't pass the audition because they were no good with a sword then that was that. Stephen's queen fought from her castle but am not so sure if she fired bows etc. Phillipa of Haunault when her husband Edward III was abroad, addressed her troops at Neville's Cross but didn't stay for the battle but at least she was there. Invasions, rebellions happened on a regular basis, perhaps monthly. You needed a monarch in the thick of it or they wouldn't be monarch much longer. John was a disaster. You had to "earn your spurs". At Crecy in 1346 Edward the Black Prince at 16 in his first battle was getting the worst of it. Reports were sent to his father Edward III to send reinforcements. Edward's reply? Nothing doing let him "earn his spurs". It was absolutely brutal. Women's main danger was childbirth with some paying the ultimate price for heresy. Apart from that women had a "free pass" from execution. Confiscation of property and occasional "house arrest" was the worst it got for political/traitor crimes. Anne Boleyn was the first noble woman to be executed in the 1500's. Not one woman was executed during the WotR even though one third of the the male nobility died violently, hung drawn and quartered etc with their heads and other body parts at the entrance to towns. If it was grim being a woman, not offered top jobs etc It was grimmer being male. Matilda's main language was German, being brought up there. She probably spoke a smattering of Norman-French only and probably no English at all. She was comfortable in Aachen at the Imperial Court and may have planned to stay there in an obscure location. Sadly her husband died and the fat was in the fire. Recalled by her father from her probably comfortable existence and a pawn in the marriage market in semi-strange lands, Capetian France and England. An England that had only recently been conquered by her paternal grandfather and full of res entful Saxons. Her Pre-coronation feast was held in Westminster Hall. It is one of the few parts of the original Westminster Palace remaining, surviving 2 major fires and blitz in the Second World War. It was built by her uncle who perhaps was murdered by her father. It was the largest room North of the Alps and maybe in the whole of Europe. She was chased out by the people probably before she got to the final course. Her paternal grandfather had a similar experience in the Abbey nearby. The Saxons loved a good shindig and wassail They cheered William on Christmas Day 1066 when he was crowned. Unused to this exuberance the Norman soldiers thought it was a riot and sadly people were killed. Pax Vobiscum.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

You are right. English history is so full much of it is jettisoned and slipped over, especially on tv, in the rush to get to the Tudors and Victoria. Many monarchs are skipped over ruthlessly. Did you know Richard II is supposed to have invented the handkerchief? That James I of England (VI) of Scotland was responsible for Sirloin steak? Talking about Civil Wars we have had too many. Not just the anarchy but a couple of Barons Wars ending with the Parliament we have today, the problems with Edward II and the Earl of Lancaster ending at Boroughbridge. The WotR starting in 1455 and lasting until Stoke Field in 1487, the Hotspur Rebellion near Brother Cadfael's Abbey at Shrewsbury, in 1403 and Henry V's first battle where he was badly wounded with an arrow in the face 6 inches deep, to the Civil War between Charles I and Parliament, these are purely in England in the main not to mention wars with Wales and Scotland. Credit to you for not falling into the regular mysandry trap. It was a men's world etc. Monarchs had to live in the saddle and fight. If they didn't no one would fight alongside them in the many frequent battles. You had to earn loyalty for hundreds of years. You swore fealty to those who had your respect. If a woman or weak male didn't pass the audition because they were no good with a sword then that was that. Stephen's queen fought from her castle but am not so sure if she fired bows etc. Phillipa of Haunault when her husband Edward III was abroad addressed her troops at Neville's Cross but didn't stay for the battle but at least she was there. Invasion and rebellion were common -place, perhaps monthly, the monarch had to regularly be in campaign. Women sadly faced childbirth fatalities and paid the ultimate price for heresy, Lollardism etc however no women were executed for political/traitor crimes until Anne Boleyn in the 1500's. None were executed before that. During the WotR one third of the male nobility died violently. It had been males that were hung, drawn and quartered with heads and body parts over gates. Matilda had lived most of her life at Aachen, spoke mainly German and probably happy to stay in obscurity permanently in the Imperial Court. Sadly her husband died and the party was over. Recalled by her father to strange lands, Capetian France and Norman England. Spoke perhaps a smattering of Norman_French and likely no English. Told to marry someone she didn't like. She was pregnant in France when her father sadly died and was beaten to the punch by Stephen. Eventually when she did get to England for her coronation when his brother Henry of Blois changed sides she was attending her Pre-coronation feast in Westminster Hall. Westminster Hall is one of the few remnants of the original palace that has survived 2 major fires and blitz in the Second World War. It was built by her uncle who perhaps was murdered in order of her father. It was the largest single-room North of the Alps and probably in the whole of Europe. Sadly the London populace threw her out before she got to the final course! This is an echo of Christmas Day 1066 when her paternal grandfather William I was crowned. The Saxons loved a shindig and wassail and the exuberance was mistaken by the Normal soldiers as a riot the result sadly was peiple being killed. Pax Vobiscum.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Sad about that Stuartry. Talk about after the Lord Mayor's show. King Charles II with his spaniels, Monmouth Rebellion, John Felton popping out of the Greyhound pub in Portsmouth to murder the Duke of Buckingham, Samuel Peppys, Dutch sailing up the Medway, another plague and worst _ St. Paul's including the tombs of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Lancaster his wife going up in the Great Fire. Can you believe it! Christopher Wren was partly to blame. He got the job of restoring it, encased it with wooden scaffolding. Without the scaffolding it may have been saved but acted like a tinder-box.

Thank you for the medieval video! My favorite. Please do Eleanor one day ❤

@HistoryCalling

3 ай бұрын

She's on my list :-)

This was a good one!!!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Henry. I think she has a fascinating and surprisingly understudied story.

thank you

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been waiting for this promised sequel. As a woman, Maude could never really get the support that she truly needed. Henry had not had the time to fully teach her all she needed to know. Even though Henry had everyone swear loyalty to her, they never saw her do anything Queenly as William Aethling had already been doing. It takes time and a lot of instruction for a person to learn and show they know how to rule. Do you like mysteries? (That's a rhetorical question. 😊) Have you watched the Caedfael Mysteries starring Derek Jacobi? I really enjoy them. It takes place during The Anarchy. There are several references to both King Stephen and Queen Maude. There are only 13 episodes and they are available on Amazon.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome :-) I think I saw the odd Cadfael mystery when I was younger. I must look them up again.

@kathrynronnenberg1688

10 ай бұрын

The Cadfael books by Ellis Peter's run to 21 volumes, and are excellent. There are quite a lot of details about the events of the Anarchy that get wrapped up in the plots of the books.

Fantastic video!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. I think Matilda's is a fascinating story.

Your videos are always a nice way to learn something of the past👍🎥📽️⏳

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thank you :-) That's very kind of you to say.

Hi, Awesome live history video I enjoyed it can't wait to see more soon. Have a great day greetings from Canada 😀

Hi HC, thanks for another well presented video shedding light on these dark times. I think the odds were against Matilda trying to establish authority in a male hierarchy. Thanks again.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks James. I think so too. They just weren't in the mindset to really have a Queen regnant yet.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

If you couldn't handle a sword and ride a war-horse you were toast. How could you get other people to risk their necks (which was required all too frequently) if your weren't going to risk yours? Non-starter. Wasn't just women, weak makes needn't apply for any opening.

Another gem.

Great job, very interesting

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Nathan. She has a fascinating story for sure.

Thanks for the presentation. Interesting and nicely done.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Don. She certainly had a fascinating story.

@JustFlyIt09

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I first got interested in the period after reading Sharon Key Penman's "When Christ and His Saints Slept". The white ship disaster seemed like such needless and tragic accident and it put into motion a terrible 30 years. Unbelievable. I am astounded when I think about all of the deaths that may have been prevented if Stephen had not taken her throne. Then to think that the period produced Henry II. What an amazing and tragic time.

Thanks!

@HistoryCalling

6 күн бұрын

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE VERY KIND DONATION. I hope you enjoyed hearing about Matilda (and are perhaps enjoying House of the Dragon as well). :-)

Thank you for this very clear account of a rather confusing part of history!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

You're welcome. I found it tricky to get it all straight in my head as well.

@elizabethmcglothlin5406

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling , I have been a fanf of the Caedfal stories since my mother began buyinin in the what? Early 70's? Dame Edith dealt with it year by year, but I have been trying to understand it ever since! THank you again!

Love!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️ Awesome video!!! Can you do one on Eleanor of Aquitaine? Would love to see that one!😀

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I would love to actually, but I'm quite hesitant as the early medieval videos (this one and the White Ship) are doing so poorly. :-(

@allisonyoung3420

Жыл бұрын

Oh no! i love the medieval ones just as much as any time period in Royal history! Just make one for me then! Lol! 🤣🤣🤣But maybe give it a couple of weeks then try? Perhaps at the top of the year? 🤞🤞🤞

@kathrynstemler6331

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling For me, I get a bit lost earlier than Henry VII. Individual stories from that period and after, I can more easily place into a geo-political, and artistic and cultural framework in my head. Before that, no matter how much I seem to learn, it is still an amorphous blob that I can’t quite get my head around. And maybe I am less inclined to click on something I know will leave my feeling a bit more stupid by the end. Maybe more super basic Medieval History 101 would be good.

@allisonyoung3420

Жыл бұрын

I used to feel like that! My "education" started at Henry the VIII and before that I had no clue! But I found out that if I went backwards from there i understood it better. I think it's cuz i could relate things I already knew to what I was reading. I'm still learning! But maybe try learning that way. May help you too! And as for videos, I agree....start very basic! Any video on this channel will be great!😊

Great job with A another fantastic video. I was watching this video on the alternative secession of the British Throne-and in one of them; Kaiser Wilhelm II would have been king of Great Britain and Kaiser of Germany.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Now that would certainly be an historical plot twist!

@savagedarksider

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling A descendant of the Gray House is living in Britain and technically have A stronger claim to the throne.

Such an interesting video! Love how nuanced you are on gender as well: it obviously mattered a great deal, yet it was not all-defining. Thanks so much!

65 was considered to have been pretty old for someone to have passed during her time. Being a woman in that era was hard anyway, and I think Many, powerful man were afraid of her power. why she didn't become queen. And another great video btw👑💗

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Kristen. You rock :-) (See what I did there? It was an awful pun I know. Please forgive me :-) )

@kristenrock7783

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling No! I actually really do love puns. My last name is cool, so it is appropriate. And you're always very welcome. Keep the awesome videos coming 👑👑💗💗

I like these videos

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Tauna. It's a fascinating era of history.

Thanks.

Good heavens, was everyone named either Matilda or Henry? What a bother for poor English schoolchildren trying to understand this time period. As a fan of the Brother Cadfael books, it was interesting to get the background of the time period in which the books are set. And I could listen to your lovely accent for hours, even if you were reading a grocery list. I enjoy your channel so much!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I know. It's like the Richards/Edwards/Henrys of the 15th/16th centuries. So confusing! Thank you for the lovely accent compliment too :-)

@alpacinoravidutt

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling henry seems like a popular name across Europe. France, England, spain too i think. What's the origin of the name?

Good evening to history calling

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Hi Bea :-)

Do Alicent next !

Cheers.

Thank you for another fine presentation most enjoyed, particularly as it's a time of English history I find so interesting. Your own summation of the politics/power struggles (same thing) of the period seem very likely. If off topic (well not really in a way) a little confused with the images of the coronation chair. The first elaborate golden affair made me think "What's that?" The later image looks more like the rather simple wooden chair I saw in Westminster Abbey.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Philip. do you mean the video of the chair? That was just meant to be illustrative. It's definitely not the real thing. It's in the Tower of London in the room where Henry VI was supposedly killed.

@philip2595

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Oh I see, thank you. Have been to the tower but don't remember seeing a replica of the coronation chair, some time ago.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Possibly it's a newish addition? I was there in March this year and that was the first time I remember seeing it as well.

I find women historically in her position try to act like men to show their strength and that they aren't the "weaker sex". Many then are criticized for it. If a man acted as she did no one would have said anything. But had she have been weak and meek she wouldn't have gain support in the first place. Honestly she was in a lose lose position. She could have done much differently but playing the Monday morning quarterback is always easy to do.

Excellent video, HC! I just wanted to point out that Henry V was sometimes called King of the Romans because he wasn't Emperor of the Romans (or Holy Roman Emperor) until his coronation by the Pope, Paschal II. The Emperor was first elected and crowned King of the Romans and, until 1508, was required to be crowned by the Pope before assuming the imperial title. Matilda wasn't formally known as Queen of the Romans because Henry was already Emperor when they were married

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Justin and I'm glad you liked the video :-)

Well thought, constructed, and informative video. Can we hope to see a video about Aethelflaed the daughter of King Alfred of Wessex?

It seems that England had a close escape. If Matilda didn't have enough strategy to manage her supporters she would be unlikely to have steered England well. Your video was very clear and concise. Explains everything very well.

Wonderful! Thank you again for such an interesting and informative video! I think Matilda wasn’t successful in gaining the throne was in many ways due to the times and a woman’s place in society as well as her being not trained in how to do the job. She was never expected to be Queen in her younger years and as she got older, she was out of country with her husband. When the opportunity arose, she was not prepared in the art of diplomacy. As a woman she would probably be more scrutinized for decisions and behaviors. She may have tried to rule the way she thought the men ruled. Men probably weren’t keen to be ruled over by a woman. When she came in harsh, haughty and demanding before earning their respect, it was more than they would tolerate.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, probably her late and unexpected change in circumstance didn't help. Had Henry known she'd be Queen, he might have made more of an effort to keep her in England where she could have been better known by the local nobles and forged stronger ties with them. She doesn't seem to have been terribly diplomatic either, as you say.

@charis6311

10 ай бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Hi, rather late to the show, but just wanted to mention it was possible Matilda was influenced by the German politics of the time as she practically grew up in Germany. At that time the German dynasty of the Salier was in dire conflict with the German nobles, trying their hardest to enforce their royal supremacy on them. So maybe she gathered the impression you had to be tough and uncompromising towards your subjects if you wanted to rule them at all.

Thanks

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

THANK YOU PATRICIA for so kindly donating to the channel. I hope you enjoyed hearing Matilda's story. :-)

@patriciadawson4164

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Hi from North Queensland Australia, you are very welcome. I love your channel I wait for the new story every week.

Darn, I missed the premiere. I was watching Mark Darcy kiss Bridget Jones in the cold snowy streets of England on my iMac, totally forgot about Empress Matilda, but I'll watch it now. ❤

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Not to worry. I don't think I'm going to keep up with the premieres anyway. They don't seem to be helping viewer numbers at all and it's just added stress on a Friday night from my point of view (plus remembering to set them up on Thursdays). Enjoy the video though :-)

@Moebian73

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Honestly I only made it to a few premieres. During the pandemic, my son's school put on virtual concerts, & those were the only premieres I made it to. :)

@Moebian73

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I do think it's gender related though, the reason Matilda didn't become queen. Elizabeth I will change all that.

Empress Matilda has always been an interesting figure to myself. Thanks for the content. I have always wondered if her personality was really a factor in her troubles or if it was simple sexism.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I think probably a bit of both. She doesn't seem like she was easy work to be sure, but then neither were a lot of men in her position.

@daegudiva

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I wonder what Empress Matilda's relationship was like with her Daughter-in-law Eleanor? Two powerful personalities.

I really like how you didn’t just blame sexism for Matilda’s downfall. I knew there had to be more to the story!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, I def. think there was to it than that. It had a role to play of course, but it wasn't the only issue.

@waltonsmith7210

Жыл бұрын

I blame Stephens wife's trade connections

Those who want to go beyond the usual Anglo centric vision of history should also investigate her Italian namesake -the countess Matilda of Tuscany who lived in the 11th century and was a major player in the long conflict between the Holy Roman emperors and the Papacy.She sided with the church in this conflict and is said to have personally led her armies in battle.On her death her vast estates in northern Italy went to the church and she was made a saint.The well known phrase"Going to Canossa"originated when the emperor had to do penance in the snow in front of the pope and this countess at the countess's hill top castle at Canossa in the Italian Apennines -now a ruin.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Hi Kalo. I hadn't heard that story before. Thank you for sharing :-)

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

Yes the Emperor paying homage to the pope at Canossa in the snow is famous though I can't say the phrase "Going to Canossa" us famous in the Anglo centric world.

@kaloarepo288

Жыл бұрын

@@English_Dawn If you know the plays of the famous Nobel prize winning Sicilian dramatist Pirandello she is one of the characters in his play "Henry IV" which deals with this historical event which is very important in both Italian and German history."Henry IV" was the Holy Roman emperor involved.

I’m reading both Alison Weir and Lisa Hilton’s book on the Medieval Queens. I feel Empress Matilda’s failure was more to do with the fact that she waited so long to show up. Geoffrey didn’t help either.

Lovely. For all your American fans (including me): "Matilda was on her back foot" (on the defensive). "Steven was kept in fetters" (chains). "She snuck out though the postern gate" (small back door). It would have been cool to sit in on the negotiations: "I'll trade you your husband (King Stephen) for my brother (Robert) and a kingship (Henry II) to be named later. LOL

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Tony and greetings from across the pond :-)

@jameshalley9763

Жыл бұрын

King Steven also held William Marshall hostage and was threatening to launch him in a catapult at them. I can picture King Steven and the 5 or 6 year old setting back and playing chess or something, being King Steven had taken a liking to the boy. While Matilda was negotiating for others held captive. Later King Steven was captured and exchanged for Matilda's half brother Robert of Gloucester.

@tonyk1584

Жыл бұрын

@@jameshalley9763 it reminds me of the old vendors at the ballpark “you can’t tell your players without program“ the really amazing part is that all this knowledge has come down the centuries to us

When the crime writer Ellis Peters wanted to create a detective series set in the Middle Ages she chose this period -- the Anarchy -- since there were so many reasons why someone might end up dead. Her "Brother Cadfael" novels are well worth reading.

I really do enjoy learning about history. I wonder what people in 100 years will say about our times.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

THANK YOU so much for your kind donation to the channel Sandra. I wonder that too sometimes. I also think it's funny to think that they'll be using things like the Facebook and Twitter archives and maybe even the KZread archives, including comments like ours here!

Fabulous video. You are a terrific storyteller. You have a real gift for distilling these complex times, changing loyalties, and cultural differences from life today. I've always felt a natural affinity with Matilda. (Wasn't she sometimes called Maud?) And I do wonder... if she had been a man and behaved exactly as she did, would she have encountered the same criticism and bristling from her lords? Or was it that she was expected, on the one hand, to live by a different set of rules, and on the other hand, likely to be written off as weak and incapable if she had. Women in power have always been forced to walk a tightrope, and the rope has gaps and breaks that make it impossible to keep one's balance. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Your information about Stephen's wife makes me wonder if Matilda would have succeeded with a different approach. However, their situations were different. As consort, Stephen's wife was never asking to be recognized in her own right as ruler. Her efforts were made on behalf of her husband. Men stepped up and demanded loyalty, title, rule, and position all the time. How many of them are called ignorant? How terrible do those kings usually have to get before subjects rebel? I'm curious if there's more nuance to the misogyny than contemporary chroniclers, and even more recent historians, will allow. Though I agree, there were times she could have made better choices, especially coming home immediately upon her father's death. Still, I find myself rooting for her, and resentful on her behalf.

@etiennee9813

Жыл бұрын

You Go, Girl ! Seems so weird to me that 600-year-old White-Male-Supremecist arguments still rule, to this day. When you don't have a better argument to make, play the sexist card. I get it. History is what you make of it: Matilda Rules !!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Colette. She was indeed sometimes called Maud. It's interesting to speculate if the main problem was her gender or her personality. Possibly a man would have got away with more, or maybe even a man would have struggled when there was an alternative king alive and in the country at the time. We'll never know for sure I guess.

@JanWest24

Жыл бұрын

She-Wolves by Helen Castor dives into this further and acknowledges both Matilda's failings and the unfairness she suffered from because of her gender. Ironically Stephen was criticized for not displaying the same traits that Matilda herself was hated for. His faults were seen as feminine and hers as too masculine. There was no winning

I was straight on this

@miss_mars931

Жыл бұрын

Your channel is my favorite!!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Why thank you :-) Mind you, I wish more people had followed your example.

I love your accent, where in the UK or Ireland are you from?

Robert Curthose is another intersting example of the uncertainty of the line of succession in early days of the English monarchy. It's a shame though that hardly anyone would watch a video about him though.

I agree with your thoughts on why Matilda did not achieve her status as as Queen of England but would add that her slowness to return from Spain and the interests of her husband, was a huge miscalculation . Upon the death of the Monarch, had she sprung into action, arrived upon the scene early on, she would have certainly impressed upon the general population that she cared for the subjects and loved her country. In this respect she did not prove to be a strong strategist. Thank you for your research, and publishing the article. You are an excellent presenter.

Another very interesting video: I agree with you, her being a woman then having the attitude she had. I also think if her husband had also come with her even if it had been a little later she would have been successful in getting the throne.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, it is surprising that he wasn't more interested in helping her, but then again maybe he just prioritised Anjou over England which is understandable given his own background. Also, given their difficult relationship, maybe they were happy to have an excuse for another separation?

@jameshalley9763

Жыл бұрын

It seems a little odd to me that Geoffry Plantagenet would go to Jerusalem and marry the Queen,or was that his Father, Fulk V?

@edithengel2284

Жыл бұрын

@@jameshalley9763 HIs father, Fulk V, married Melisande the daughter of King Baldwin II of Jerusalem. She ruled as queen after her father's death.

I recently re-watched the mini series Pillars of the Earth. This storyline plays out as the backdrop of the main characters. In the series and elsewhere this Queen is often called Maude. Was that a common shortform for Matilda? Also, I have no idea how the people could have preferred Stephen over her. Any remaining replicas of Stephen's image are not exactly the face of someone who inspires confidence 😄

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, she was called Maud as well, though I don't know if it was short for Matilda, or just a different name (the way her mother was sometimes Edith, sometimes Maud). I must look up Pillars of the Earth. A few people have suggested it to me.

@Crusty_Camper

Жыл бұрын

She was sometimes referred to as Maud to differentiate between her and the other Matildas of the time. It was mostly done by later historians. It's another form of disrespect of her because of her gender. None of the Kings or other male nobles had their names changed, even though there were a lot of Henry's.

@ilenebillingsley7516

Жыл бұрын

It's on Prime Video.

@edithengel2284

Жыл бұрын

@@Crusty_Camper The male monarchs garnered plenty of disrespectful nicknames though. Maud was not an uncommon alternate to Matilda. (I'm sure Elizabeth I never objected to hearing herself called Good Queen Bess.)

@annemiller6360

9 күн бұрын

Maud is the Norse version of Matilda, so Maud denotes her Norse heritage... Maud is still used within the Norwegian Royal family today.

Great video. Besides from Lady Jane Grey, Matilda is my favorite character from English history. I believe her gender and her role as empress was the main reason for her ot becoming queen. Btw there were fat too ma y Matildas in those days 😁

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I know. Sooo many Matildas. Surely it must have been confusing for people at the time as well?

@wncjan

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I believe so.I count at least six in the story of the white ship and the anarchy.

Would love to know how Matilda and Eleanor got along

My 27th great grandmother :)

I'm not sure how much this affects things, but I think her unwillingness to give up the title Empress was a factor. It made the English feel second, and her personallity added to this. It seemed to them she was trying to be greater than she was, a king's daughter and wife of a count. I think the English would have welcome a king's daughter as queen, but not an Empress. There is a bit of a history of this. Aethelflead, daughter to King Alfred, was welcome as leader/queen (there is some debate on the title) of Mercia. Aethelflaed seems to have used her status as daughter to a king, but never claimed more, Matilda did. That would not have sit well with English men whose leaders are first amoung equals. Even though the men know the king/queen is higher to them, the belief was still there...unless you slap them in the face with Empress.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

Matilda was brought up as a German and German was her natural language. She probably could have had a comfortable life in Aachen at the Imperial Court as a dowager Empress. She was recalled by her father and married someone she was unenthusiastic about. She probably pined for Germany.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Hmm, that is a really interesting point. I don't remember seeing anything in my reading which touched on it, but it's certainly not impossible that she was viewed as a bit Germanic. At the same time though I think it's worth noting that the 'English' royal family and aristocracy at this time were primarily French (we're only one or two generations away from the Conqueror after all), so it was quite common to have non-English rulers as well. I don't know anything about Aethelflead so I can't comment on her situation I'm afraid.

@historybuff7491

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling I study the pre-Norman English. 1st amoung equals, in noble society, was common. How much it was actually practiced, I am not sure. I know most of the nobles were of Norman descent, but London was mostly English. I think this concept would have hung around for several decades after the Conquest even with the Normans, especially during stressful times like these.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling You are right. The Saxons had only recently been restored to throne when Edward the Confessor was king. It had been part of the Danish kingdom not long before. The majority were English -Speaking. The Normans were Johnny-come-latelies even by Matilda's reign. Norman-French, e.g. "Parlement", "Governement", "Assizes", "Appellant" was slowly getting thr upper hand and had just introduced rabbits to the English countryside and trial by juries had just taken over from trial by ordeal, carrying red hot iron bars and putting your hands into boiling water, it wasn't certain if trial by juries was the way to go from the "tried and trusted" trial by ordeal! The only measure William the Conqueror ever regretted even in a brutal time was the "Harrowing of the North". The North is where Christianity had been kept alive in The Dark Ages, St. Bede, St. Cuthbert, St. Aidan, St. Oswald. The Midland and Northern earls had not joined Harold at Hastings. He fought with only a third of his army. The Domesday Book of 1086 gets sparcer the further North you go. It was Matilda's uncle William II that got as far as Scotland. Important to remember the Lake District was NEVER conquered and was absorbed peacefully by the 1400's. It is remarkable how far people travelled in the Dark Ages to the Early Middle Ages when sea travel was perilous and roads were often impassable through often bandit country. So to members of the Saxon Royal family turning up in Central Europe was amazing. In the days before Easyjet the logistics of Matilda travelling to Aachen with her entourage and moveables must have been formidable. It always amazes me how Church people, abbots etc were in contact with Rome for even small matters, who was to be excommunicated, who owns which piece of land etc, before the internet. Sending what must have been an army of messengers over the Alps and when the Papacy spilt into two, to Avignon as well. Matilda doesn't seem to have gone to the Midlands or the North. She seems permanently to be in the old "Wessex" , London, Sussex, Wiltshire, Thames Valley and the West Country. So whoever was monarch their "writ" was small. Lancashire and Cheshire were awarded Palatinate status as was Durham. That means they were practically autonomous being so far from the Court. An Earl, Bishop in the case of Durham, called the shots not the monarch. They were hand-picked by the monarch and left to get on with it. Marchers were similar but probably had less powers. Like the Mortimers adjacent to Wales. The monarch tended to look the other way when they were increasing territory. It was only if they were really behaving badly would the monarch intervene. Think Wild West.

I don’t know much about what being an emperor of the Roman’s was like, but she may have misunderstood the cultural differences between being a king or queen in England and how one comports oneself as an emperor or empress in the Holy Roman Empire at that time. I think part of being a likeable ruler in a land depends on understanding culture, and where did she learn how to rule? Through her first husband of course.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, her upbringing as an Empress might well have impacted how she conducted herself. It's a pity we don't have more sources about her, but I guess it was just sooo long ago they haven't survived.

She was Queen or Lady Of The English, from February 1141 to December 1141, As she had imprisoned Stephen.

I can't wait for Fridays to watch your videos! Funny though, you mention climate change and I saw today Manchester Airport is closed due to snow! Hmmmmm

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

It's actually sleeting here in Northern Ireland too as I type this! ⛄

I don't see the praise directed towards her cousin as minimizing in any way the role gender played in Empress Mathilda's rejection. Stephen's wife was operating in non-typical female roles? Yes. But she was doing that in lieu of her imprisoned husband and to keep him king. This has always been the type of "strong women" men in power begrudgingly accepted, and even praised, if she was in direct opposition to a woman claiming power for herself. A version of "I'm not sexist because I am a fan of that other woman, look at how fierce she is protecting what I consider to be right while still not going entirely beyond the position of her gender and not trying to rule herself" has existed since forever.

sorry I just missed your premiere - I hope you do more - always preferred Matilda to shifty and perjured Stephen - she won in the end

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

No problem. Honestly, I'm not sure Im going to continue with premieres. They don't seem to help viewer numbers at all. :-(

@philip2595

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling The premiere time is six a.m. where I live, but I'm usually still up then.

@philip2595

Жыл бұрын

Almost 500 views in under an hour!!

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yikes, 6am! I appreciate you staying awake for that. Sadly, 500 is actually really poor. It needs to do 1000 in the first hour to be what I consider 'on track'. It seems this early medieval stuff isn't really very popular. The White Ship did badly too. Back to a famous piece of royal jewellery next week though, so hopefully it will do a lot better than the last few videos.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I tell a lie. It's another medieval one, but it's corpse related. Maybe that'll still do better? Guess we'll find out!

Hey young lady. God knows your first name! Your videos are amazing. You put so much work into your passion. Can I ask a question?. You do all this your self or you have a team ?. After Xmas would like to sponsor you. But I'm on strike. NHS. After Xmas will drop you a line . Again I would love to know how both sides of Ireland came together under the tudors. Don't really understand that country. Not much about of Tudor history in books ireland. Anyway you are so amazing I learn so much from you. You have a phd. All I have is a degree. Grrrrr! Just wanted to say thank you for your hard work. Have a great xmas. Stay safe in Rep or North. And thank you again. 👳👳

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Rob. It's just me I'm afraid (I wish I earned enough to have a team - that would be the dream life!). Ahh the history of Ireland is a bit messy indeed. Don't worry, you're not the first one to look at us and think 'I just don't understand what's happening there. How come they keep killing each other?' Have a wonderful Christmas too and greetings from Northern Ireland :-) 🎄⛄

@Rob-uv8bu

Жыл бұрын

You awake! Lass of mystery! Give my idea about Tudor lreland. If not keep up amazing work. Thank you again 👳👳

@Rob-uv8bu

Жыл бұрын

North . That's the posh bit! Never been myself. I'm from suffolk. Where worsley was born. Son of a butcher I think. Maybe do one on him ? Thank you again 👳👳

I second the comment that the only reason Stephen would let Matilda go is because she assured him and swore an oath she wouldn't continue to challenge him.

Ellis Peters' mystery series, Brother Cadfael, is set with the Anarchy, as this period was called, as its backdrop. I highly recommend thm.

Will there ever be videos on Eleanor of Aquitaine and Isabella of France?

She was a gentle woman, unlike the she wolf who took it.the plantangent blood line still holds the fire in their hearts.She had other lands to deal with

great video! I would just like to add though that conditions were colder due to the "little ice age" that ended in the 19th century, not due solely to climate change alone x

If Thomas of Woodstock, my Grandfather, had not been murdered by his nephew (Richard-II) I would be King of England. Or, so I tell my own grandchildren. 600-years-ago history is "nothing" in time. All Monarchy is full of Pretenders. Me, Too. Why-Not??

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Hehe, best of luck claiming the throne. Remember your favourite history KZreadr when you get there and maybe make me the official royal KZreadr :-)

@etiennee9813

Жыл бұрын

Cs @@HistoryCalling Sure. How-about Chancellor of the Exchequer, for you? That's where the real Loot is. I just want to wear the spinels and carry that bejeweled clobber-mace. Call me, "The Glitter King." Party all-night. Sleep with the hounds by-day. Camelot, only much funkier & fun. Pardons for Everyone! War-No-More ! Join me!!

@chrisbanks6659

Жыл бұрын

I'M Spartacus, I tell you!🤣

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

That's the trouble with the Lords Appellant, Richard II kept grudges.

@etiennee9813

Жыл бұрын

@@English_Dawn Little Dickie was SUCH a stinker. He sent agents posing as servants to Calais; stifled Grandpa Thomas to-death, under a feather-bed. Other Lords Appellant met similar grim fates. The manner of his assassination was so absurd; that when sad supporters memorialized Thomas of Woodstock with a commemorative stained-glass window, they rewrote History & made it look-like a Garroting. So-much for the 'sanctity' of History !! I'll stick to my "Jackobite"-style claim to that Worthless throne. 《Vive la Feather-bed !》

The comment about snow is quite amusing right now, as we had a big snowfall over night in England (in Essex at least) and I was literally looking out the window at it as that line was said!! 😂😂

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

I know. It's typical that that would happen :-) What I meant of course, was that you don't typically get the kind of really deep snow in the cities that Matilda was contending with any more, but yeah - that video would have to go out in the week when it actually snows in England! 😜

Such a good video! Thank you. As to your question…perhaps she thought her butter better spread with the French. There was always angst between the countries. Maybe she wanted to wait until her husband had more territories, hence, more power. However, few, if any references to him aiding her. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Amy. Yes, he doesn't seem to have helped much. This was definitely her 'project' if you will.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

She spoke mainly German. Was not too interested in Geoffrey of Anjou. She had been mainly brought up in Aachen in the Imperial Court. She probably could have had a comfortable life even if as a Dowager Empress but was recalled by her father. Tchuss!

@amymahers2957

Жыл бұрын

@@English_Dawn Thank you Edgar for the info. I didn’t know much about her.

@English_Dawn

Жыл бұрын

@@amymahers2957 You are welcome. There are many monarchs in England and generally most are skipped over especially on t.v. It's like the Tudors and Victoria take up most of the "bandwidth" there's precious little space for anyone else. Not a lot is recorded about Matilda, she spoke mainly German, had raven-black hair and would probably have spent her life in comfortable obscurity at the Carolingian Court had her husband not died and she became a pawn in the marriage market. One of the surprising thing of the Dark Ages and Early Middle Ages was the distances people travelled. The Anglo-Saxon royal family turning up in all sorts of places in Central Europe when sea-travel was hazardous and the roads largely unmettalled and impassable in bad weather in countryside peopled by bandits. The last people to build proper roads were the Romans. Their successors, the Angles, the Jutes, Goths and Visigoths were happier in forests getting drunk than constructing capital infrastructure projects. The Iron Age Britons would take clay from Roman roads to make their dishes and plates hence the name "potholes". England's Henry IV went as far as Lithuania with the Teutonic Knights on crusade. The Lithuanians were the last pagans in Europe in the 14th century.

@amymahers2957

Жыл бұрын

@@English_Dawn I love HC and learning from her videos. She sets me on new paths and now you’ve set me on some new ones as well. I shall be busy this weekend!

I’d like a video about Matilda of Boulogne -Stephen’s queen

I've always considered Maud's aloofness, and arrogance due to her being Empress, from a very young and impressionable age. She would expect to obeyed, and tended to immediately and without argument. Obviously innate personality plays a role... I guess the modern term of 'affluensa' might suit. I think she was taken advantage of by many of the barons, and I admire her for fighting for her rights. I'm certain George R. R. Martin used her as inspiration for House of the Dragon, just like the Cousins' War was for A Song of Ice and Fire (among other things). What I'd like to see in a movie, or series, is her half sister, Juliane de Fontevrault. Maybe you could do a story on her? It's fascinating, and a real eye opener as to courage and barbarity of the 12th century. Anyway, I love your work.

@HistoryCalling

Жыл бұрын

Yes, it has to be tough to not be affected by being an Empress when you're 12. That would make anyone a bit aloof I think. She was def. the inspiration for Rhaenyra Targaryen too, as you rightly point out. I don't know anything about her sister, but you've got me interested now :-)

@adunreathcooper

Жыл бұрын

@@HistoryCalling Persue it. It has everything. I don't understand why a movie hasn't been made about it. It's an amazing, albeit terrible, horrific, story. I mean 8t, it's horrendous!