A Brief History
On April 7, 1141, the daughter of King Henry I of England, Matilda, became the first female to rule England when she had already been known as “Empress Matilda.” Why the title “Empress?” Because she was the “Holy Roman Empress, Queen consort of the Romans.”
Digging Deeper
Born in England around 1102, she was sent to Germany to become the child bride of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Widowed at the age of 23, her father married her to Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, known as “The Handsome.”
The “Game of Thrones” that was the English monarchy saw Stephen of Blois become King when Henry I died in 1135, despite controversy. By 1139, Matilda returned to England to take the throne by force, succeeding in 1141, becoming the first female monarch of England as “Lady of the English.”
Matilda’s reign only lasted until 1148, when she was defeated by Stephen and sent back to France where she died in 1167.
Note: Matilda is also known as “Maude.”
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Lawrance, Hannah. Historical Memoirs of the Queens of England. Nabu Press, 2012.
Russel, Gareth. A History of the English Monarchy: From Boadicea to Elizabeth I. MadeGlobal Publishing, 2015.
The featured image in this article, an engraving of Mathilda of England, the Empress, is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer.
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