The Empress Matilda : Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English Paperback
This is the first comprehensive and fully documented study of the Empress Matilda to be published in English.
Much of the serious work on her life and historical importance has never been translated from German, and almost all has concentrated on the years of her struggle with Stephen for the English crown.
This book examines her career as a whole, including the years as consort of the Emperor Henry V and as regent in Normandy for her son Henry II.
It illustrates the problems of female succession in the early twelfth century, and gives a balanced assessment of Matildaa s character and achievements in the context of her own times.
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 256 pages, 0
- Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
- Publication Date: 03/09/1993
- Category: Biography: historical, political & military
- ISBN: 9780631190288
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Review by mattries37315
I had heard of The Anarchy before reading this book, and I knew the cliffnotes version of the battle between Stephen and Matilda for the English Crown. However it wasn't until I read The Empress Matilda that I got a fuller view of the conflict and the woman who was central to the conflict.Marjorie Chibnall used impressive research to write an easy to read biography of the mother of the Plantagenet dynasty, who for a time was also the crowned Empress(-consort) of the Holy Roman Empire. Chibnall's attempted to give the reader a full view of Matilda and her actions, though soon speculation is offered due to the lack of sources surrounding a particular event Chibnall does does offer evidence based on previously presented sources.Overall this is an good biography and I recommend it.