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Who were the Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors” of England? Between 1066 and 1327 they were some of England’s most powerful queens. I like to say, some of the most powerful European monarchs of all time!
INTRODUCTORY TERMINOLOGY: people belonged to HOUSES, multi-generational houses were dubbed DYNASTIES. This is important because although any one DYNASTY was ruling at any given time, there were multiple HOUSES in existence in competition for the throne. Houses often predated, spanned, and outlived their dynastic years, even after a ruling dynasty was deposed.
LIST OF “MATILDAS” AND “ELEANORS” COVERED
- Matilda of Flanders – wife of William I the Conqueror [NORMAN]
- Matilda (Edith) of Scotland – wife of Henry I [NORMAN]
- Matilda (Maude) – daughter of Henry I and Matilda of Scotland who married Geoffrey Plantagenet (of Anjou) [NORMAN/PLANTAGENET]
- Matilda of Boulogne – wife of Stephen of Blois Jr. [BLOIS]
- Eleanor of Aquitaine – wife of Henry II [PLANTAGENET]
- Eleanor of Provence – wife of Henry III [PLANTAGENET]
- Eleanor of Castile – wife of Edward I [PLANTAGENET]
>>>VIEW THE VISUAL DYNASTIC RULING CHART BELOW! (LINK)<<<
BRIEF SUMMARY
NOTE: This article only covers the time period between 1066 and 1327, spanning the reigns of William the Conqueror and Edward II. Although the House of Plantagenet continued all the way until 1485 with the death of Richard III, this is the time period that is most interesting and contains my favourite “Matildas” and “Eleanors.” As the list above indicates, this post is covering a combined total of 7 Matildas and Eleanors during the aforementioned time period.
There were 2 ruling “Matildas” between the reign of William the Conqueror (1066-1087) and Henry I (1100-1135), and 1 royal “Empress” Matilda (b.1102-d.1167) who secured the line for her father so that it would pass through to her son and heir, Henry II.
There was also Matilda of Boulogne who rivaled for the throne against Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet. The Matildas span the time of the Norman Dynasty, of which the Angevin House was a part.
The Eleanors span the time of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Our 3 “Eleanors” were queens beginning with the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) all they way until Edward II (1307-1327). That’s 7 total Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors” over 261 years in England!
THE NORMAN AND PLANTAGENET DYNASTIES (HOUSES)
The Normans
The Norman Dynasty in England ran from 1066 until 1135 spanning the reigns of William the Conqueror (William of Normandy), William II (Rufus), and ending with Henry I.
The French House of Normandy became an English Dynasty (the English House of Normandy, aka the ‘Norman Dynasty’) after William the Conqueror left Normandy and defeated the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson (heir/claimant to Edward the Confessor) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The broader House of Normandy, by contrast, was founded by Rollo the viking in 911 in the French region of Normandy and terminated with Henry I in 1135. The French region of Normandy was named after the Vikings as they were known to outsiders as “Northmen,” which in French was reanalyzed as “Norman,” and therefore Norman-dy.
Although attached to the Norman Dynasty by marriage, Stephen (the heir of Stephen of Blois and Adela), technically belonged to the House of Blois. King Stephen was an interloper who attempted to vie for the English throne via his wife Adela, even though it was HER blood claim as the daughter of William the Conqueror. After a long civil war he ruled as King of England from 1135 until 1154.
The Plantagenets
A bit more complicated is the Plantagenet Dynasty. Some say that it began with the eponymous Geoffrey Plantagenet, originally styled “Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine” before his marriage to Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I King of England.
Others say it began with Henry II, Geoffrey and Matilda’s son. That’s because Geoffrey Plantagenet, although extremely handsome and cool, was not a direct descendant of William the Conqueror. Henry II’s blood line succeeded through his mother Empress Matilda (not his father Geoffrey), via her father Henry I, being the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Bollocks as it might seem today, women could not inherit the throne and leadership of a house.
However, I say it began with Geoffrey Plantagenet! I think it was his Plan-tagenet all along (okay, bad pun). He was also nicknamed Geoffrey the “Handsome” or “Fair.” The famous epithet is of Geoffrey earning the nickname planta genista (the Latin etymology of Plantagenet) from the sprig of bright yellow genista flower he used to adorn his helmet and person while gallantly and nobly riding about the French countryside.
Interestingly though, since Geoffrey brought the title and lands as the Count of Anjou to the marriage, we therefore derive the English dynastic name ANGEVIN from House of Anjou. The Angevins were a part of the Plantagenets who came from the Anjou region of France.
The English House of Plantagenet was founded in the 12th century by our Geoffrey Plantagenet and continued for over 330 years terminating with the death of Richard III in 1485. The broader French House of Plantagenet was said to have been founded by Fulk I of Anjou (870-942) sometime in the 10th century.
Our English House of Plantagenet had 14 kings, which also included the Angevins (the House of Anjou, discussed next). Indeed, the Plantagenet House was also comprised of several cadet branches which included the House of York and the House of Lancaster to which belonged its later kings and queens.
The Angevins
The English Angevin kings and queens derive their name from the House of Anjou (Angevin => Anjou). The House of Anjou, in its geographical sense, was a French house that was attached to the province of Anjou in western France bordering the territories of Maine, Poitou, and Bretagne (modern Brittany).
The English House of Anjou had 3 kings: Henry II (m. Eleanor of Aquitaine), Richard I (Cœur de Lion – the Lionheart), and John Lackland (m. Isabella of Angoulême). The house was deposed when King John lost his hereditary lands in Anjou. Think Magna Carta. Those were tough times!
Why only 3 kings? For clarification, while the Angevins (House of Anjou) only had 3 kings, they do NOT include its founder, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and husband to Empress Matilda. That is because Geoffrey Plantagenet was technically never a monarch! The debate to include Geoffrey or not is as old as the dynasty itself.
However, you CAN say that Geoffrey was the father of both the English House of Anjou as well as the House of Plantagenet as he sired their first kings and queens.
Overlapping Houses
Let’s take account of this because there are a few overlaps we’ve just discussed. There is the Plantagenet Dynasty of England which is synonymous with the House of Plantagenet and also includes the House of Anjou. Both houses also have 3 of the same kings and queens!
The 3 KINGS belonging to both houses are: Henry II, Richard I, and John Lackland. Also, Geoffrey Plantagenet belonged to both as the namesake for both houses: “Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou.”
The 4 QUEENS would be: Empress Matilda, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Berengaria of Navarre, and Isabella of Angoulême.
Why is that? Well, as explained earlier, the House of Anjou (the Angevins) were a sub-house of the Plantagenets. So for example, for one of my favourite English kings, Henry II, he was both a Plantagenet and an Angevin.
In point of fact, ALL ANGEVINS WERE PLANTAGENETS, BUT NOT ALL PLANTAGENETS WERE ANGEVINS, only the first 3 (Henry II, Richard I, and John Lackland).
Bloody hell that’s complicated, isn’t it?!? Again, historically and politically, it’s all how you slice those 261 years up. So, to clarify, let’s take a closer look at them on a visual dynastic ruling chart, because, in reality, it’s all about the Matildas and Eleanors!
THE NORMAN “MATILDAS” AND PLANTAGENET “ELEANORS” CHART
- Matilda of Flanders – wife of William I the Conqueror [NORMAN]
- Matilda (Edith) of Scotland – wife of Henry I [NORMAN]
- Matilda (Maude) – daughter of Henry I and Matilda of Scotland who married Geoffrey Plantagenet (of Anjou) [NORMAN/PLANTAGENET]
- Matilda of Boulogne – wife of Stephen of Blois Jr. [BLOIS]
- Eleanor of Aquitaine – wife of Henry II [PLANTAGENET]
- Eleanor of Provence – wife of Henry III [PLANTAGENET]
- Eleanor of Castile – wife of Edward I [PLANTAGENET]
The Norman Matildas One-by-One
• Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031 – 1083). Wife of William the Conqueror. Matilda of Flanders was a woman of exceedingly high birth, her descent from Charlemagne as well as her blood ties to the Anglo-Saxon royal lines made her “an advantageous and fortunate match” for William (Hicks 2016: 44).
It is also interesting to note that the origin of the famous Bayeux Tapestry has often been attributed to Queen Matilda as “‘la tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde’ (Queen Matilda’s Tapestry)” (Bridgeford 2005: 156). Perhaps more myth than reality, it is still held as such today by the people of Bayeux.
• Matilda (Edith) of Scotland (1080 – 1118). Wife of Henry I of England. Matilda was an Anglo-Saxon daughter of Malcolm III, King of Scotland and Margaret of Wessex, who was brother to Edgar Ætheling. Edgar was the primary claimant to the English throne behind Edward the Confessor.
Her other brothers were also kings of Scotland, including David. Author Alison Weir, in her book “Queens of the Conquest” paints a very endearing portrait of Matilda (Edith was her Anglo-Saxon name) and how she helped to forge Henry I’s empire. Indeed, she writes: “Love aside, what was most important to Henry was Edith’s lineage – and the fact that she was ‘a truly incomparable woman'” (Weir 2017: 137).
• Matilda (Maude) of England, also known as “Empress Matilda” (1102 – 1167). Wife of Geoffrey Plantagenet. The name Maude is actually a variant of Matilda and many historians ascribe the name Maude to this Norman Matilda to differentiate her from the abundance of Matildas during this era.
Maude’s story is endlessly fascinating. She begins life as the daughter of Henry I and her holy mother Matilda (Edith) of Scotland. She is married off to a German Henry who then becomes the Holy Roman Emperor, thereby making her an Empress.
Her husband dies, they have no children and England is now destitute for a king as her brother also dies. Her father Henry I orders her back to England to marry so that the throne can pass through her. She marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, 12 years younger than her. However, he wants no part of her ascension in England.
The Anglo-Norman nobles are not happy about Maude, their would-be Empress. Seizing the opportunity, Matilda’s cousin Stephen (Henry I’s younger sister’s kid) attempts to claim the throne and an all out civil war ensues leaving London and the country in ruins for years. The only good thing that comes out of this is that Henry II is born!
• Matilda of Boulogne (1105 – 1152). Wife of King Stephen. Matilda of Boulogne’s grandfather, Eustace II, was a principal supporter of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings and is even personally mentioned in the Bayeux Tapestry. Quite the family kudos.
Although a Norman Matilda of the era, she was technically associated with the House of Blois. During her fight with Empress Matilda for the succession of Henry I, “her [sic] defiance was no mere bravado for she had behind her considerable resources in men and money” (Warren 1983: 27).
She won out and her husband Stephen ruled until his death in 1154, a kind of regnal life estate, at which time Henry II became king (at the age of 21) and really brings us into the Plantagenet era!
The Plantagenet Eleanors One-by-One
• Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 – 1204). Wife of Henry II. I have to say, flat out, that Eleanor of Aquitaine is my absolute favorite queen. She is also my 2nd favourite monarch – it’s always between her, Henry II, and Edward I!
While her husband Henry II has a few monumental books written about him, including W. L. Warren’s 693 page masterpiece, Eleanor of Aquitaine has 8 scholarly books that I know of and 1 romance novel written about her. I own all of them! There’s also the epic movie “The Lion in Winter.”
How do you sum up the brilliance, piety, and ferocity that was Eleanor of Aquitaine? “She [sic] had been a queen for sixty-six years, but she did not count the time. Born with one foot on fortune’s throne, crowned with garlands of rare intelligence and beauty, loving when she could and hating when she must, she had traveled a long and weary road through the highest citadels of Christendom” (Meade 1991: 355).
• Eleanor of Provence (1223 – 1291). Wife of Henry III. Dan Jones tells us about her marriage to King Henry III that “Eleanor brought with her the influence and interests of a vibrant southern French culture. Controversially, she did not bring the promise of any landed territory in France, but what she lacked in land she made up for in connections” (Jones 2012: 202).
I think both King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence are sorely misunderstood in history. Both were devoted, peace-loving monarchs; however, in a time where brutality was the calling card of any successful royal, they did not measure up. Ironic, because had they had the chance to rule in peace as they desired, England would have been a much better place I think.
• Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 1290). Wife of Edward I. Eleanor of Castile was the perfect match for one of my other favourite kings, Edward I. Eleanor was the daughter of Ferdinand III of Castile who was sainted later in life – she was the daughter of a saint!
Eleanor of Castile was a remarkable woman. She traveled extensively with her husband Edward I, who himself was quite itinerant, and she even hunted where she “preferred the bow” (Morris 2015: 173) over the sword. She had impeccable taste and lavished her children with love and support.
Edward I was the first monarch to be given an English name since before the time of William the Conqueror. Historian Michael Prestwich tells us that it was “Henry III’s personal choice, reflecting his devotion to the cult of Edward the Confessor” (Prestwich 1997: 4). The kingdom of England changed irrevocably for the good via the reigns of Edward and Eleanor.
Other Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors”
There are a few more Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors” believe it or not. There is Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester (1215 – 1275), also known to history as “Eleanor Plantagenet,” who was married to the traitorous Simon de Montfort. This Eleanor was the youngest sister of Henry III.
Also on our chart is Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (1269 – 1298), daughter and eldest child of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile. Young Eleanor spent much time with her grandmother Eleanor of Provence and was “indulged with sweets made from sugars flavoured with rose and violet, with exotic foods such as pomegranates, quinces, prized cailowe pears, and almonds – a favourite of Eleanor, for whom they were often specially purchased” (Wilson-Lee 2019: 15) writes author Kelcey Wilson-Lee in her landmark book “The Daughters of Chivalry.”
One of the most fascinating witnesses to our Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors” is found in the legendary William Marshal. Known as “The Greatest Knight,” William Marshal brokered his power during the reigns Eleanor of Aquitaine through to Eleanor of Provence (early 13th century).
I could round out this whole topic of Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors” with a flurry of tertiary people named Matilda and Eleanor during this time, but it is just as well to know that these powerful and beautiful names come down to us via the ancient kings and queens that sired them.
SOURCES: Norman “Matildas” and Plantagenet “Eleanors”
- Warren, W. L. 1983. Henry II. London: Methuen.
- Bridgeford, Andrew. 2005. 1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry. New York: Walker & Company.
- Morris, Marc. 2012. The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England. London: Pegasus Books.
- Morris, Marc. 2015. A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain. London: Pegasus Books.
- Hicks, Leonie V. 2016. A Short History of the Normans. New York: I.B Tauris.
- Howarth, David. 1066: The Year of the Conquest. New York: Dorset Press.
- Walker, Ian W. 2000. Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King. Trowbridge, Wiltshire: Redwood Books.
- Weir, Alison. 2017. Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens, Book One. New York: Ballantine Books.
- Meade, Marion. 1991. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography. New York: Penguin Books.
- Prestwich, Michael. 1997. Edward I. London: Yale University Press.
- Jones, Dan. 2012. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England. New York: Penguin.
- Asbridge, Thomas. 2014. The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones. New York: HarperCollins.
- Wilson-Lee, Kelcey. 2019. Daughters of Chivalry: The Forgotten Children of Edward I. London: Picador.
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