Why is it that Matilda was unable to secure the throne in her own right? And why do historians continue to debate the legitimacy of her brief lordship?
Empress Matilda and the anarchy: the problem of royal succession in medieval England
June 22, 2014 By
Analyzing History: Bertran de Born – Innocent Poet or Inciter of Revolt
February 22, 2014 By
While words are powerful tools that can invoke emotions ranging from jubilation to revulsion, could they be the cause of a rebellion against Henry II of England by his children and wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine? Could the words of a mere troubadour drive the revolt of a family against their king?
BOOKS: Great Reads about Medieval Queens!
January 19, 2014 By
Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York Author: Lisa Hilton Publisher: Pegasus (August 3, 2010) Summary England’s medieval queens were elemental in shaping the history of the nation. In an age where all politics were family politics, dynastic marriages placed English queens at the very center of power—the king’s bed. […]
Matilda of Boulogne, Queen of England
April 16, 2013 By
Matilda and Stephen were the model medieval couple.
Empress Matilda, Lady of the English
April 9, 2013 By
Here lies the daughter, wife, and mother of Henry.
How did the expansion of royal authority affect the traditional ruling institutions during the reigns of Henry II and Philip II Augustus?
March 17, 2013 By
The study of the Angevin kings can be seen as effectivelyseparating Henry II and his successors from mere kings of England and can be seen asresponsible for highlighting the continental origins of these kings.
“In Muliere Exhibeas Virum”: Women, Power and Authority in Early Twelfth Century Anglo-Norman Chronicles
February 24, 2013 By
This thesis analyses the relationship of women with power and authority within the context of the evidence provided by early twelfth-century Anglo-Norman chronicles between 1095 and 1154.
“So Stirring a Woman Was She”: A Closer Look at Early Modern Representations of Matilda, Lady of the English
December 4, 2012 By
I demonstrate what early modern subjects thought about their own queens by showing how authors and historians wrote about Matilda before, during, and after the reigns of Queens of Mary I and Elizabeth I
Excusing the Inexcusable: Abbots Who Diminish the Patrimony, and the Monks Who Love Them Anyway
November 7, 2012 By
This paper was part of the fantastic SESSION IV: Abbots between Ideals and Institutions, 10th–12th Centuries. This paper focused on the writing about abbots during the tumultuous period of Stephen’s reign.
A Historiography of Chastity in the Marriage of Edith of Wessex and Edward the Confessor
October 4, 2012 By
While records of Edith’s life and her marriage to Edward are poor, the historiography of those who narrated her life after her death is rich. In some ways, the historiography of her life was directly related to that of her husband’s.
The Arthur of the chronicles
September 30, 2012 By
Even if we cannot accept the claim made by Geoffrey in his introduction that his putative source was ‘attractively composed to form a consecutive andorderly narrative’, he certainly made extensive use ofWelsh genealogies andking-lists.
Many Motives: Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Reasons For His Falsification of History
August 19, 2012 By
It is clear to most modern historians who have studied Geoffrey’s Historia that its contents bear little to no resemblance to real events. Even in Geoffrey’s own lifetime many historians condemned the work.
Partners in Rule: A Study of Twelfth-Century Queens of England
May 30, 2012 By
The queens of twelfth-century England provide a prime example of how the queen was not, in fact, powerless in the rule of her realm, but rather a significant governmental official who had the opportunity to take a complementary part in royal rule that suited her strengths.
All the Queen’s Men: Perceptions of Women in Power
September 5, 2011 By
All the Queen’s Men: Perceptions of Women in Power Burkett, Mona Master’s Thesis, University of Minnesota, (2009) Abstract Throughout the middle Ages, women were in a subordinate position to their male counterparts. At the same time, however, they could also hold positions of authority that conferred power. This paradox, women who were both weak and […]
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