The Four Matildas: Power, Legitimacy, and the Construction of Anglo-Norman Queenship

Abstract

This thesis explores the ways in which the role of the queen was conceptualised and embodied in the Anglo-Norman world. Comparing the actions and behaviours of four Anglo-Norman queens – Matilda of Flanders, Matilda of Scotland, Matilda of Boulogne, and Empress Matilda – this research examines the power and authority imbued in these four women and how they chose to utilise it as they participated in the governance of the realm. With a focus on the Matildas’ charters, this thesis demonstrates how their power and legitimacy fluctuated in response to the differing circumstances across their lives and how this impacted concepts of queenship in the Anglo-Norman period. The first chapter of this thesis considers the historiography related to the central pillars of this research. It also examines the primary source material that this research utilises and the methodological approaches to these sources this thesis takes. The three thematic chapters which follow evaluate the behaviour and actions of the four Matildas in order to understand how these women were able to gain, maintain, and wield power and authority during their tenure as queens. The second chapter assesses the power and authority available to the four Matildas within the bounds of the “soft” power roles proscribed to medieval queens by early scholars. It looks at the making of a queen as well as concepts of co-rulership. Chapter Three examines how the frequent absence of the monarch, as a feature of government, impacted the right and ability of the queens to act. As part of this also considers the necessity of different titles in order to justify their position. Lastly, Chapter Four explores the position of Empress Matilda, given her unique status as an English queen regnant, to assess the best way to understand her power and authority. The fourth chapter further considers the boundaries between king and queen, monarch and consort, male and female within the Anglo-Norman realm. The research establishes that all four Matilda were active participants in the government of the Anglo-Norman realm. Ultimately it determines that the defining characteristic of the Anglo-Norman realm was there was no singular way in which to be an Anglo-Norman queen. The role was flexible though the queen remained powerful, authoritative and central to the Anglo-Norman political system.

Date of Award	14 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Winchester
Supervisor	Katherine Weikert (Supervisor) & Robert Houghton (Supervisor)