Tag: Matilda of Flanders

Book Review: “Women of the Anarchy” by Sharon Bennett Connolly

On By hmalagisiIn Book Reviews1 Comment

Women of the AnarchyCivil wars, clashes between cousins, are known to be full of battles between men on foot and horseback, with their eyes set on the throne of their desired country. Many stories of civil wars tend to leave out the women who often were left on the sidelines, ready to pick up the pieces. The story of the Anarchy is a bit different than other civil wars as one of the main figures was not a man, but Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I and the rightful heiress of England facing off against the man who stole the throne from her, her cousin, King Stephen. However, it was not just Empress Matilda who defined what it meant to be a woman during the Anarchy. In her latest book, “Women of the Anarchy,” Sharon Bennett Connolly tells the stories of the mothers, sisters, and wives who defined this turbulent period that saw the end of one dynasty and the beginning of another.

I want to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed Sharon Bennett Connolly’s previous books that I have read, “Ladies of the Magna Carta,” “Silk and Sword,” “Defenders of the Norman Crown,” and “King John’s Right Hand Lady.” When I heard that Connolly was writing about the women who were involved in the Anarchy, I was excited because it is one of my favorite conflicts in history to study. I wanted to see what new information Connolly would present in her book.

Connolly begins by explaining how the conflict around the Anarchy arose and how Empress Matilda and Queen Matilda became the female faces of opposing sides of this civil war. Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, was the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. However, her life took a dramatic turn when her only legitimate brother William Aetheling died on November 25, 1120, when the ship he was on, the White Ship, sank after a night of drunk sailing. As King Henry I’s last living legitimate child, Empress Matilda was the rightful heir to the English throne, even though she was a woman and she was willing to fight with everything in her power to sit on the throne. On the other side of the conflict was Queen Matilda of Boulogne, the wife of King Stephen. Although Queen Matilda or Empress Matilda could not wield a sword in battle, they showed that they were capable of fighting in their own unique ways.

Empress Matilda and Queen Matilda had grandmothers and mothers who showed them what it meant to be a queen and a mother who was willing to fight for their family. Women like Matilda of Flanders, Saint Margaret of Scotland, Matilda of Scotland, and Adeliza of Louvain showed the two Matildas how to help their husbands run a country while maintaining their strong identities as women rulers. However, Connolly does not stop just at the two Matildas when discussing royal women who had to navigate the Anarchy. We are introduced to interesting characters like Isabel de Vermandois, Ada de Warenne, Lucy Countess of Chester, Ela de Talvas, Mary of Boulogne, Isabel Countess of Warenne and Surrey, culminating with the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

While other books focus on the Anarchy, by focusing on the two Matildas and other women affected by this conflict, Connolly brings something fresh to this story that is centuries old. It shows how their actions to protect their families brought forth change in England through the birth of the Plantagenet dynasty. This book is rich in details and is so well written as Connolly takes the time to distinguish between the Matildas, which there are quite a few in this book, and explain how the conflict started and finally how it was concluded. I think if you want a fabulous book about the Anarchy and the women who defined this period, I highly recommend you check out, “Women of the Anarchy” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.

Book Review: “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne” by Ashley Mantle

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UncrownedA life of luxury from birth, destined to be crowned King or Queen of England. This is what we often think life must have been like for royal heirs who reached the ultimate destination of a crown and a throne. However, the stories of those who failed to reach the throne are mired in tragedy and heartache. The question of royal succession in England is a complex issue, especially when the heir to the throne dies unexpectedly, leaving doubts on whether a dynasty will survive through blood or dissolve in conflict. How did the deaths of these potential rulers radically transform the fabric of English history as a whole and what can their lives tell us about what kind of rulers they might have been? Ashley Mantle hopes to answer all of these questions and more in his latest book, “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne.”

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. The description of this book caught my attention. I wanted to see what heirs Mantle would feature in this book and if he would stay with well-known tales or venture into the realm of the relatively unknown heirs.

To begin his book, Mantle explains that he will be going through over a thousand years of royal succession history for England, which is a lot of history to include in one book. He also explains the difference between heir apparent and heir presumptive, which is key to understanding the complex nature of royal succession. While many of the stories included in this book focus on the male heirs, Mantle does include heiress to the throne like Empress Matilda, the Grey sisters (Lady Jane, Catherine, and Mary), Mary Queen of Scots, and Sophia Electress of Hanover, just to name a few.

Mantle’s deep dive into royal succession begins with Robert II Duke of Normandy, also known as Robert “Curthose”, the son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders; it concludes with Frederick Duke of York and Albany, the son of King George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Each chapter focuses on one of the heirs, in chronological order, with miniature family trees at the beginning to help readers understand how close they were to the throne. This book is full of stories of betrayal, deaths, disappearances, family feuds, and heartache. Some of these heirs were relatively new stories for me, especially the ones more current than the Tudors, which was exciting to discover.

I must say that this task of combining over a thousand years of royal history into a comprehensive book is no easy task, but Mantle does a spectacular job. It was an informative and engaging read that would be perfect for any fan of royal history. If you want a fascinating book about those who were so close to the throne but never ruled, I highly suggest you read, “Uncrowned: Royal Heirs Who Didn’t Take the Throne” by Ashley Mantle.

Book Review: “Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England” by Tracy Borman

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MatildaOne of the most critical years in English history was 1066, when William Duke of Normandy invaded England in the Norman Conquest. Known as William the Conqueror, his strength and ruthlessness made him a legend, but William would not have been the Duke or King of England without his equally formidable wife. Matilda of Flanders stood her ground, became the Duchess of Normandy, had a large family with William, and would become the first crowned Queen of England. Although much has been written about William the Conqueror and the Norman Conquest, Matilda of Flanders has not received the same attention until now. Tracy Borman has written the first biography dedicated to this remarkable woman entitled, “Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England.”

I enjoyed reading her previous book about Henry VIII and the men who made him, and I wanted to read more books by Tracy Borman. When I heard about this book, it drew me in because I did not know much about Matilda of Flanders and her time, so I wanted to learn more.

Matilda of Flanders, the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders and his wife, Adela, was one of the prominent women in 9th-century Europe. Borman shows how Flanders grew from a lawless society to a significant court that drew the attention of the dukedom of Normandy. Normandy was the home of William, the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I and his mistress Herleva. William shocked Europe when he became his father’s heir as Duke of Normandy and chose Matilda as his wife. To say they had a rocky start was an understatement, but Matilda and William had a large family and solidified Normandy as a powerhouse of Europe.

With the death of Edward the Confessor, William and Matilda saw their opportunity to take a bigger prize, the crown of England. While William had the military know-how to win the crown, it was Matilda who was able to help William with his conquest financially and took care of Normandy while he was taking care of his new kingdom. In return, William had Matilda crowned Queen of England.

However, not everything was perfect for William and Matilda. When their eldest son, Robert Curthose, was fed up with not getting the chance to become the Duke of Normandy as was his birthright, he rebelled, and Matilda decided to support her son over her husband. Matilda was not afraid to speak her mind, even if it felt like she was going beyond what was expected of a woman during that time. Matilda’s death in 1083 impacted the rest of William’s reign as King of England as the king mourned for the woman who could stand toe to toe with the great conqueror.

Borman has taken on the arduous task of telling the tale of Matilda of Flanders, and she absolutely smashes it. This biography is engaging and thought-provoking, revealing who Matilda was when you remove the myths surrounding her life. If you want a delightful biography about the first crowned Queen of England, I highly suggest reading “Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England” by Tracy Borman.

Book Review: “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly

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51uoBkbUhLL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_There are quite a few events that one can name that radically shaped the course of British history. None more so than the events of 1066, the year that saw Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French forces, led by the Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, invaded England in what we know today as the Norman Conquest. Most history books tend to focus on the men who lived before, during, and after the Norman Conquest: Aethelred the Unready, Edward the Confessor, Cnut, Harold II, Harald Hardrada, and of course William the Conqueror just to name a few. What the history books tend to gloss over is the strong women who stood by their husbands, brothers, and sons during this conflict. Who were these women? What were their stories? How did they help their families before, during and after 1066? These questions are answered in Sharon Bennett Connolly’s delightful book, “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest”.

I would like to thank Amberley Publishing and Sharon Bennett Connolly for sending me a copy of this book. It has been a long time since I personally studied the Norman Conquest, so I found it rather enjoyable to read about a subject that I really don’t know a lot about.

Connolly explains in her introduction why she wrote this particular book about these extraordinary women:

From Emma of Normandy, wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred II, to Saint Margaret, a descendant of Alfred the Great himself, we will trace the fortunes of the women who had a role to play before, during and after the momentous year of 1066. Throughout these tumultuous times, women played a prominent part, in support of their husbands, their sons and of their people, be they English, Norman, Danish or Norwegian. Their contributions were so much more than a supporting role, and it is time that their stories were told, and the influence they had on events, was examined in detail. …My intention is to tell the story of the Norman Conquest, while providing the women with a platform for their stories, from the dawn of the eleventh century to its close. (Connolly, 13-14).

The story of the Norman Conquest does not start or end in 1066; 1066 is the climax of the story, which is why Connolly explores women from before, during and after 1066. Women like Lady Godiva, whose story many people think they know, but the story of her infamous ride is more fictitious than fact. Emma of Normandy, the wife of both Aethelred the Unready and King Cnut,  who used her political influence to protect her sons. Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror, who helped her husband as regent of Normandy while he was in England. St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, who helped reform Scotland and bring it into the Roman Catholic faith. Edith, Gytha and the wives of Harald Hardrada who followed their husbands into the battlefield. 

These are just a handful of the stories Connolly explores in this wonderful book. Connolly has meticulously researched the men and women who were all part of the events that led to and after the Norman Conquest. I took ample amounts of notes on this particular book, which to me was rather enjoyable. Connolly makes the rather daunting subject of the Norman Conquest and makes it so even a novice on the subject can understand it. If you are interested in the Norman Conquest, especially about the women during this time, I highly recommend you read, “Silk and the Sword: The Women of the Norman Conquest” by Sharon Bennett Connolly.