Sylvia Davey

Matilda, The Cheated Queen Sylvia Davey

King Henry 1, the son of William the Conqueror, loses his heir, young William, in a terrible shipwreck off the coast of France. He has no other legitimate sons and so he chooses his daughter Matilda to succeed him and makes all the important Churchmen and high Lords of the Kingdom swear to support her as Queen when he dies. She easily has the experience of leadership, having been Holy Roman Empress during her marriage to Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor. But, when Henry does die, his nephew Stephen rushes to seize the throne, usurps Matilda and has himself crowned in her place. She is betrayed by nearly all those men who had sworn to uphold her. Why? Because she is a woman. What follows is civil war, The Anarchy, as it became known. The common people suffer through nineteen years of fighting. Matilda never becomes Queen, but she does overcome her opposition and is able to ensure that her son succeeds Stephen to become one of England's greatest kings, Henry 11. Matilda should have been England's first proper Queen and has been lost in the joint history of Stephen and Matilda. She deserves a bigger place in history and praise for her role in fighting for female rights.