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Matilda was born in 1102, the daughter of Henry I, King of England. In 1114, she married the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. The death of Matilda's brother in 1120 made her Henry I's sole...
By the time Matilda was seven years old, it was confirmed she was to be the bride of the Henry V. In February 1110, she left for Germany with many Norman nobles and a 10,000 mark dowry, an enormous sum.
May 3, 2024 · Matilda (born 1102, London—died Sept. 10, 1167, near Rouen, Fr.) was the consort of the Holy Roman emperor Henry V and afterward claimant to the English throne in the reign of King Stephen.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Early Life
- Papal Alliance & The Investiture Controversy
- The Walk to Canossa
- Civil War
- Campaign Against Henry IV
- The First Crusade & Later Years
- Conclusion
Matilda was a descendent of the House of Canossa, a noble family established by her great-grandfather Atto Adalbert of Lucca (d. 988), a 10th-century Lombard military leader from Lucca and vassal to the German kings of Italy. Adalbert and his son Boniface expanded their domain and by 1027, the Canossa family's influence encompassed the counties of ...
Matilda returned to Italy without Godfrey and governed alongside her mother from their court at Mantua and presided over the land despite Godfrey’s inheritance of the domain. Matilda maneuvered over the following years to establish her influence in Italy with aid from her close ally, Hildebrand of Sovana (c. 1015-1085). Matilda had a strong persona...
In early January 1077 CE, Henry IV crossed the Alps into Lombardy with an army escorting him. Matilda and Gregory VII, upon news of his approach, rerouted to Matilda’s castle at Canossa. After arriving shortly before Henry IV, Matilda and Gregory VII watched the penitent Henry arrive at the Canossa’s walls seeking papal absolution. The events that ...
Later in 1077, Matilda relocated to Rome along the Tiber. As civil war engulfed the empire, she and Gregory VII aligned themselves with Rudolf’s rebellious faction of nobles. The pope issued a second excommunication to Henry IV in 1080, to which the German king again denounced the pope citing, among other things, his alleged adulterous transgressio...
Emperor Henry IV returned to Italy in 1090 to silence Pope Urban II and his openly-rebellious vassals, including the insurgent Matilda. Henry’s imperial army marched south, capturing much of Matilda’s Po Valley holdings. Though peace was offered to Matilda by Henry IV, entailing her submission to his authority and to Clement III, she rejected it ou...
In November 1095, at the behest of the Byzantines, Pope Urban II decreed the launch of the First Crusade (1095-1102) to recapture the holy city of Jerusalem from Muslim control. Years earlier, Matilda supported Pope Gregory VII’s advocacy for Christian intervention in the eastern Mediterraneanagainst Muslim influence. The devout Matilda of Canossa ...
Matilda of Canossa died on 24 July 1115. After her death, Henry V claimed her northern Italian possessions, while the Church claimed the Duchy of Tuscany. Some local leaders in her lands, citing Matilda’s release of towns from their feudal obligations, used the vacuum of power to establish a variety of city-states free of both imperial and church c...
- Michael Griffith
Apr 24, 2020 · On December 1, 1135, King Henry I died in Normandy. At the time of his death, Matilda and Geoffrey had two sons: Henry and Geoffrey. Despite securing her position by furthering the royal bloodline, Matilda’s claim to the English throne remained uncertain.
Empress Matilda, also known as Matilda of England, was a key figure in the turbulent period of English history known as the Anarchy. She was the daughter of King Henry I of England and his wife Matilda of Scotland, and she was born in 1102.
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Matilda, Empress (1102–1167) Daughter and heir of King Henry I of England, who waged a 15-year civil war to establish her right to rule the kingdom of England and the duchy of Normandy . Name variations: Aaliz, Aethelic, or Adela; Lady of England; Empress Maud, Mathilda or Matilda of England; Matilda Augustus of England; Mold.
