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The English Monarchs
Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English
- GenresNonfictionHistory
464 pages, Hardcover
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Elisabeth van Houts
40 books4 followersElisabeth Maria Cornelia van Houts (born 1952) is a historian specializing in medieval European history. She is an Honorary Professor of Medieval European History in the Faculty of History and a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Van Houts was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1983. She has published and lectured on Anglo-Norman history, medieval historiography and literature and the history of gender in the Middle Ages. She has been an expert panelist on In Our Time for "The 12th Century Renaissance" and "The Domesday Book".
Van Houts was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1983. She has published and lectured on Anglo-Norman history, medieval historiography and literature and the history of gender in the Middle Ages. She has been an expert panelist on In Our Time for "The 12th Century Renaissance" and "The Domesday Book".
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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July 22, 2026Empress Matilda (1102-67) was a redoubtable woman; twice married and twice widowed, she spent years trying to succeed her father King Henry I in England and in Normandy. At the age of eight in 1109 she was sent from England to Germany for marriage in 1114 to the western emperor Henry V. When widowed in 1125 she returned to England to be caught up in her father’s plans for his succession. Henry I had lost his only legitimate son in the wreck of the White Ship in 1120, the Titanic of the 12th century. The king remarried, but this second marriage was and remained childless, so his attention turned to his daughter, the empress, as a prospective successor. He wanted to ensure that the succession should not pass either to his elder brother, Robert, his prisoner since 1106, or the latter’s son William. Nor was there any thought that his nephew Stephen of Blois or his eldest illegitimate son Robert, earl of Gloucester should inherit the throne. Accordingly, oaths of loyalty as Henry’s successor should he not have a son were sworn to Matilda in 1127. She was then dispatched to Normandy to be betrothed to Geoffrey, son of the count of Anjou, a teenager almost ten years her junior. The following year Geoffrey was ceremonially knighted by Henry I, and the pair were married. The marriage initially failed – perhaps unsurprisingly, as the pair were mismatched in age and rank – and Matilda returned to her father. However, the marriage remained important, for the alliance with Anjou as well as the succession, so the oath of loyalty was renewed, and she was sent back to get on with the job. The couple produced three sons, the first in 1133, the second the following year, and the third in 1136.
However, when Henry died in 1135 Stephen of Blois crossed the Channel and, despite the oaths made to Matilda, secured a speedy coronation while Matilda was only able to secure her dowry castles in Normandy. In 1139 she returned to England to assert her claim to the throne, leading to a prolonged conflict, now known as the Anarchy, the time ‘when Christ and his saints slept’ according to one commentator. The most critical year of the war was 1141 when Stephen was captured in the battle of Lincoln and Robert at Stockbridge in Hampshire. Once freed Stephen besieged Matilda, who had taken refuge in Oxford castle. Her escape became famous. It was said that she exited through a postern gate over the snow dressed in white for camouflage, and made her way on foot to Abingdon. The war became a stalemate and, as time went on, it became clear that the best prospect of success rested with her son Henry, who would indeed become Henry II in 1154. She left England for good in 1148 and spent her retirement until her death in 1167 living at Quevilly (not Queville as van Houts writes) near Rouen, a formidable figure still, who advised Henry he was mistaken in his handling of Thomas Becket.
Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...
Judith Green is Professor Emeritus, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, at the University of Edinburgh.
However, when Henry died in 1135 Stephen of Blois crossed the Channel and, despite the oaths made to Matilda, secured a speedy coronation while Matilda was only able to secure her dowry castles in Normandy. In 1139 she returned to England to assert her claim to the throne, leading to a prolonged conflict, now known as the Anarchy, the time ‘when Christ and his saints slept’ according to one commentator. The most critical year of the war was 1141 when Stephen was captured in the battle of Lincoln and Robert at Stockbridge in Hampshire. Once freed Stephen besieged Matilda, who had taken refuge in Oxford castle. Her escape became famous. It was said that she exited through a postern gate over the snow dressed in white for camouflage, and made her way on foot to Abingdon. The war became a stalemate and, as time went on, it became clear that the best prospect of success rested with her son Henry, who would indeed become Henry II in 1154. She left England for good in 1148 and spent her retirement until her death in 1167 living at Quevilly (not Queville as van Houts writes) near Rouen, a formidable figure still, who advised Henry he was mistaken in his handling of Thomas Becket.
Read the rest of the review at https://www.historytoday.com/archive/...
Judith Green is Professor Emeritus, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, at the University of Edinburgh.
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November 17, 2025new biography about my favorite woman from history i used to dream of times like these
September 9, 2026
It’s interesting to see another book on Matilda get published by Yale. The last one was 2019 and by Catherine Hanley though I’ve yet to read it. However, what makes this different I suppose is that Empress Matilda by Elizabeth van Houts is formally part of the Yale English Monarch series which maybe gives it more esteem and thus got my attention. It’s like literally my favorite book series and this is a worthy addition.
Returning to 12th-century Western European & English history has been a nice palate cleanser after spending a lot of time with the Carolingians. Reading about Henry I, Robert of Gloucester, King Stephen, and the star of this biography, Empress Matilda, among others after so long has felt like reacquainting myself with some old friends. Plus with the adage of learning more about Matilda especially in the decade or so she spent as wife and Empress of Henry V. So there was definitely some new info for me here and it was great to return to Matilda’s efforts to win the throne of England and pave the way for the succession of Henry II.
Empress Matilda is a remarkable figure and one worth reading about. While I’d say her being the daughter of Henry I gave her a privilege advantage, she made the most of it and was extremely capable & formidable. One thing I picked up when reading this book is the contemporary sources rarely had anything bad to say about her and here in 2026, neither do I, nor about this book. Is it the definitive biography on Matilda? That’s not my call, but it is definitively worth a read.
Returning to 12th-century Western European & English history has been a nice palate cleanser after spending a lot of time with the Carolingians. Reading about Henry I, Robert of Gloucester, King Stephen, and the star of this biography, Empress Matilda, among others after so long has felt like reacquainting myself with some old friends. Plus with the adage of learning more about Matilda especially in the decade or so she spent as wife and Empress of Henry V. So there was definitely some new info for me here and it was great to return to Matilda’s efforts to win the throne of England and pave the way for the succession of Henry II.
Empress Matilda is a remarkable figure and one worth reading about. While I’d say her being the daughter of Henry I gave her a privilege advantage, she made the most of it and was extremely capable & formidable. One thing I picked up when reading this book is the contemporary sources rarely had anything bad to say about her and here in 2026, neither do I, nor about this book. Is it the definitive biography on Matilda? That’s not my call, but it is definitively worth a read.
August 20, 2026
A truly magisterial biography and a magnificent addition to your bookshelf. This is an incredibly detailed study and is a true biography not a history of the Matilda and Stephen War with some details about The Empress - indeed there are many events of that War that do not impinge on The Empress' life so are covered superficially or not at all, this is not, after all a history of that war.
The book is beautifully written to the point where I almost didn't want to read the last full chapter because I both didn't want the story to end and because I didn't want to say goodbye to England first Queen Regnant...
The book is beautifully written to the point where I almost didn't want to read the last full chapter because I both didn't want the story to end and because I didn't want to say goodbye to England first Queen Regnant...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews