1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in history class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: I'm Sarah Dowdy and I'm Deblina Chocolate Boarding. And just 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: a few weeks ago we talked about the Bioux Tapestry, 5 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: which is, of course the embroidered record of the Norman conquest, 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: a really great piece of art, but also important if 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: you're trying to see what the Norman conquest the Battle 8 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: of Hastings actually looked like. So the Tapestry, though, leaves 9 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: off after the battle is over, right after William the 10 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: Conqueror is crowned King of England. But for our story today, 11 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna pick up right There are really a generation 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: after when William's son Henry, the first face this sudden 13 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,319 Speaker 1: succession crisis after a dynasty ending shipwreck, and from there 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: a story really collapses into anarchy and battles between queens 15 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: and escapes over Frozen River is before a new family 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: comes into power. You might have heard of them if 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: you're a regular listener, because we have done episodes on 18 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: many of their family members, the Plantagenets, of course. But 19 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: just a note before we start, prepare yourself for some 20 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: serious name confusion because not only do we have two 21 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,640 Speaker 1: kings named Henry and one is that not the case really, 22 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: but pretty much every woman in the story is named Matilda, 23 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 1: and I've chosen to leave a lot of the Matilda's out. 24 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: Just know that there are more. If you choose to 25 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: research this yourself, there will be even more Matilda's free 26 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: to find. But starting where we left off with the 27 00:01:35,360 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: biou Tapestry episode, William the Conqueror was pretty well stopped 28 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: in terms of sons. He didn't have any sort of 29 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: inheritance problem looming, it seemed, but surprisingly, after one son 30 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: was gored to death by a boar and another was 31 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: imprisoned in this major case of sibling rivalry, it was 32 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: the youngest son named Henry who became King of England 33 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: and eventually the Duke of Normandy. So a little twist 34 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: there early on, and who inherits the throne and that 35 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: wasn't too bad. Henry proved to be a tough but 36 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: powerful king who enforced peace in his lands. He didn't 37 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: always jump to war and expansion, instead preferring to focus 38 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: on negotiations and consolidating power where he already had it. 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: He also had a lot of kids, except most of 40 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: them were illegitimate kids. He seriously had about twenty five 41 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: a legitimate Matilda too, and his wife was also named Matilda, 42 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: and she was a descendant of the old line of 43 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: English kings. And he had three legitimate children with her 44 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: who lived past childhood, and that was his daughter Adelaide, 45 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,119 Speaker 1: who was later called Matilda, who's the one to focus on. 46 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,360 Speaker 1: He had a son named William and a son named Richard. 47 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: So young William, who was of course the heir to 48 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 1: the throne, seemed like a really promising future king, largely 49 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: because he combined the Norman and the Saxon bloodline, so 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: he was a grandson of the Conqueror through his father, 51 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: but he was also a descendant of the ancient line 52 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: of kings through his mother. And in eleven nineteen, at 53 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,680 Speaker 1: the age of seventeen, his future really started to look 54 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: even brighter. He accompanied his father on a successful campaign 55 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: through the continent. He helped him to defeat Louis the Six, 56 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,799 Speaker 1: who was also known as Louis the Fat, and he 57 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: proved to be a very strong and a brave soldier 58 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: even at this young age. He was also married during 59 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: this trip to the daughter of the Count of Anjou, 60 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: hopefully with that alliance eliminating this long term rivalry between 61 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: Normandy and Anjou. So in general it was a pretty 62 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: successful trip to Normandy for both father and son. But 63 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: by November eleven twenty, the royal party was ready to 64 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: depart from Normandy from the port of bar Floor and 65 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: sail home to England. But dr bar Floor was a 66 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: shiny new vessel, the state of the art White Ship, 67 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: which had fifty oarsmen and room for more than three 68 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: hundred passengers, a really large ship at a time, so 69 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: it's naturally offered to the King as a means of 70 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: transportation home, except he already has his own travel plans 71 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 1: already worked out, and he suggests that it would make 72 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: a nice treat for his son, William instead. So November 73 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: twenty William, along with the cream of Norman and English youth, 74 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,800 Speaker 1: board the ship. There are three hundred passengers total, including 75 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: one hundred forty nights and eighteen noble women, including William's 76 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: brother Richard, William's half brother Richard and half sister Matilda 77 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: who's the Countess of Persh his cousins, including Stephen of Blois, 78 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: who did some barks after about of diarrhea, the nephew 79 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: of Emperor Heinrich the Fifth, and many of the young 80 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: heirs of the great Norman and English estates, so a 81 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,800 Speaker 1: lot of important kids, yeah, I saw one. One source 82 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 1: described them as the bright young people of the age, 83 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: just the cream of society. So naturally, with all of 84 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: the aristocratic youth on a ship of their own with 85 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: none of their parents on board, it's party time, and 86 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: William has casks of wine brought on board, and soon 87 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: enough both the passengers and the crew are drunk when 88 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:11,440 Speaker 1: they finally set off, though William, in some sort of 89 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: youthful competitive behavior with his father, encourages the drunk ships 90 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: master to catch up with Henry, the first vessel, even 91 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: though Henry hadn't waited along while the youths partied down 92 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: their ship. He had gone ahead and and sailed on. 93 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: But William wants to be the first to arrive in England, 94 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: so the white ship takes off way too fast, obviously 95 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: with a drunk crew not being manned very well, and 96 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:40,599 Speaker 1: it runs into a rock and capsizes, and William is 97 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 1: quickly rushed to safety by his bodyguard and put aboard 98 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,160 Speaker 1: a small rescue ship, but as far as the story goes, 99 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: he insists on going back because he hears his half 100 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: sister crying for him, and he has the ship rowed 101 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: back to the side of the accident, and there are 102 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: so many people in the water who are struggling to 103 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: not drowned that they pulled the ship down, and almost 104 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: everyone aboard the White Ship ends up dying, even though 105 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 1: it's it's right off the shore. Apparently people on land 106 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: could hear the cries but thought it was just more 107 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: drunken revelry going on. So Henry the first line is 108 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: wiped out and this one go. Four kids dead, no 109 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: male heirs, and his second marriage bears no children, so 110 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: he's left having to support his only remaining legitimate child, Adelaide, 111 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: now called Matilda, who he finally names his air Christmas Eve. 112 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: So we're gonna backtrack a little for Matilda to to 113 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: catch you up with what she's been doing, since she 114 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 1: obviously wasn't their normandy with the rest of her family 115 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,919 Speaker 1: when they were sailing aboard the White Ship. She's been busy. 116 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 1: She has been busy since she was a small child. 117 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,359 Speaker 1: In fact, she was born in eleven oh two, but 118 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: she had spent much of her life in Germany, where 119 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: she had been sent at about age seven to the 120 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 1: court of her future husband, who was the Holy Roman 121 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: Emperor Heinrich the Fifth. And sometimes he's called Henry the fifth, 122 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,600 Speaker 1: but just to eliminate at least one extra Henry from 123 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: the story, we're gonna call him Heinrich. So Heinrich was 124 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: thirty years Matilda's senior um, and when she first arrived 125 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: as a child, he immediately sent home all of her 126 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: English attendants and really trained her up to follow German customs. 127 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: Some people said that Matilda was more German than she 128 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: was English or Norman. But as a teen she impressed 129 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: her husband with her level headedness. She seemed like a 130 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: really smart girl and and had the makings of a 131 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: strong ruler. She even acted as his representative in Italy 132 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: for a time when she's only about sixteen or seventeen 133 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: years old. So she she was having a successful career 134 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 1: as the wife of the emperor. But they don't have 135 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: any children. So when Heinrich dies in May five, he 136 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: places the scepter in her hands. And as he said, 137 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: she was really popular in Germany, so she's probably interested 138 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: in staying there too. She's doing very well, but her 139 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: father clearly has other plans for her, and he summons 140 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: her back to his court, naming her his heir and 141 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: makes his barons swear an oath of allegiance to her. 142 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: Part of the deal, though, as kind of a way 143 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: to placate the barons with this unconventional arrangement of having 144 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: a female air, was a promise by Henry the first 145 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: that Matilda wouldn't remarry anyone outside of the land without 146 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: the baron's permission, which essentially means, well, she'll marry one 147 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: of you guys, which sounds appealing to any baron present, probably, 148 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: but that is not Henry's intention at all. He marries 149 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: Matilda almost immediately to be very unpopular Jeffrey Plantagenet, who 150 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: is the son of the Count of Anjou and Anjou, 151 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: as we mentioned earlier, is a long time Norman rival, 152 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,720 Speaker 1: so the barons aren't really happy with that aspect of it. 153 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: And also Jeffrey is only fifteen years old and he 154 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 1: doesn't really seem to get on very well with Matilda, 155 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: so it seems like things are already sort of falling 156 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: apart with this new female air and Henry trying to 157 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: get the barons behind him. But when the couple has 158 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 1: their first son, also named Henry, in eleven thirty three, 159 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: and quickly follow that with two more sons, it seems 160 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: like maybe maybe it'll work out. Maybe the crown could 161 00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: pass to Matilda and then to her son, maybe even 162 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: bypass Matilda if the sun gets old enough, something a 163 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,720 Speaker 1: little more conventional. So Henry has everyone swear an oath again. 164 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 1: Actually it's the third oath at this point, just for 165 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 1: good measure, to make sure that everyone is on board 166 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:40,959 Speaker 1: with this plan that they have going. Among those swearing 167 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:44,679 Speaker 1: to uphold Matilda's claim was Henry's favorite nephew, Stephen of 168 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: Blah and Stephen is an interesting person in his own right. 169 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: Through his wife Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen also controlled her lands, 170 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: conveniently one of the fastest routes to the Channel and 171 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,280 Speaker 1: to England. And this is really a crucial point because 172 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: in eleven five Henry dies, Henry the first that is, 173 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: and his daughter and air Matilda was not in England 174 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,319 Speaker 1: or in Normandy to stake her claim. She wasn't on 175 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:13,040 Speaker 1: jew with her husband, so while she quickly returned to Normandy, 176 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: Stephen made a move to England and claimed the throne 177 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: for himself. He got there first, essentially, and once he 178 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: got there he got popular approval. After all, it seemed 179 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: to a lot of people that a usurper was better 180 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: than having a woman ruler. And he had some influential 181 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,160 Speaker 1: supporters too. He had an ambitious brother who was Bishop 182 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: of Winchester, and he had some personal attributes that were 183 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: compelling to He was a good soldier, he was very pious. 184 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: So Stephen was crowned king on December thirty five. But 185 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: after a few years certain flaws in Stephen's ruling ability 186 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: started to show. He wasn't very smart politically, and he 187 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,079 Speaker 1: lost a lot of his support, including that of Robert, 188 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: Earl of Gloucester, who was Henry the first eldest illegitimate sign. 189 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,800 Speaker 1: Robert's moved to support his half sister proved to be 190 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: pretty vital for Matilda's own cause and really crucial to 191 00:11:08,280 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: her landing in England that finally happened in eleven nine. Yeah, 192 00:11:13,080 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: so she lands in England in eleven thirty nine, and 193 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: this starts nineteen summers and winters of war. This period 194 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: is often called the anarchy, but it was more like 195 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: a civil war. Or a battle for succession the Peterborough Chronicle, 196 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: or famously called at the time when Christ and the 197 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,120 Speaker 1: Saints Slept. However, it could have been over almost from 198 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: the start, almost as soon as it began, since when 199 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: Matilda arrived in England, she went to Arndel Castle directly, 200 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: which was the home of her stepmother and her stepmother's 201 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: new husband, one of Stephen's supporters. So Stephen quickly marches 202 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 1: to the castle, but instead of capturing Matilda, he allows 203 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: her to go and meet up with Robert and Bristol. 204 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: Seems like a pretty chivalrous move, right it does, But 205 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 1: it's one that Stephen felt like he really had to 206 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: make because at this point Matilda had an out and 207 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: out declared herself as somebody who was trying to get 208 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: back her birthright. He felt like if she hadn't declared 209 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: that he didn't really have a right to take her prisoner. 210 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:13,679 Speaker 1: But it turns out to be a bad move on 211 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:17,439 Speaker 1: Steven's part. It does because by one the tides turn 212 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: again and Stephen himself is captured in battle at the 213 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,560 Speaker 1: Battle of Lincoln in February, and Matilda is not so 214 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 1: nice to him. He has put in leg Irons and 215 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,559 Speaker 1: detained in Bristol. And so with the king in her pocket, 216 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: Matilda is now at this point ready to call herself queen. Yeah, 217 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,679 Speaker 1: and and it seems like she really is all lined 218 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: up to become queen. A clerical counsel at Winchester elects 219 00:12:40,679 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: her quote Lady of English in April. That's a good 220 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: first step. She starts planning her coronation at Westminster. But 221 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: she's a bit overconfident because even though she has really 222 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: strong Western allegiance, the Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't recognize her. 223 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: Even the Pope doesn't recognize her. Plus her people skill 224 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: seemed to be just about as bad as Stevens. She 225 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: really went around making a lot of enemies leading up 226 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: to her coronation. She took her title before she was crowned. 227 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:13,679 Speaker 1: She started confiscating lands and honors. She didn't hear appeals 228 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 1: from Steven's wife, from his brother, from his children, and 229 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,840 Speaker 1: she rejected petitions to from the citizens of London for 230 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:24,600 Speaker 1: a return to King Edward's laws and instead tax Making 231 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: enemies with the citizens of London not usually a good idea, 232 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,080 Speaker 1: But what you'll find in sources most often is that 233 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: Matilda offended the barons with her haughtiness, and that word 234 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: is really used in almost every single source. You see 235 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,200 Speaker 1: it over and over and over again. And if you 236 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,520 Speaker 1: think about it, she's been an empress since she was 237 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:51,080 Speaker 1: under ten, so she probably was pretty haughty. But it 238 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,559 Speaker 1: makes you think too, a little bit about how that 239 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,079 Speaker 1: word is applied to a queen versus Stephen. I mean, 240 00:13:57,200 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: he's just coming and taken this threat, and that's pretty haughty, 241 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: and in its own that's true. But Matilda isn't crowned yet, 242 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: and she had other problems too, besides just her attitude 243 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,840 Speaker 1: that people didn't like. Stephen's wife. Matilda of Boulogne wasn't 244 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: about to let her own son's claims turn to dust 245 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: just because her husband was imprisoned. So before Empress Matilda 246 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: could even be crowned, the other Matilda raises an army 247 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: and threatened the city of London with it Matilda versus Matilda. 248 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: But the people of London, they don't want to play 249 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: at all. They also rose up against their almost Queen 250 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:33,360 Speaker 1: Matilda and drove her from town, so things really got 251 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: worse for Empress Matilda from there. While attacking Winchester, Matilda's 252 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: brother Robert was captured, and when she retreated to Western England, 253 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: she was so tired that she had to be carried 254 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: on a leader, which led to this crazy story about 255 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: her being carried in a coffin or on some sort 256 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: of funeral palette, which is not true. She was just exhausted, 257 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: and eventually, because Robert was captured, she had to give 258 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,160 Speaker 1: up her main prize, King Stephen, in exchange for him. 259 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: And this prisoner exchange was really just that it didn't 260 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: put an end. It wasn't any kind of treaty, it 261 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: wasn't any kind of truth. Both parties were free to 262 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: go on fighting. They each just had probably their most 263 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: powerful players back, and by eleven forty two of freed 264 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: and strengthened Stephen attacks Matilda and Oxford Castle, and this 265 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: time he is not letting her go. No chivalry. Here. Matilda, 266 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: dressed in white and escorted by some of her most 267 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: trusted nights, escapes during the night over the frozen Thames 268 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,840 Speaker 1: and through the snowy camp of Stephen. By the time 269 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: the siege falls, they realized that she's gone. That's probably 270 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:46,520 Speaker 1: the most romantic story associated with Matilda and daring story too, 271 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,440 Speaker 1: but the game was really up. By then, Matilda retreated 272 00:15:49,440 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: to her stronghold for a time she minted her own coins. 273 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,360 Speaker 1: Even so, she was still trying to hang in there. 274 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,880 Speaker 1: But Robert's death in eleven seven meant that her battle 275 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: with Stephen was essentially over. But Matilda's son, Henry, was 276 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: almost grown by this point was ready to assert his 277 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: own claim, so he made a few expeditions to England, 278 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: making allies making friends eleven seven and again in eleven 279 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: forty nine. He allied himself with Scotland while he was 280 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: at it, and then in eleven fifty three he reappeared 281 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 1: to finally fight with Stephen's army. Later that year, the 282 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 1: two armies met again at Wallingford Castle, but this time 283 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: something really extraordinary and really out of the blue happen. Yeah, 284 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 1: the armies refused to fight. Since the late eleven forties, 285 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: English magnets had started negotiating on how to end this 286 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: drawn out battle for succession, they were over it, yeah, exactly. 287 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: By eleven fifty three, they had clearly had enough, and 288 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: they forced Stephen and Henry to come to an arrangement. 289 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 1: Stephen will rule the rest of his life, but passed 290 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: the throne to Henry, and this was all made a 291 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: lot easier when Steven's eldest son used to dies that 292 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: same year, so there's really no competition for Henry at 293 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,800 Speaker 1: that point. Stephen himself died only one year later, leaving 294 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: Henry the second to rule for thirty five years. He 295 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,399 Speaker 1: of course married Eleanor of Aquitaine, and founded the Plantagenet 296 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 1: family that ruled for more than three hundred years. Matilda 297 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: live for a few more years herself, though, into her sixties, 298 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: and even though she was pretty unpopular back in England, 299 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 1: she was very popular in Normandy as the mother of 300 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,119 Speaker 1: the king. She's credited as helping to balance Henry the 301 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 1: seconds temper in those early years of his rule. Even 302 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: though the English, because of their dislike for Matilda, were 303 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: still a little suspicious of this influence. They didn't exactly 304 00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: like the idea of Matilda pulling a few strings with 305 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:48,120 Speaker 1: their kings. Still, and another interesting fact that we've got 306 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 1: to mention about Matilda she was exhumed, and she was 307 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:53,960 Speaker 1: in fact exhumed so many times that to go through 308 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: the list would maybe be a little bit boring. I 309 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: mean to give you, I can't imagine an exhamation being boring. Well, 310 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: I don't know. She was buried and reburied about every 311 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: two hundred years, if you Okay, maybe that's kind of boring. 312 00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: And I didn't really do much. They just moved her 313 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,680 Speaker 1: to different locations around her church would be destroyed or 314 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: something would be sacked. And the most recent exclamation happened 315 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 1: in eighteen forty six when she was finally relocated to 316 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: the cathedral of Rouma, which is originally where her father 317 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: had wanted her to be buried. She had chosen a 318 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: smaller location, so I guess everything comes full circle in 319 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: the end. Her epitaph reads quote, here lies Henry's daughter, 320 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,439 Speaker 1: wife and mother, great by birth, greater by marriage, but 321 00:18:39,600 --> 00:18:42,920 Speaker 1: greatest by motherhood. And this is kind of an important 322 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: note that we end on right here, because Matilda and 323 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: the anarchy, they certainly damaged the idea of queenship in England. 324 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: I mean this informed the whole Tutor crisis. It really did. 325 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 1: Of course, now we know that Elizabeth was going to 326 00:18:55,880 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: be the Great Tutor Queen, and after her we have 327 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 1: Victoria too, and that sort of changes our perception. But 328 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: at this time and during Tudor times, clearly the idea 329 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 1: of having another woman queen was really frightening another woman ruler, 330 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:14,120 Speaker 1: I should say, um, And we've talked about some of 331 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:18,240 Speaker 1: the English consorts before, which also helped add to this 332 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,360 Speaker 1: idea that a queen was a really bad thing for England. 333 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: But Matilda does get a lot of responsibility for for 334 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:30,199 Speaker 1: that reputation, although it's interesting if you think about it, 335 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: because she couldn't be entirely dismissed or written off as 336 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:36,919 Speaker 1: some sort of queen devil by historians because she was 337 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,120 Speaker 1: the mother of the king and future kings were descended 338 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,680 Speaker 1: from him, and therefore also from Matilda was through her 339 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,919 Speaker 1: claim that the kings had their claim to the throne. 340 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: There's actually a new book out too about some of 341 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 1: those women queens in England called She Wolves by Helen Castor, 342 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,360 Speaker 1: and I read a review of it and an interview 343 00:19:57,400 --> 00:19:59,439 Speaker 1: with the author in History Today where they even had 344 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,719 Speaker 1: a book club upgoing. So I know English queens are 345 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 1: a favorite of our listeners, and it must be a 346 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,639 Speaker 1: favorite topic in general too for a lot of people 347 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: holds a lot of fascination. But that's all we have 348 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: today on this particular queen or would be queen. And 349 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: now we're going to go to listener mail. So we 350 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: have two emails today on the Ballet Roots episode, and 351 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: the first one is from Matt in Cambridge, Ontario, and 352 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,400 Speaker 1: he wrote that he wanted to add a little tidbit 353 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,480 Speaker 1: to the Right of Spring Riot podcast, and he said, 354 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: I once read an article about the riot and I 355 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: thought it was interesting how well it was so violently 356 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,680 Speaker 1: protested in its day and has since proved its worth 357 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: and made its way into the annals of music history. 358 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:48,639 Speaker 1: This is exemplified by its inclusion on the Voyager Golden Records. 359 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: There are two gold records on the Voyager spacecraft that 360 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:55,160 Speaker 1: were launched out into the Cosmos in nineteen seventy seven 361 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:59,080 Speaker 1: in hopes of making contact with intelligent life. The records 362 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: contained greetings in fifty five languages, samples of natural sounds 363 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:07,400 Speaker 1: like animals, wind, rushing water, and ninety minutes of music 364 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: including Bach, Mozart and Chuck Berry, and of course the 365 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: Right of Spring. So I thought that was interesting. I've 366 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: heard about the Voyager Golden Records, but I hadn't realized 367 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: that the Rightest Spring was included on them. So our 368 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 1: next email is from Justin and he was also writing 369 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: about the ballet. He lives in Sydney, Australia, and said 370 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: that there's an interesting Australian connection with the ballet. Said 371 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 1: when our National Gallery was being commissioned and works were 372 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: being thought to fill it in the late sixties and 373 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: early seventies, a whole set of ballet routs costumes was purchased. 374 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: Even more amazing was the fact that when they arrived 375 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: they were immediately put into storage without even being looked 376 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 1: at or properly cataloged. Conserved. Fast forward to and these 377 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,199 Speaker 1: great pieces were unearthed, and when the full extent of 378 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:02,159 Speaker 1: the collection was realized, a major exhibition was planned and organized. 379 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,159 Speaker 1: The thing that I found most amazing about these particular 380 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: costumes is that when they were packed away into their 381 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: trunks for storage, they had literally just come off the dancers, 382 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: and when they were examined, we're shown to have makeup, 383 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 1: smudges and dirt from the last performance still on them. 384 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: And um I checked. I checked out the National Gallery 385 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: site to take a look at this exhibition. It's really cool. 386 00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:28,159 Speaker 1: You can go there and look at images of the 387 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: costumes and I love costumes anyway, so it was pretty 388 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: fun for me. I definitely recommend that for anyone who 389 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:39,120 Speaker 1: enjoyed that episode and wants to see some pictures related 390 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,560 Speaker 1: to it. So where is the actual exhibition. It's at 391 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: the National Gallery in Australia and their website is m 392 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: g A dot gov dot au. If you want to look, 393 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: you've got a search from there for the exhibition. It's 394 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,479 Speaker 1: easy to find. So if you want to send us 395 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 1: any cool links like that, any good suggestions for podcast 396 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: topics or comments on episodes we've already done, please feel 397 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,359 Speaker 1: free to email us at History podcast at how stuff 398 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 1: works dot com. We're also on Twitter at mist in 399 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: history and you can find us on Facebook. And if 400 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: you just want to learn a little bit more about 401 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 1: how Royalty works, we have an article by that name 402 00:23:17,480 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: on our website. You can look it up by visiting 403 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,119 Speaker 1: our homepage, which is at www dot how stuff works 404 00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:28,879 Speaker 1: dot com. Be sure to check out our new video podcast, 405 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,919 Speaker 1: Stuff from the Future. Join how Stuff Work staff as 406 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: we explore the most promising and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow. 407 00:23:36,840 --> 00:23:39,560 Speaker 1: The How Stuff Works iPhone app has arrived. Download it 408 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: today on iTunes