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Abstract
Matilda, princess of Scotland and queen to Henry I of England from 1100-1118, was highly influential in her own day and remained so for several centuries after her death. She controlled a substantial demesne that allowed her to exercise both lay and ecclesiastical patronage. She helped introduce the Augustinian canons into England and was responsible for works of practical importance, particularly in London and the surrounding area. Contemporaries throughout Europe corresponded with her, knowing that she was in a position to influence the king's actions. She was a trusted partner in administering Henry's cross-channel realm, served as a member of his curia regis and, on occasion, acted with what amounted to vice-regal authority during the king's absence. Furthermore, Matilda enjoyed music, the visual arts, and literature, and under her guidance, the Anglo-Norman court became a focus for these cultural activities. There are indications that a cult of sanctity formed around Matilda. Yet, despite her obvious influence in her own era, she is today little known. A full account of the career of this important patron and politician of the first quarter of the twelfth century is clearly in order, and the biographical account forms the focus of this study. However, it is next to impossible to understand Matilda or evaluate her impact on the ecclesiastical, political, and cultural development of the Anglo-Norman realm without knowing whether her actions were innovative or standard, unusual or expected, bold or routine. Thus, I also study Matilda as part of a developing institution of "queenship" in medieval England, using contemporary texts and comparative methods to show that personal control of wealth, generally good relationships with their spouses, astute manipulation of political factions, the legitimacy of sacral coronation, and the flexible, not-quite-institutionalized nature of the eleventh and twelfth century state combined to allow the Anglo-Norman queens to enjoy a privileged position.
