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Matilda (Edith) Of Scotland Royal House of Scotland was born circa 1080 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland.¹ She was the daughter of Malcolm III Caennmor King Of Scotland and Saint Margaret Atheling (The Exile). Matilda married Henry I King of England, son of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England, on 11 November 1100 at Westminster Abbey, London, England. The marriage was performed by Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury.¹ Matilda died on 1 May 1118 in Westminster Palace, London, England.¹ She was buried at Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Matilda was actually christened Edith (or Eadgyth in Old English), with Robert Curthose as her godfather, and the English Queen Matilda of Flanders was also present at the font and may have been her godmother.

When she was crowned Queen consort on her marriage to Henry I, she was crowned under a name favored by the Normans, "Matilda" (from the Germanic Mahthilda) and was referred to as Matilda throughout Henry's reign. Generally she is referred to as Matilda of Scotland, and also Matilda or Edith.¹

In about 1086, when Matilda was six years old, she and her sister Mary were sent to live at Romsey Abbey with their aunt Cristina who was the Abbess. Romsey Abbey had been founded in 907 AD, then the Vikings sacked it in 993 AD, burning down the church, but the village recovered, and the abbey was rebuilt in stone circa 1000 AD. The religious community flourished as a seat of learning, especially for the children of the nobility, and a market was established outside the abbey gates.

During her stay at Ramsey, Matilda was much sought-after as a bride and turned down proposals from William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey and Alan Rufus, Lord of Richmond. Hermann of Tournai claims that William II Rufus had considered marrying her.

In 1093, after she had left the monastery, Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to the Bishop of Salisbury ordering that the daughter of the King of Scotland be returned to the monastery. It is assumed that she returned post haste.¹

In 1100, after the death of his brother William II Rufus, Henry took over the royal treasury as well as the royal crown. He next decided to marry and Matilda was his choice. Since most of her life had been spent in a nunnery, there was controversy at the time as to whether she had been veiled as a nun or not; and, if so, she would have been ineligible for marriage.

The story goes that Henry sought permission for this marriage from Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, and he in turn called a council of bishops to help him decide the legality of the marriage. In Matilda's testimoney to the group, she said she had never taken holy vows, that she and her sister had been sent to England for educational purposes, and "that her aunt Cristina had veiled her only to protect her 'from the lust of the Normans.' Matilda claimed she had pulled the veil off and stamped on it, and her aunt beat and scolded her most horribly for this. The Council concluded that Matilda had never been a nun, nor that her parents intended that she become one, and gave their permission for the marriage."

It appears that Matilda and Henry had known one another for some time before their marriage. "William of Malmesbury states that Henry had 'long been attached' to her, and Orderic Vitalis says that Henry had 'long adored'Edith's character.' " She was descended on her mother's side from Alfred the Great, and therefore the old Wessex line of kings. Henry wanted to make himself more popular with the English people and it was a plus that Matilda represented the old English dynasty. The benefits of this marriage were that their children would unite Norman and Anglo-Sacon dynasties; England and Scotland would become politically closer; and, three of her brothers had been kings of Scotland and were unusually friendly to England at this time.¹

As queen, Matilda "maintained her court primarily at Westminster, but accompanied her husband in his travels all across England, and, circa 1106-1107, probably visted Normandy with him. She also served in a vice-regal capacity when Henry was away from court. Her court was filled with musicians and poets; she commissioned a monk, probably Thurgot, to write a biography of her mother, Saint Margaret. She was an active queen, and like her mother was renowned for her devotion to religion and the poor. William of Malmesbury describes her as attending church barefoot at Lent, and washing the feet and kissing the hands of the sick. She also administered extensive dower properties and was known as a patron of the arts, especially music.

After her death, she was remembered by her subjects as "Matilda the Good Queen" and "Matilda of Blessed Memory," and for a time sainthood was sought for her, though she was never canonised."¹

Malcolm III Caennmor King Of Scotland was born in 1031. He married Saint Margaret Atheling (The Exile) on 11 November 1100 in Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Malcolm III Caennmor King Of Scotland was member of Line of Descent of Anglo-Saxon Kings.

William Adelin was born circa 5 August 1103 in Winchester, England. He was the Duke of Normandy and the only legitimate son of King Henry I. He was the son of Henry I King of England and Matilda (Edith) Of Scotland Royal House of Scotland. William Adelin died on 25 November 1120. He, his entourage and his brother Richard all drowned in the wrecking and sinking of "The White Ship" on its journey home from the continent where he had just married Matilda of Anjou, a daughter of the Count of Anjou. Matilda survived as she was on another ship.¹

William is also surnamed Adelinus, Adelingus, Audelin or Aetheling. Having seen him referred to as "The Aetheling" most frequently, I have always wondered what this meant, and assuming others might also wonder, I have a bit of history for the word.

Aetheling (AEtheling, Atheling or Etheling) is an Old English term used in Anglo-Sacon England to designate prices of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship. It is an Old English/Old Saxon compound of Aethele (aepele or (a)ethel) which means "noble family," and "ing" which means "belong to."

William I King of England was born on 14 October 1024 in Falaise, Normandy, France. He married Matilda of Flanders Queen of England, daughter of Baldwin V Count of Flanders and Adèle Capet, in 1051 in The Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Eu, Normandy. William I King of England married Ingelrica Maud of England Royals of England after 2 November 1083; they married after the death of Queen Matilda who died in 1083. William I King of England died on 9 September 1087 in Priory of St. Gervais, Rouen, France, at age 62 years, 10 months and 26 days.¹ He was buried after 9 September 1087 at St. Stephen's Abbey, Caen, Normandy, France.

William I of the House of Normandy, was the first Norman king. He was known as "The Conqueror of England," as well as William "The Bastard," son of Robert II "The Devil," Duke of Normandy (or Robert II "Curthose" of Normandy). His mother was Arlette (or Herleva de Falaise), daughter of Fulbert, a tanner of Falaise. Though an illegitimate son, William suceeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1035 at the age of eleven.

He lived in obscurity for 12 years until the Battle of Val-des-Dunes (1047) when the lords of the western part of the duchy rebelled and Henri I of France came to his aid defeating the rebels.

The lack of heirs to the English throne, and Edward the Confessor's predilection for Normans, made it possible for William to put forward his candidature though he was only Edward's cousin by marriage. In 1051 William received a promise from Edward the Confessor of the English succession and in 1051, in defiance of the Pope, he married Matilda, the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adelaide of France. They had to wait until 1059 before receiving a papal dispensation for their marriage.

William the Conqueror and Matilda had relatively great difficulty in obtaining a papal dispensation for their marriage. It was not immediately obvious what the impediment was that would require a dispensation. The problem of what the relationship between Matilda and William might be which required a dispensation generated a vigorous debate earlier this century; the theory appears to be that Matilda and William were cousins of sorts.

In the next ten years William repulsed two French invasions, and in 1063 conquered Maine. Although he was never keen on actual capital punishment, he could get touchy about jokes too near the bone, so when he captured the town of Alencon that had displayed flayed skins on its walls in allusion to the tanner's trade (his maternal grandfather, Fulbert, had been a tanner), he chopped the right hand and left foot off each citizen to teach them a lesson about laughing last.

About 1064, the powerful English noble, Harold, Earl of Wessex, (aka Harold Godwin) was shipwrecked on the Norman coast and taken prisoner by William. He secured his release by swearing to support William's claim to the English throne. When King Edward died, however, the "witenagemot" (royal council) elected Harold king. Determined to make good his claim, William secured the sanction of Pope Alexander II for a Norman invasion of England. The duke and his army landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066. On October 14, the Normans defeated the English forces at the celebrated Battle of Hastings, in which Harold was slain along with the rest of the Godwin family members. William then proceeded to London, crushing the resistance he encountered on the way. On Christmas Day he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

After his conquest, William requested a large number of Jews move to England; they spoke Norman and did well under his reign. (Sharon Kay Penman, "Falls the Shadow.")

Gaining the crown didn't give William complete control of England, though, and there was remaining resistance which was severely crushed, and castles were built to control the country (including a fortress on the site of Windsor Castle, and the White Tower at the Tower of London). The west and north of England were subdued in 1068; but the next year the north revolted and William devastated the county between York and Durham.

The Conqueror's rule was stern and orderly but the English did not accept foreign rule without a struggle. William met the opposition, which was particularly violent in the north and west, with strong measures being taken; he was responsible for the devastation of great areas of the country, particularly in Yorkshire, where Danish forces had arrived to aid the Saxon rebels. In 1070 there was a rebellion in the Fen Country and, under the leadership of Hereward the Wake, the rebels held out for some time in the Isle of Ely. English exiles were sheltered by the Scottish King, Malcolm, who plundered the northern shires; but William invaded Scotland in 1072 compelling King Malcolm III MacDuncan to do him homage at Abernethy. In 1073 he reconquered Maine. He also made a successful expedition into South Wales. During the succeeding years the Conqueror crushed insurrections among his Norman followers, including that incited in 1075 by Ralph de Guader, 1st Earlof Norfolk, and Roger Fitzwilliam, Earl of Hereford, and in 1079 a series of uprisings in Normandy led by his eldest son Robert, who later became Robert III, duke of Normandy.

In 1086,William commissioned the Domesday Book to record land holdings for the assessment of taxes and other dues. He reorganized the English feudal and administative systems. He dissolved the great earldoms which had enjoyed virtual independence under his Anglo-Saxon predecessors and distributed the lands confiscated from the English to his trusted Norman followers. The old national assembly become a council of the king's tenants-in-chief. By the Oath of Salisburgy of 1086, all landlords swore allegiance to William, thus establishing the precedent that a vassal's loyablty to the king overrode his fealty to his immediate lord. The feudal lords were compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the local courts which William retained along with many other Anglo-Saxon institutions. The ecclesiastical and secular courts were separated, and the power of the papacy in English affairs was greatly curtailed.

In 1087 during a campaign against King Philip I of France, William burned the town of Mantes (now Mantes-la-Jolie). As William rode through the burning town, his horse stumbled and fell fatally injuring William who was thrown against the iron pommel of his saddle. He was carried to the priory of St. Gervase near Rouen where he confessed his sins. He died of a burst bowel on September 9th at age 62. All his sons, except Henry, deserted his deathbed to fight for the succession; his officers and servants fled with what spoils they could take. A rustic vassal bore his remains to the Abbaye aux Hommes at Caen. The coffin made for him proved too small for his corpse; when the attendants tried to force the enormous bulk into the narrow space, the body burst, and filled the church with a royal stench. He was buried at Caen in Saint Stephen's, one of the abbeys he and Matilda had founded at the time of their marriage as penance for their defiance of the Pope. William was succeeded by his third-born son, William II, to whom he left England. He left Normandy to his son Robert. [Click on the following document icons for a bit more interesting information related to William and the makeup of the English people.]^2,3

Matilda of Flanders Queen of England was born in 1031 in Flanders. She was the daughter of Baldwin V Count of Flanders and Adèle Capet.¹ Matilda of Flanders Queen of England married William I King of England in 1051 in The Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Eu, Normandy. Matilda of Flanders Queen of England died on 2 November 1083 in Caen, Calvados, France, at age 52 years.

Matilda of Flanders was also known as Queen Maud de Flandre. She was of a very small stature (height of 5'2") and very little is known about her early years. Being a descendant of the English King Alfred the Great was one reason why William, Duke of Normandy, sought her in marriage. Apparently she refused him as she didn't want to be married to a bastard. Furious, William forced entry to her room and gave her a beating. However, this rather unconventional behaviour resulted in her changing her mind and they married in 1051, although they had to wait until 1059 before the papal dispensation arrived. [The problem necessitating papal dispensation appears maybe to have been that William and Matilda were cousins of a sort.]

William relied heavily on her and she acted as regent in Normandy whenever he was absent. After the conquest of England in 1066, she was crowned William the Conqueror's Queen at Winchester, She went to the north of England with him and in 1068 at Selby gave birth to the future King Henry I, their eleventh and last child. Henry, the youngest child, was Matilda's favorite son and when she died she left him her English estates. In the year 1069 she went back to the Duchy of Normandy where she remained in charge. When she became ill in 1083, William the Conqueror hurried over from England to be with her. However, she died on 2 Nov 1083 at Caen and was buried there.²

William Rufus II King of England was born in 1060. He was the son of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England. William Rufus II King of England died on 2 August 1100 at age 40 years.

Robert III Duke of Normandy was born in 1051. He was the son of William I King of England and Matilda of Flanders Queen of England. Robert III Duke of Normandy died between 10 February 1133 and 1134.

Robert III Duke of Normandy was also known as Robert Curthose.

Baldwin V married Adèle Capet in 1028 in Amiens, France. As dowry to her husband, Adele was given by her father, Robert II the Pious, the title of Countess of Corbie.¹ Baldwin V died on 1 September 1067 in Flanders.

After Baldwin's marriage to Adele, she instigated he rebel against his father, Baldwin IV, but in 1030 peace was sworn and the old count continued to rule until his death in 1035.¹

Adèle and Baldwin had five children, including Matilda of Flanders (1032 - 1083). The others were Baldwin VI of Flanders (1030-1070), Robert I of Flanders (1033-1093), Henry of Flanders (c. 1035), and Sir Richard of Flanders (c. 1050-1105).²

Baldwin was Count of Flanders from 1036 till his death in 1067.

During a long war (1046–1056) as an ally of Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lorraine, against the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, he initially lost Valenciennes to Hermann of Hainaut. However, when the latter died in 1049 Baldwin married his son Baldwin VI to Herman's widow Richildis and arranged that the sons of her first marriage were disinherited, thus de facto uniting the County of Hainaut with Flanders. Upon the death of Henry III this marriage was acknowledged by treaty by Agnes de Poitou, mother and regent of Henry IV.

From 1060 to 1067 Baldwin was the co-Regent with Anne of Kiev for his nephew-by-marriage Philip I of France, indicating the importance he had acquired in international politics.¹

William of England Plantagenet was born on 20 August 1153 in Normandy.¹ He was the son of Henry II Plantagenet, King Of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen of England. William of England Plantagenet died circa April 1156 in Wallingford Castle, Berkshire, England.

Matilda of England Plantagenet was born in 1156 in London, England. She was the daughter of Henry II Plantagenet, King Of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen of England. Matilda of England Plantagenet died on 28 June 1189 at age 33 years.