Hello, and welcome to today's history lesson.

My name is Mr. Merrett, and I'll be guiding you through today's lesson.

So let's get started.

Today's lesson is looking at the life of Matilda and mediaeval women, and by the end of today's lesson, we'll be able to use our knowledge about Matilda's life to draw wider conclusions about the lives of mediaeval women.

In order to do that, we need to use some key terms. And our key terms for the day are baron, anarchy, civil war, and empire.

A baron is a great lord or landholder in the kingdom.

The anarchy was an absence of government in society in a situation of political and social disorder.

A civil war is a war between citizens of the same country.

And an empire is a group of countries or provinces ruled from the centre by one person or a group of people.

Today's lesson will consist of three separate learning cycles, and our first learning cycle is looking at Matilda's early life.

Let's get started.

So Matilda was born in 1102, and was the eldest legitimate child of King Henry I.

As was common for the time, she was wed at a young age to a member of a foreign royal family as a way of improving the relationship between two countries.

Matilda was married at the age of 12 to Emperor Henry V of the Holy Roman Empire.

She was actually betrothed, which means promised to marry at the age of eight.

And at the age of eight, she was sent away from her parents, and she was sent to live in the Holy Roman Empire for four years, and she was then brought up by somebody else, where she was taught German language and German culture.

And then, at the age of 12, when she was considered old enough, she was then married to the Holy Roman emperor.

In 1117, she was crowned empress of the Holy Roman Empire.

And shortly after that, she was entrusted to administer the Empire's lands in Italy on behalf of her husband by herself at the age of just 16.

So at 16 years old, she is running significant lands.

Obviously she had help from administrators, but she was ultimately was the one who made the decisions.

Matilda actually proved a very capable ruler over the next two years, and the people of the empire seemed very happy with her rule.

She gained the nickname the Good Matilda, due to her mercy and compassion.

Unfortunately, in 1125, Matilda's husband died, and as Matilda had not had any children with Henry V, she chose to leave the land of the empire and return to her father in Normandy.

Right, let's have a quick check for understanding now.

So I'd like you to choose two true statements about Matilda's early life.

So was it that she trained as a soldier from a very young age? Was it that she was briefly married to the king of France? Was it that she ruled the Holy Roman Empire's lands in Italy, or was it that she was the eldest legitimate child of King Henry I? So choose two of those options now.

Okay, if you chose C and D, then very well done.

Those are the correct answers.

Now, Matilda was named heir to the throne of England and Normandy by her father in 1126, an honour which was approved by the leading barons, who all swore oaths to respect Matilda's claim.

This was an unusual situation.

There hadn't been a female ruler of England under the Anglo-Normans.

The reason why Matilda was named heir is because the only other legitimate child of Henry I was Matilda's younger brother, William Adelin.

And unfortunately, William Adelin was killed in a tragic accident a few years prior to that.

And effectively, Matilda was Henry's best bet at that point.

Certainly at this point in time, though, it didn't seem as though there'd be any major issues with that, even though it was unprecedented that a woman would rule by herself in England at this point in time.

In any case, however, the situation changed somewhat when Henry I arranged for his daughter to marry one of Normandy's traditional enemies, the young count, Geoffrey Plantagenet of Anjou.

Matilda was unhappy with the marriage, partly because Henry was significantly younger than her, partly because Henry was a count and Matilda was an empress, and I suspect partly because Geoffrey was from Anjou, and that was a traditional enemy of Normandy.

So Matilda wasn't happy with the arrangement, but she followed her father's orders to get married and continue the family line by having children.

Although it wasn't a happy marriage, Matilda and Geoffrey had three children together, and their eldest, who is called Henry, was born on the 5th of March, 1133.

And whilst the Norman barons seemed to be able to accept a female ruler, they they were not happy at the idea of a Plantagenet on the throne.

That appears to be the major problem that many of the barons had with this situation.

Even King Henry I himself seemed to have some reservations, and many refused to hand over several castles to Matilda and her new husband, castles that had been promised as part of the marriage arrangements.

Matilda and Geoffrey rebelled against Henry.

And King Henry I then died on the 1st of December, 1135, before he and Matilda had the opportunity to mend the rift that had grown between them.

Okay, let's go for another quick check for understanding.

So there's another quick discussion question.

I want you to think, what can we learn about mediaeval women from Matilda's early life? So pause the video whilst you think about that, and I'll see you again in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got some ideas.

So you could have said that she was married at a young age, as many women were.

She lived away from her parents while she was still young.

She was both trusted and respected.

And having children was seen as important.

And the reason being is it was necessary to keep the family line going.

She was also able to wield power in her husband's name.

And she was ultimately controlled by men, first by her father and then by her husbands, but she was also the voice of mercy.

Now these apply to Matilda, but they also must certainly apply to many, many other mediaeval women from this point in time as well.

Right, let's go for our first task for today.

So I want you to think, what were the most important events in Matilda's early life, and what can they tell us about mediaeval women? So what I've got for you, I've got a list of five major events from Matilda's early life, the fact that she was married at age 12, that she ruled the Empire's land in Italy at age 16.

And the fact that she was widowed at the age of 23.

She was then made heir to the throne of England and Normandy at the age of 24.

And she was married again, had her first child at the age of 31.

What I'd like you to do is organise those events into a list of importance with what you consider to be the most important event at the top, all the way down to what you consider to be the least important event at the bottom.

And then, I want you to tell me what your top choice tells us about mediaeval women.

So what can we learn about mediaeval women from this particular event in Matilda's life? So pause the video whilst you have a go at this, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got on okay with that task.

Let's have a think about what you could have written then.

So on the screen in front of you there is my list.

If it's different to your list, it's absolutely fine.

It doesn't matter what order you've got them in, as long as you're able to justify your argument.

So let's have a little think and see what I've put.

So I said that the most important event from Matilda's early life, in my opinion, was the fact that she ruled the Empire's lands in Italy at the age of 16.

I then think the next most important event was that she was made heir to the throne of England and Normandy at the age of 24.

She was then married at age 12, was my third most important events.

Fourth most important event was the fact that she was married again, had her first child at the age of 31.

And in my opinion, the least important events was the fact that she was widowed at the age of 23.

Not to say it wasn't important, it's just that out of the other options, in my opinion, that's the least most important event.

And again, if your list is different to mine, it's absolutely fine.

It doesn't matter, as long as you're gonna explain why you've chosen your list.

And speaking of which, the reason why I chose my top choice were there is that I think Matilda ruling the Empire's lands in Italy was the most important event in her early life.

This tells us that women could be trusted to rule and, when given the opportunity to do so, could rule very successfully.

And again, if you've got a different option to me, that's fine, as long as you've explained it.

Let's move on now then to our second learning cycle of the day, which is Matilda during the anarchy.

So although the barons had promised to support Matilda's claim to the throne of England and Normandy, her marriage to one of their enemies and her rebellion against her father damaged her claim.

Her cousin, Stephen of Blois, took advantage of the situation and had himself declared king on the 22nd of December, 1135.

Matilda refused to accept the usurpation of her throne, and thus began the anarchy.

15 years of civil war that left large parts of England and Normandy in ruins.

Matilda's husband, Geoffrey, was successful in taking control of Normandy, whilst Matilda managed the civil war against King Stephen in England from her base in Gloucester.

And on the map on the screen in front of you there, you can see where Gloucester is there.

In Gloucester, Matilda recruited a number of powerful and capable barons to her side, including her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, and Robert of Gloucester was based in Bristol.

Although Matilda was unable to command armies in the field herself due to the belief at the time that women were unsuitable to fighting, she was able to successfully manage her campaign from Gloucester, directing her barons and rewarding them with lands and titles.

Matilda behaved exactly as a ruler was expected to do during this time.

Unfortunately, for Matilda, most rulers were male, and having a woman behave in this manner made many people reject her.

Other notable women played important roles in the anarchy as well.

So Matilda's stepmother, the dowager queen Adeliza, commanded Arundel Castle and gave Matilda a safe place to stay when she first came to England.

And again, Arundel is there in the screen in front of you.

Arundel Castle was a really important castle at this point in time.

It was incredibly well defended.

And King Stephen's wife, Queen Matilda of Boulogne, actually commanded troops and took control of the real forces when Stephen was absent.

So she played a role which was arguably unsuited to women at that point in time, but she did it incredibly successfully.

She successfully took Dover as well, fairly early on in the anarchy.

And then, when King Stephen was captured, it was Queen Matilda of Boulogne who actually directed the forces from that point on.

So the whole civil war could have ended had it not been for the fact that the Queen Matilda of Boulogne managed to keep the war going on Stephen's behalf.

Now, Matilda came extremely close to winning the civil war in the early 1140s.

Stephen was captured on the 2nd of February, 1141, and plans were made for her coronation in Westminster Abbey.

The people of London, though, were put off by Matilda's actions and forced her to flee the city before she was crowned.

Matilda was then nearly captured several times herself during the anarchy, but each time managed to pull off daring escapes.

On the screen in front of you is the example from the siege of Oxford's when Matilda reportedly scaled out of a window down a rope, and then, with just four other knights, they fled through blizzard-like conditions.

They wrapped white cloaks around themselves, they blend in with the snow backdrop, they crossed the frozen River Thames on foot, and they walked seven miles in the snow until they could find the safety of provisions and horses.

So it was incredibly daring, it was incredibly risky as well.

I mean, people die in those conditions.

But for Matilda, obviously, it was a gamble worth taking.

Well, let's have a quick check for understanding now.

So it's another discussion question.

I want you to think, what can we learn about mediaeval women from Matilda's courts? So pause the video whilst you think about that, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

So some of the things we could have said was that queens were able to bestow land and titles on their followers, just like kings were able to do.

It was expected that women would have different personality traits to men, and many people found commanding personalities off-putting in a woman.

It was a personality trait that was more likely to be found in men at this point in time.

Women, though, were capable of directing armies when given the opportunity to do so.

And women were expected to act in a certain way, and people became angry if they did not do so.

Overall, we can say that the expectations for male monarchs and female monarchs were very different from each other.

However, having said all that, some women were exceptional leaders.

If you've got different ideas to that, that's absolutely fine, but hopefully you've got a few of those points on the screen there as well.

Right, another quick check for understanding, and it's another discussion question.

And I want you to think, what can we learn about mediaeval women from the actions of Matilda and other women during the anarchy? So once again, pause the video whilst you think about that, and I see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got on okay with that task.

So let's have a think what you could have said.

So you could have said that they were ready to fight for their rights.

They were able to gain support from powerful figures.

They were able to command soldiers when given the opportunity.

And they were able to own property when unmarried.

Some women were also incredibly brave and daring.

And some women were able to overcome gender-related expectations and carry out tasks that were usually performed by men.

And once again, if you've got different ideas from me, that's absolutely fine, but hopefully you've got a few of those points on the screen there as well.

Right, let's go for our next task then.

So I'd like you to read the interpretations below.

So Laura's interpretation states that by taking the throne for himself, Stephen acted in the best interests of the country.

Whereas Sophia's interpretation, is that Matilda demonstrated repeatedly that she would've been an excellent ruler of England.

Now, what I would like you to do is to write down one piece of evidence to support each of those two interpretations, and then I'd like you to explain which interpretation you agree with more and why.

So pause the video whilst you do this, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you got on okay with that task.

So let's have a think what you could have written then.

So I said, "Evidence to support Laura's interpretation is that the barons did not want a Plantagenet on the throne of England, as they were traditional enemies of Normandy.

Evidence to support Sophia's interpretation is that Matilda had experience of successfully ruling a country during her time managing the Empire's lands in Italy.

I mostly agree with Sophia's interpretation as Matilda was able to use her experience in ruling to set up her own court and direct military campaigns during the civil war for 15 years." If you've got a different opinion to me, that's fine, but as long as you've explained it, that's the really key thing there as well.

So make sure you've explained why you hold the opinion that you hold.

Right, let's move on now, then, onto our third and final learning cycle for today, which is Matilda's later life.

So Matilda's eldest son Henry continued the civil war against Stephen after Matilda relocated to Normandy in 1148.

In 1153, Stephen agreed to make Henry his heir as a way of bringing the anarchy to a peaceful conclusion.

And after he died the next year, Matilda's son was crowned King Henry II on 19th of December, 1154.

Henry relied heavily on his mother, frequently asking for her advice on ruling his lands.

The respect he had for his mother is evident in the name that he chose for himself, Henry Fitzempress, which means son of the empress.

For many years, Henry included his mother's name alongside his own when issuing orders.

Matilda spent the rest of her life successfully running the Duchy of Normandy on her son's behalf.

She helped her son on an international level as well, communicating with foreign rulers from France and the Holy Roman Empire to resolve arguments that threatened to break out into war between them and her son.

Matilda died on the 10th of September, 1167.

She is viewed as one of the most influential women of the mediaeval period, showcasing her determination and talent for rule time and again.

Unfortunately, future generations of influential men blamed her gender for many of the evils that befell England during the anarchy.

England would not have another female ruler for the next 400 years.

In more recent times, historians have questioned the traditional narrative that Matilda was unfit to rule because of her gender, pointing out that many of the flaws that commentators from the time criticised her for would've been viewed as strengths in a male ruler.

Right, let's go for a quick check for understanding now.

So what does Fitzempress mean? Does it mean brother of the empress, father of the empress, or son of the empress? Make your choice now.

Okay, if you chose C, son of the empress, then congratulations, that's the correct answer.

So let's think now about whether Matilda's life can tell us what life was like for all mediaeval women.

Now, the important qualifier to all of this is to remind ourselves that Matilda was an aristocrat.

Her life was very different from the lives of most ordinary women.

So there were huge differences.

However, there were also similarities, such as the fact that men controlled the lives of most women.

All women were expected to have children.

The vast majority of marriages were arranged.

Few women got to choose their own husbands.

Most women married young, and some women actually managed to run their businesses if their husbands died.

So there are similarities between Matilda's life and the lives of most other ordinary women from this point in time as well.

So what can historians learn about mediaeval women from Matilda's life? Well, they can learn that women were married at a young age, that they were determined and ready to fight for their rights, that they were trusted and respected, they were able to wield power in their husband's name, that they were the voice of mercy, that they were controlled by men, that having children was seen as important, and that there were different expectations for a woman compared to a man.

There are other things we can learn as well, but those are some of the key points that we can learn.

Right, let's do another quick check for understanding now.

So it's another discussion question.

I want you to think, what can we learn about mediaeval women from Matilda's later life? So pause the video now whilst you do that, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hope you got on fine with that question.

Let's think about what you could have said then.

So you could say that she was content to let her son rule instead of her as a means to keep the peace.

That she was a well-respected provider of advice.

She was a capable administrator of a duchy.

And that she was able to resolve disputes to keep the peace between nations.

And obviously, these apply specifically to Matilda, but we can take lessons from this and apply those to other women from the time as well.

Right, let's go for our next task then.

So I want you to think, in your opinion, what are the three most important things that we can learn about mediaeval women from Matilda's life? So choose three points from Matilda's life.

Pause the video whilst you do that, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Let's think what you could have written then.

So in my opinion, I said that the three most important things were the fact that women were expected to get married and have children and had little say in when they got married or who too.

That women were capable of doing men's jobs, but it was not common, and some people didn't react to it well at all.

And that although the mediaeval world was dominated by men, there were some women who were powerful enough to rule successfully.

So, in my opinion, those are three of the key lessons to be learned from Matilda's life.

So let's move on then to our final task for today then.

So I'd like you to explain how useful a study of Matilda's life is for historians learning about mediaeval women.

So pause the video whilst you do that, and I'll see you in just a moment.

Okay, welcome back.

Hopefully you got okay with that task.

So let's a little think what you could have written then.

So I've got an answer on the screen.

Let's have a little read through that.

So I said, "Matilda was a noblewoman, so her life was very different from that of peasant women.

Most women were peasants, so there are limitations to using Matilda's life to draw conclusions about life for all mediaeval women.

For instance, Matilda never had to do many of the things that other women at the time had to, such just farming or cooking.

Instead, she had other concerns, like managing her courts and directing her barons, which is a more common issue for noblemen at the time.

In that respect, Matilda's life is useful for teaching historians how a noblewoman could succeed in a male-dominated world.

However, there were some issues that Matilda and other mediaeval women shared, such as society's expectations for them.

Women were expected to get married and have children, and we see this happening to Matilda when she was too young to say no and also later on against her will.

We also know that some women ran successful businesses with their husbands or by themselves if their husbands died.

And if we think of running a country as a greater version of running a business, then we see Matilda doing this too.

Overall, historians can learn a lot about mediaeval women from Matilda's life, as she was often forced into situations against her will but managed to overcome the difficulties thrown at her." So hopefully you've explained your answer in a similar manner to how I've done.

If you've learned different lessons from Matilda's life than me, then that's absolutely fine.

The really key thing there is you're able to explain what those lessons teach us.

Right, let's summarise today's lesson then.

So historians can learn about life for mediaeval women by studying Matilda's life when she was a child and during her time ruling as Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.

Historians can also learn about mediaeval women by studying the events surrounding Matilda's role before and during the anarchy, including how she ran her courts.

Lessons can also be learnt by observing how Matilda spent her later years after the anarchy.

And although Matilda was an exceptional woman, we can draw similarities between her life and the lives of other mediaeval women.

Thank you very much for joining me today.

Hopefully you've enjoyed yourself, hopefully you've learned something, and hopefully I'll see you again next time.

Bye bye.