Matilda of Flanders

F, b. 1031, d. 2 November 1083
FatherBaldwin V of Flanders b. c 1012, d. 1 Sep 1067
MotherAdele (Alix) of France b. 1009, d. 8 Jan 1079
Relationship25th great-grandmother of Pamela Joyce Wood
Last Edited22 Jan 2010
Matilda of Flanders, sculpture by Carle Elshoecht (1850), Luxmbourg Garden, Paris, France. Photo credits: Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikimedia Commons, downloaded 17 Jan 2010
     Matilda of Flanders was born in 1031 at Flanders, France.1,2 She was the daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adele (Alix) of France. Matilda of Flanders married William The Conquerer, son of Robert I of Normandy and Arlette, in 1053 at Normandy, France; Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Eu. Matilda of Flanders died on 2 November 1083 at Caen, Normandy, France; At 4'2" tall, Matilda was England's smallest queen, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. In 1961, her grave, along with her husband's were opened and bones measured, proving their physical statures.1,2 She was buried at Holy Trinity Abbey, Caen, Normandy, France.
     According to legend, Matilda, being a descendant of King Alfred, was too "high-born" to marry the bastard William, or so he was told. He found her in Bruges, dragged her off her horse by her braids and rode off. Another version says William rode to her father's house in Lille, threw her to the ground in her room by her braids and left. Matilda decided she would marry him in any case. Ignoringa papal ban on the grounds of consanguinity did not prevent her from marrying him.

There were rumors that Mayilda had been in love with the English ambassador to Flanders, a Saxon named Brihtic, who declines her advances. Whether or not that was true, when she was acting as Regent for William, years later, She confiscated his lands and had him thrown in prison where he died.1

Family

William The Conquerer b. c 1027, d. 9 Sep 1087
Child

Citations

  1. [S726] Wikipedia, online http://en.wikipedia.org, Matilda of Flanders entry.
  2. [S871] T. Anna Leese, Blood Royal, p.2.