Matilda of Scotland
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This is the Sleepy History of Matilda of Scotland, narrated by Jessica Gersel, written by Alicia Stefan. There's no denying that pop culture has a soft spot for history's most illustrious kings and queens, but there are many fascinating royals,

who have not enjoyed quite the same level of modern exposure, like Queen Matilda of Scotland, who was this woman who built hospitals and bridges, and whose education surpassed that of many men of her time. It was an era when few people could write their memoirs,

And their history was not diligently recorded by many at court. Despite this, we'll delve into what we do know. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of Matilda of Scotland. She was a queen some now classify as forgotten.

Her birth name was Edith of Dunfermline, but she is more commonly known as Matilda of Scotland, wife of King Henry I. Christened in the year 1080, she lived only to the age of 37. But in that time, she made an indelible mark on history.

In an era when women had few choices or opportunities in life, she nonetheless acquired more education than most men, going on to use her intelligence and powerful position to do good works for the people of England. In the process, she won many hearts and unified a divided country.

At her christening in 1080, baby Edith reportedly tugged on her godmother's veil. The godmother in question was not an ordinary woman. In fact, she was Matilda of Flanders, who was the wife of William the Conqueror.

And this little baby tug was considered by some people to be a sign that Edith would one day be a queen. For Edith, that prediction was not terribly far-fetched. First and foremost, her father was King Malcolm III of Scotland, whose name went down in history

Thanks to a surprising reason, he was immortalized hundreds of years later in a central role in Shakespeare's tragic play, Macbeth. And that wasn't all the pedigree Edith had going for her.

On her mother's side, she was directly descended from the kings of Wessex, who had ruled England from the beginning of the 9th century until they had been defeated by the Norman conquest of their land in 1066, led by William the Conqueror.

The Normans hailed roughly from the area of Western Europe we now know as France. But it's important to note that their people also incorporated many Vikings who had intermingled with the population of West Francia. Many listeners may be familiar with the recent popular television series involving the Vikings

and their combative forays into Wessex. Although these shows are creative interpretations, those popular depictions center on the fact that the Vikings had long been challenging the rulers of Wessex for their territory, the Viking prowess in battle.

combined with the strategic position of the West Francia ports, eventually proved to be too much for the Anglo-Saxons to resist. A few years after William the Conqueror's decisive win at the Battle of Hastings, Norman nobles had replaced the Saxons as the ruling class of England.

But to the conquered Saxons, their royal bloodline still mattered. As such, Edith was a princess who could claim royal lineage from both parents, Scottish and Saxon. Edith's mother, Queen, and later Saint, Margaret, had high hopes for her children's prospects.

Six of her children were sons, and she also had two daughters, including Edith. At age six, Edith and her sister Mary were sent to the Abbey of Romsey in England, which was renowned for the excellent education it provided high-born girls of the time.

Edith's Aunt Christina was a nun there, and the girl complained that she was often forced to wear a veil, even though, by her own report, she had no desire to become a nun. Christina's reasons for doing this are unclear. Edith later wrote that, as she got older, her aunt sometimes made her wear the veil

To discourage Norman marauders from insulting her honor, whatever the case, she was somewhat relieved of the problem. When her parents moved her to Wilton Abbey to complete her education, she became extremely accomplished in languages, literature, and art.

making her more sophisticated than many men of her era. As she reached her teen years, it was not surprising that Edith began to attract interest as a bride. Most notably, William Rufus, the current king, decided he would scout out Princess Edith as a possible wife for himself.

In her book called "Queens of the Conquest," Alison Weir relates how William Rufus and his men arrived unannounced at the Abbey, insisting they wanted to pray. Wanting to shield her young charge from the strange men, the abbess clothed Edith in a nun's habit. Upon spotting her dressed as a nun,

William and his men suddenly departed. The wearing of the nun's habit seems to have continued because her father, Malcolm, reportedly showed up soon after and was very angry to see his daughter dressed that way.

Having no interest in giving his daughters to the church, he removed both girls home to Scotland without further ado. Without a proposal from William Rufus, her father betrothed her to a much older nobleman in 1093. However,

The fortunes of Edith's entire family soon took an unfortunate turn. Malcolm and his oldest son perished in a territorial skirmish, and then Edith's mother passed away from illness only a few days later.

To compound the children's problems, the throne of Scotland did not automatically pass to Edith's oldest brother. Instead, the clan chiefs elected Donald, the son of King Duncan I. Donald subsequently drove Edith and her siblings out of Scotland, then worsening her situation.

Her betrothed ran off with his lover, even if this had not ended their engagement. Fate soon made broken engagement a certainty when the older man died of an illness. Edith was once again without a fiancé. Biographer Alison Weir

suggests that Edith and Mary probably ended up back at Wilton Abbey. At that point, William Rufus might have been under the impression that Edith was a runaway nun and that she should be returned to her cloister. Unfortunately for Edith, his opinion was shared

by the very influential Bishop Anselm of Canterbury, who advised him on such matters. In William's case, stashing Edith and Mary in an abbey made political sense. As king, it was obviously to his advantage to have any children of competing royal lineage out of his way.

But Weir maintains that the girls would have been there only as students, and not as future nuns. Edith continued her studies, mastering Latin and maybe even French. Letters she wrote show that she also had a thorough knowledge of religious texts and classical philosophy.

However, in 1097, Edith and Mary's fortunes turned around. William Rufus, along with Edith's oldest brother Edgar, overthrew King Donald, and Edgar claimed the throne of Scotland. Edith and Mary were suddenly the sisters of a king.

Whether or not he still wanted to marry her, any remaining possibility of Edith becoming the bride of William Rufus became moot, as he died in a hunting accident soon after. His youngest brother Henry rushed to claim the crown of England, succeeding him just two days later.

Immediately, Henry's advisors and bishops urged him to marry. With her royal lineage on both sides, Edith was identified as the perfect woman to help Henry unite the Normans and the Saxons in England. Plus, a union with her would strengthen good relations with Scotland. According to Weir,

There is evidence that Edith was initially a little bit reluctant to accept a proposal from Henry. However, her sense of duty seems to have eventually won out. She must have known that her marriage to Henry would restore the Wessex bloodline to the throne. She agreed to the match. But then...

At the worst possible time, her Aunt Christina interfered, arguing that Edith was actually a nun. This insistence, combined with Edith's history of education at the Cloisters, fanned the flames of controversy. In a spectacle of high medieval drama,

The King called Bishop Anselm to rule on the subject of whether or not Edith could marry. Initially, things were not looking good. Anselm sided with Christina. But Edith showed a moment of true initiative, travelling from Wilton to Salisbury to meet with Anselm behind closed doors.

where she explained that she had never been more than a pupil at the Abbeys. Her arguments were persuasive enough that Anselm elevated the controversy to an entire panel of bishops, abbots, and noblemen who gathered and heard witnesses on the matter.

Anselm even sent two archbishops straight to Wilton Abbey to ask questions. In the end, nobody was able to prove Edith guilty of being a runaway nun. Anselm grudgingly admitted she should be free to marry. However, as a parting shot,

The bishop begged Henry not to marry her, saying "England will not long rejoice in the children she will bear." He turned out to be wrong. Henry soon wed her anyway, in November of the year 1100. Upon marrying, Henry requested that she change her name to Matilda.

According to Weir, there are two theories as to why. The first is that it would honor Henry's mother and her godmother, Matilda of Flanders. The other possibility is that Matilda had been given to her as a baptism name and was simply never used.

Either way, she joined a long line of royals named Matilda, which has made medieval history a little confusing to follow, as you will see. Edith, now Matilda, was about 20 and Henry 32, and there is some evidence they had an amiable love match.

Of course, the bar for a love match was quite low for royals at the time. However, we do know that Henry was lauded for his handsome good looks and intelligence. Likewise, Matilda was often depicted as a beauty. Although, as Weir points out in her book,

It was commonplace to gush about the beauty of high-born women at the time, simply as a matter of course. Reportedly, there were many who wrote about her other wonderful qualities, though, such as her elegant manners, her knowledge, and her piousness.

It seems likely that Henry and Matilda were a well-matched and reasonably happy pair. But the marriage wasn't universally celebrated. Behind their backs, many Norman nobles made disparaging comments about Matilda's Saxon origins, looking down upon her. Nonetheless, according to Weir,

Over time, the opposition died down, and more nobles intermarried between the Normans and the Saxons, further joining the two sides. When they were wed, Henry bestowed many lands and holdings on Matilda, making her very wealthy in her own right.

despite the fact that he was a notorious philanderer. Supposedly eventually fathering upwards of 20 illegitimate children, his patient young wife found a way to make their partnership work. According to weird sources, Matilda remained true to the king.

never drawing any negative attention to herself as a wife. It is a further testament to her remarkable character to find grace in such a challenging day-to-day life. Henry was not only unfaithful, but he was also frequently absent on royal business. Rather than stewing over it,

Matilda directed her energy toward projects that endeared her to her subjects. Although her charity work and pious behavior are well documented, Weir gives a deeper look into the history, showing how she also used her talents to wield an unusual amount of influence in politics.

She attended council meetings and issued writs and charters, with 33 of those in her own name. In fact, her personal seal is still available at the British Library and is the earliest example of the seal of an English queen.

She also developed valuable relationships with other powerful people. After all the trouble he'd caused her, Matilda still didn't hesitate to become a close correspondent of Bishop Anselm. Their surviving letters are a valuable source of information about her reign. To the modern ear, the missives are flowery.

Matilda and Bishop Anselm appeared to shower each other with excessive compliments. Underneath, however, they were two influential people who understood what they might accomplish with a working friendship.

In general, Matilda strongly supported religious institutions which, at the time, were important centers of knowledge. The abbeys she owned as part of her dower were very fortunate. Matilda was generous with both her money and her time.

Matilda's support of the church was not merely a financial and diplomatic matter. Following the example set by her mother and her aunt, she humbled herself publicly with pious behavior. Despite her wealth, she was known to be modest.

not spending extravagantly on her wardrobe and personal effects. Further, Weir quotes the analyst of Westminster Abbey who said that she would walk bare-legged from the palace to the church each day of Lent, wearing a hair shirt for penance. She was also known to wash the feet of the poor.

This extended to people suffering from leprosy. According to an account in Queens of the Conquest, Matilda's brother David once came to her apartments to find them full of people affected by leprosy, whose feet she was bathing.

He was very concerned about her proximity to an incurable disease, but she could not be persuaded to distance herself. Later, she founded two hospitals for the treatment of the disease. Miraculously, she never caught it despite her exposure.

Matilda was also known for her patronage of artists. While her reasonable expenditures on her wardrobe didn't attract criticism, some subjects were displeased with her generosity to scholars and musicians. However, those who appreciated arts and letters

were delighted with their sophisticated and learned queen. This love for art served her legacy well, as many poets lavished praise on her in verse that would stand the test of time. In addition to criticisms that she spent too much on artistic pursuits,

Matilda was sometimes accused of taxing her dower lands too heavily. This critique does seem to have been a valid complaint, and Weir states in her account that Matilda was chastised for the taxes at one point by Bishop Anselm. Sources conflict about whether Matilda bore three children or two.

But it is certain that only two of her offspring survived. The first was born in 1102 and baptised Matilda. Although she is often referred to as Maud, Queen Matilda appears to have kept her daughter at home during her upbringing.

never subjecting her to the convent life she, herself, had suffered as a child. Then, in the summer of 1103, Matilda bore Henry a male heir named William. According to Weir's research, the marriage may have become platonic after the queen had produced a son to be Henry's successor.

There's no way to know exactly why their relationship changed. Henry continued to be flagrantly unfaithful, so that must have been off-putting for his wife. On the other hand, she was frequently in close quarters with sick people, including those with leprosy.

And Wiir suggests that might have been a deterrent for the King. Or, of course, her biographer continues, she could have had an injury or illness that prevented further pregnancies. Whatever the case, most reliable sources list William as her last child.

There was also some friction between Matilda and Henry around that time over a matter of the church called investiture. In simple terms, it was the question of who was supposed to be able to appoint bishops and abbots. The Pope or the King, traditionally.

Choosing these important religious figures had been the privilege of kings. More recently, however, Pope Gregory VII had banned the practice of these royal appointments, saying that only the head of the Catholic Church had that right. In this conflict, Matilda found herself in the middle between her husband

and her friend and mentor, Bishop Anselm. The fact that she seemed to side with the bishop must have frustrated Henry. However, even this quarrel did not reduce the king's respect for his wife's abilities, and Henry declared her regent when he once again departed for Normandy in 1104.

He gave her this responsibility periodically moving forward. When he was gone, Matilda was not idle. She travelled around her kingdom initiating impressive building projects such as the Tower of London and Windsor Castle. These buildings were probably less important to everyday citizens

than some of her other contributions though. How grateful the public must have been for the bathhouse she had built at the Queenhithe Dock, or more so for the first public toilets in London or the two previously mentioned hospitals. In addition to laying and repairing numerous roads,

Matilda could also claim responsibility for the first arched stone bridge in England. Inspired by an accident that she and her retinue encountered trying to cross the River Lear, she ordered the construction of the Bow Bridge and a causeway across the marshes.

There is still a bridge there today. Although the original has been replaced numerous times, the Bow Bridge is immortalized in several versions of the children's song "London Bridge is Falling Down." And there has been speculation that Matilda is the inspiration for the lyrics "My Fair Lady."

In the year 1109, Matilda turned her energy in a new direction: the betrothal of her daughter. The Lady Maud, as she was called, was still just eight years old. However, Heinrich V, known both as King of Germany and Emperor of Rome, had asked for her hand.

Matilda and Henry's daughter was a good match for him for a number of reasons. She was of a noble bloodline, highly educated, and though very young, was considered quite beautiful. But, more importantly, she would come with a rich dowry that Heinrich sorely needed.

From Henry's point of view, a marriage between his daughter and the German king would provide a valuable alliance with Germany that would help him hold Normandy against hostile neighbors. The engagement was agreed upon.

and Henry set about heavily taxing his subjects to raise the enormous dowry of 10,000 marks in silver that he had promised. A decision that made the marriage very unpopular in England. Although she was still a child, Maude traveled to Germany the next year, where she prepared for marriage.

Beginning her education in German language and customs, it must have been hard for Queen Matilda to see her daughter travel across the sea to a foreign country at such a young age. But Maud was an extraordinary girl.

History would show that Maud's life was going to be impressive enough to fill an entirely separate story. She took on her weighty new position with a grace and intelligence beyond her years, surely owing to the excellent upbringing she got from her mother.

Queen Matilda would live to see her daughter crowned as the Roman Empress. Further, although she produced no living heirs with her husband Heinrich, Maud would eventually become the mother of a king due to her second marriage. That child was to be Henry II of England. Meanwhile, in 1113,

Henry and Matilda's son William was betrothed to Mau, the daughter of the Count of Anjou. This union helped the English achieve peace with Anjou, which was one of the neighboring areas threatening Henry's control of Normandy. However, in the annals of history,

It was their daughter Maud who became the larger figure. William would not live long enough to produce an heir, and he is, sadly, best known for setting off a succession battle when he passed away at sea. However, the region of Anjou still had a role to play in the English succession.

When Heinrich died and Mort remarried, her new husband was Geoffrey Plantagenet, the older brother of her sister-in-law, Mahou of Anjou. Geoffrey then fathered Henry II, with both of her children married and her husband often abroad. Matilda was again left to rule as regent.

and spend the rest of her time as she liked. Her enthusiasm for supporting abbeys, priories, and other religious institutions continued. Unfortunately, around the time of Christmas in the year 1117, Matilda fell ill. Even while she was unwell,

Historical documents show that she was issuing writs and conducting business for the absent Henry, who was again in Normandy. There is evidence she founded another hospital in 1118, and she also received a visit from her brother David. However, on the 1st of May 1118,

she passed away. The magnitude of England's love for the 37-year-old queen was evident. When she was buried at Westminster, nearly 68,000 of the poor were fed by the king in her honor. Oddly, no monuments seem to have been erected at her resting place.

However, according to Weir, the grave was once inscribed: "Here lies the renowned Queen Matilda II, excelling both young and old of her day. She was for everyone the benchmark of morals and the ornament of life." Today,

The place is unmarked, and the epitaph has disappeared. Although she had been criticized in life for the taxes she levied, and the artists she entertained, and was even accused of being a runaway nun, Matilda's legacy is overwhelmingly positive.

Her reputation as a pious queen has persisted, and although she was never given sainthood, she was much revered. But to modern listeners, such as ourselves, it seems incredible that Matilda of Scotland, once Edith of Dunfermline, doesn't come up more often now.

Builder of hospitals and bridges. Innovator in public health. A strong and educated woman who seemed far ahead of her time. Perhaps Matilda deserves to occasionally steal the spotlight from some of the other kings and queens we hear so much about.

And maybe, history will soon find her again.