The first Queen of England - Empress Matilda

Arguably, the first queen of England can be named as empress Matilda. She was the sole legitimate child of king Henry I of England after the death of his son, prince William, in the white ship disaster. Matilda was born on the 7th of February 1114, potentially in either Winchester or Sutton Courtenay, England. The death of her brother left the realm in a potential succession crisis but as her father had no further children, he made Matilda his heir and made his court swear an oath of loyalty to her and her successors. But this decision was not a popular one, nor was it whole supported in the Anglo-Norman court.

Join us today as we look into the life of Matilda, and the barriers she needed to hurdle in order to survive and thrive.

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