Empress Matilda

This is the first comprehensive and fully documented study of the Empress Matilda to be published in English. Much of the serious work on her life and historical importance has never been translated from German, and almost all has concentrated on the years of her struggle with Stephen for the English crown. This book examines her career as a whole, including the years as consort of the Emperor Henry V and as regent in Normandy for her son Henry II. It illustrates the problems of female succession in the early twelfth century, and gives a balanced assessment of Matilda's character and achievements in the context of her own times.

"The first serious study of the career of the Empress Matilda ... Dr Chibnall's aim, ably achieved, has been to reconstruct the outline of Matilda's life, place her in the society and politics of the age, and form an assessment of her character." Times Literary Supplement "A formidable book about a formidable woman ... based on an extremely thorough understanding of the sources and casts a broad beam of light on the twelfth century." Journal of Ecclesiastical History "Very satisfying ... written with lucidity and force ... a very valuable addition to the corpus of core texts for any student of Norman and Angevin England." History "The intention of this book, is to examine Matilda's role in Anglo-Norman history and, as a female heir to the throne, in the history of feudal society. Marjorie Chibnall not only achieves this aim but surpasses it. This is a full biography of a twelfth-century woman who was in the center of power throughout her life and who served in both traditional and nontraditional female roles. It furthers our understanding of the person and of the political history of the Anglo-Norman kingdom. It also is a beautifully written book, one accessible to both scholar and student." Speculum "This is a biography that is both scholarly and readable." English Historical Review

Marjorie Chibnall is Emeritus Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and has also lectured in the universities of Southampton and Aberdeen. She is a Fellow of the British Academy and Corresponding Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, and her most recent books include The World of Orderic Vitalis and Anglo-Norman England 1066-1166.