empress matilda

Empress Matilda, also known as Matilda of England or Maude (c. 7 February 1102 – 10 September 1167) was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood. Her brother died in the White ship disaster, making Matilda the last heir from the paternal line of her grandfather William the Conqueror.

As a child, Matilda was betrothed to and later married Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, acquiring the title Empress. The couple had no known children. When widowed, she was married to the much younger Geoffrey of Anjou, with whom she had three sons, the eldest of whom became King Henry II of England.

Matilda was the first female ruler of the Kingdom of England. However, the length of her effective rule was brief — a few months in 1141. She was never crowned and failed to consolidate her rule (legally and politically). For this reason, she is normally excluded from lists of English mon…more

Characters

Thomas Becket

Thomas Becket (1118 – 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II of England over the rights...
Henry Ii Of England

Henry II (1133 - 1189) ruled as King of England (1154 - 1189), Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western Fr...
Tom Builder

Tom is a master mason whose one dream in life is to become the master builder of a cathedral. He is married to Agnes, and his children are Alfred Builder, Martha, and Jonathan....
Prior Philip

A Welshman raised in a monastery, Prior Philip continues his life by taking vows and becoming a monk himself. Hes an excellent leader, a born organizer, and has an almost inflexible sense of right and wrong.more...
Aliena

She is the daughter of Bartholomew, the Earl of Shiring, and the intended bride of William Hamleigh....
Jack Jackson

He is the son of Jack Shareburg (Jacques Cherbourg) and Ellen; he becomes an architect and skilled stonemason....
Stephen Of England

Stephen (c. 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was the last Norman King of England, from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris. His reign was marked by civil ...
Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda, also known as Matilda of England or Maude (c. 7 February 1102 – 10 September 1167) was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to s...
William Hamleigh

Son of Lady Regan Hamleigh and Lord Percy Hamleigh. Earl of Shiring....
Ellen

She is the daughter of a knight. She was unusual in knowing English, French and Latin, and in being literate. The lover of Jack Shareburg and the mother of Jack Jackson, she is discovered by Tom Builder while living in the woods....
Richard Of Kingsbridge

Alienas younger brother, a knight who becomes a skilled soldier and leader, depending on Aliena for revenues from her wool business.more...
Alfred Builder

He is the son of Tom Builder and Agnes ; a mason who later marries Aliena....
Waleran Bigod

He is an ambitious and corrupt cleric constantly scheming his way to more power....
Lord Percy Hamleigh

Husband of Lady Regan Hamleigh, father of William Hamleigh. He disposes of the rebel Earl Bartholomew and gains the earldom....
Lady Regan Hamleigh

Wife of Lord Percy Hamleigh, mother of William Hamleigh....
Remigius

The former Sub-Prior of Kingsbridge who tries to secure the position of Prior....