It's been a long time since we had a Heroine of the Weekend post! Since the Battle of Hastings took place October 14, 1066, I thought we'd do a way-back Heroine and take a look at Queen Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conquerer.
She was born in 1031, to Count Baldwin V of Flanders and Adela of France (Flanders had great importance in that time, being a sort of "stepping stone" between England and the Continent), and she was descended from Charlemagne. At first, the couple was not allowed to marry, as William was illigitimate, and they were third cousins once removed, but they did wed 1051/2, when she was about 20 and he was a few years older. She became Duchess of Normandy and later Queen of England, mother of about 10 children who lived to adulthood (including two kings, William II and Henry I, an abbess, and a duchess. It appears to have been an affectionate and successful marriage, and William had no known mistresses or bastard children. Matilda was intelligent and shrewd, interested in education, politics, and ecclesiastical matters. She rarely came to England after her husband became king there, living most of her life in Normandy and serving as Regent there at least six times. During those days, there was no unrest or uprisings, she sponsored many new schools, monasteries, and churches, and assisted her brother's Flemish interests. She was often caught in the middle of disputes with her husband and sons, and was well-known as a soothing, peaceful presence. She died aged 52 in 1083, and her family couldn't maintain their peaceful relationships without her to mediate for them.
A few good sources:
Tracy Borman--Matilda: Wife of the Conquerer, First Queen of England (2011)
Paul Hilliam--William the Conquerer: First Norman King of England
M. Morris--The Norman Conquest (2012)
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