Matilda of Scotland
(c. 1080-1118)
BIRTH
c. 1080
PLACE
Dunfermline, Scotland
NAME
Edith
DEATH
May 1, 1118
PLACE
Westminster, England
FAMILY
HUSBAND
Henry I
(c. 1068-1135)
HOMES
NICKNAMES
Good Queen Maud
RELIGIOUS VIEWS
CHRISTIAN
CATHOLIC
MEMBERSHIPS
AWARDS
Matilda of Scotland, born Edith, became queen of England when she married Henry I in 1100. Educated at Romsey and Wilton, she brought descent from the earlier English royal house to the Norman dynasty. She governed during Henry’s absences, participated in his council and corresponded with Archbishop Anselm during his disputes with the king. A patron of churches and literature, she commissioned a life of her mother, Margaret. She died in 1118.
EARLY LIFE
Matilda was born in about 1080, probably in Dunfermline, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret, a member of the English royal house of Wessex. She was christened Edith. As a girl she was sent to England to be educated at the abbeys of Romsey and Wilton under her aunt Cristina, a nun. Her parents both died in 1093. Her marriage to Henry I was questioned because she had worn a nun's veil, but a church council ruled that she had not taken vows.
Matilda married Henry I on November 11, 1100, and was crowned queen, taking the name Matilda. The marriage linked the Norman dynasty to the old English royal line.
She had two surviving children, Matilda, later Empress, and William Adelin. She was active in government and served as regent during Henry's absences in Normandy. She was a patron of learning and music and founded a leper hospital at St. Giles, near London.
Matilda died at Westminster on May 1, 1118, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
CAREER
DEATH
Educated at Romsey and Wilton, she brought descent from the earlier English royal house to the Norman dynasty. A patron of churches and literature, she commissioned a life of her mother, Margaret. Matilda married Henry I on November 11, 1100, and was crowned queen, taking the name Matilda. The marriage linked the Norman dynasty to the old English royal line. She had two surviving children, Matilda, later Empress, and William Adelin. She was active in government and served as regent during Henry's absences in Normandy. She was a patron of learning and music and founded a leper hospital at St. Giles, near London. Matilda of Scotland died on May 1, 1118, in Westminster, England. The available biographical account does not describe a continuous final medical course. It gives no dependable sequence of treatment and last symptoms from which to reconstruct a more detailed bedside narrative.
POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
Matilda of Scotland, Henry I’s queen, not their daughter the Empress Matilda. Huneycutt is dedicated biography; the Empress Matilda book concerns her daughter. Five dedicated biographies were not identified. These editorial selections include biographies where available, with personal writings, collective biography, reference works and related studies clearly labelled.
1. Matilda of Scotland: A Study in Medieval Queenship — Lois L. Huneycutt. Find on Amazon
2. Queens of the Conquest: England’s Medieval Queens — Alison Weir. [Collective biography] Find on Amazon
3. Queens Consort: England’s Medieval Queens — Lisa Hilton. [Collective biography] Find on Amazon
4. Henry I: The Father of His People — Edmund King. [Related biography of her husband] Find on Amazon
5. The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English — Marjorie Chibnall. [Related biography of her daughter] Find on Amazon
102313