Matilda of Anjou

Matilda of Anjou
Matilda of Anjou
Duchess of Normandy
Spouse William Adelin
House House of Châteaudun
Father Fulk V, Count of Anjou
Mother Ermengarde, Countess of Maine
Born c. 1111
Anjou
Died c. 1154 (aged 46-53)
Fontevraud Abbey

Matilda of Anjou, born as Isabella d'Anjou or Alice, (c. 1111 – 1154) was married in 1119 to William Adelin, son and heir of Henry I of England. She was the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou, and his first wife Ermengarde, Countess of Maine (died 1126).

Their betrothal occurred when she was no more than eight years old. She adopted the name Matilda after her marriage in June 1119, as had her mother-in-law, Edith of Scotland, after her own marriage to Henry I. William and Matilda set out on a trip from Normandy to England on 25 November 1120.

A considerable party of hundreds of nobles, courtiers, other retinue, and ship's crew set sail on two or more ships, one of which was named the White Ship. On the crossing of the English Channel the White Ship was wrecked with the loss of all aboard save one. The disaster affected an entire generation of English and French politics as it threw the succession of the English throne into question.

While William had sailed on the White Ship, Matilda had not and survived her husband. She did not remarry and took vows at Fontevrault Abbey eventually becoming Abbess.

Ancestry

References

  • C. Warren Hollister (2001), Henry I

External links

Matilda of Anjou
House of Châteaudun
Born: c. 1101–07 Died: c. 1154
Royal titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Matilda of Scotland
Duchess consort of the Normans
1120 – 25 Nov 1120
Vacant
Title next held by
Adeliza of Louvain