Episodi

  • Episode 07: Adeliza I: 'Adeliza of Louvain'

    Episode 07: Adeliza I: 'Adeliza of Louvain'
    Oct 11 2023
    Adeliza I was the second Queen Consort of Henry I of England. Often overlooked by historians due to her young age and lack of charters, Adeliza ruled a divided England on the precipice of a civil war. As a widow, she held lands and castles in her own right in defiance of the anointed King, Stephen of Blois.

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    1 ora e 6 min
  • Episode 06: The Illegitimate Daughters of Henry I of England

    Episode 06: The Illegitimate Daughters of Henry I of England
    Sep 22 2023
    Henry I makes English History as the King of England who fathered the most illegitimate children. Rather than being ashamed of such offspring or pushing them into lives of obscurity as would be the routine of later Kings, Henry fostered an important network of alliances through the marriages of his illegitimate daughters. Join me on today's podcast to discuss the bastard daughters of Henry I, women who very much shaped English history but who are largely forgotten by the history books. Prepare for Matilda's galore.

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    54 min
  • Episode 05: Matilda II: 'Good Queen Edith of Scotland'

    Episode 05: Matilda II: 'Good Queen Edith of Scotland'
    Sep 17 2023

    Matilda of Scotland (1080-1118) was the first wife of Henry I of England. Baptised as Edith, Matilda was the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Queen Margaret of Wessex. Matilda's upbringing was not conventional; she was educated in the English abbeys of Wilton and Romsey, often wearing a veil to foil kidnapping attempts. As a result, Matilda would have to swear before an assembly of English Lords and Churchmen that she had not taken nun's vows in order to marry the King.

    Pious, well-born, and charitable, Matilda was a popular English Queen. Playing upon her noble descent from Edward the Confessor and emulating her mother's piety, she would become a champion of the English Church, often placing her at odds with her terrifying husband. Despite her husband's predisposition for violence, Matilda would bravely defy him on key matters of English policy, including the begetting of heirs; after providing the King with two children, Matilda proclaimed her duty complete and argued she found chastity preferable to lying with her husband.

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    1 ora e 20 min
  • Episode 04: Matilda I Meet Matilda II

    Episode 04: Matilda I Meet Matilda II
    Sep 13 2023

    1080 is a year famed within the reign of William the Conqueror; The year of peace between William and Robert Curthose, the final hammering of the Scots, the meeting of the Queen with her successor?

    In 1080, in Malcolm's tower Scotland, Queen Margaret of France gave birth to her fifth child and first baby girl, Edith of Scotland. Edith's christening would be an important show of unity between the previously warring countries, with Robert Curthose and his mother, Queen Matilda I, serving as godparents to the baby Edith. Unbeknownst to Matilda, the baby in her arms would become the wife of her youngest son, Henry I of England, and the second Norman Queen of England.

    Join me in this episode to discuss the meeting of two queens and the fascinating Anglo-Saxon heritage of England's second Matilda, plus her mother, Margaret of Scotland, role in the uprisings in the North against William the Conqueror.

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    35 min
  • Episode 03: The Princesses of Matilda I

    Episode 03: The Princesses of Matilda I
    Sep 12 2023

    Of Matilda's nine children, the three most famed are her adult sons: Robert of Normandy, King William Rufus (William II), and King Henry I. Whilst the history of the three warring brothers is certainly interesting, such a narrative overshadows the life of Matilda's other offspring, her six daughters, the first Normand princesses of England. Educated in Normandy and named for French Queens, Matilda's daughters became English Princesses upon their father's ascension to the throne in 1066. Despite their high-born status, the girls were often confused even in their own time, with some chroniclers only naming four princesses instead of six.

    Join me this podcast to discuss the lives of Matilda's six daughters and the many options open to Medieval English princesses. from hated Spanish marriages, to nun fashion trends, to mother of Kings, Matilda's daughters led dramatically disparate lives.

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    28 min
  • Episode 02: Matilda I: “Matilda of Flanders”

    Episode 02: Matilda I: “Matilda of Flanders”
    Sep 6 2023
    Our first Queen is Matilda of Flanders, first of her name, the wife of William the Conqueror. Often overshadowed by her militant husband, Matilda is a fascinating queen in her own right, holding significant power during her husbands reign as regent of Normandy. Although her marriage to William was very much a political match orchestrated by William and her father, it very quickly blossomed into a love match, founded on mutual love and affection. As the daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adela of France, Matilda was related to the royal houses of France and England. Her husband, William, although Duke of Normandy, was far below Matilda in terms of status, as he was a bastard. The pious Matilda was so outraged by her proposed marriage to a bastard that she initially refused to marry him. She would allegedly only changed her mind when William rode 70 miles to publicly berate her and pull her from her horse by hair. After that, Matilda would only marry William. William and Matilda would go on to have nine children, seven of which were born before William invaded England in 1066 and had himself proclaimed king. Although the marriage is thought to have been a happy one, it was very controversial; the pope refused the couple permission to marry. The ban would only be lifted in 1059, by which point William and Matilda had several children. Matilda was trusted with significant power by her husband, serving as regent of Normandy several times whilst William was in England. However, Matilda would betray Williams trust in 1077 by supporting her son, Robert’s rebellion, secretly sending her eldest son funds to be used against his father. Although William discovered her treachery, their marriage would surprisingly not suffer. William was at Matilda’s bedside when she passed away on November 2nd 1183. They had been married for thirty three years. William was so devastated by her death that he apparently never smiled again.

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    1 ora e 17 min
  • Episode 01: 45 Queens in 43 Minutes

    Episode 01: 45 Queens in 43 Minutes
    Sep 5 2023
    Want a little bit of an introduction to the stars of this podcast? Well this episode is for you. Listen to me struggle yo discuss 45 Queens in 43 minutes

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    43 min
  • Episode 0: Introduction

    Episode 0: Introduction
    Sep 5 2023
    An introduction to the QueenBPodcast

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    8 min