Granddaughter of William the Conqueror and of King Malcolm of the Scots, and daughter of Henry I, Matilda fought for the throne of England, arguably hers by right, for nine years, and was denied it largely because she was a woman. Contemporary chroniclers said of her that she was "always superior to feminine softness and with a mind steeled and unbroken in adversity." Most of the serious work on her extraordinary, action-packed life and historical importance lies in untranslated German studies of the last century. In this book Marjorie Chibnall examines her career as a whole, as King Henry's daughter, as the wife and consort of Emperor Henry V, as Countess of Anjou after the emperor's death, and as regent for her son, Henry II. An outstanding biography, pieced together from archival sources all over Europe, it is of value and interest both to scholars and the general reader.

This book examines the emergence of the Normans, their characteristics as a group, and their various achievements in war, culture, and civilization.

The Normans were a product of history rather than a natural ethnic or regional group. This book explores what they believed made them a distinct people and how they constructed their identity. Marjorie Chibnall examines the enigma of the Northmen who first settled around the Seine estuary and built a principality that took their name and became the springboard for wider expansion and the conquest of England. The book moves on to study the rise of Normandy, and the integration and influence of other groups including the Saxons, the Franks and new Scandinavian leaders. The Normans' remarkable warfare and maritime successes are revealed in detail including their conquest of England, infiltration of Wales and Scotland, and assimilation in Ireland; and their campaigns in the South of Europe including southern Italy and the Mediterranean region. The book also examines the development of Norman culture; the writing of their own history; Norman myth; and their achievements in bringing together various racial and cultural elements to form a single people.

This book provides the most comprehensive examination of the Normans available and will be invaluable for students and all those interested in European history.

This book is the first comprehensive account for twenty years of the interaction between English and Norman traditions and institutions following the Conquest.

The first century of Anglo-Norman feudalism saw the 'rise of administrative kingship' under William, his sons, and Stephen and Henry Plantagenet. At the same time the Norman lords came to treat old English traditions as part of their heritage, and the fighting knights of the invading armies took the first steps towards becoming knights of the shire. In examining how these changes occurred, Marjorie Chibnall shows how reform movements in the western church, increasing literacy in government, population growth and changing patterns of trade all played their part in shaping the Anglo-Norman realm.

This book examines the emergence of the Normans, their characteristics as a group, and their various achievements in war, culture, and civilization.

The Normans were a product of history rather than a natural ethnic or regional group. This book explores what they believed made them a distinct people and how they constructed their identity. Marjorie Chibnall examines the enigma of the Northmen who first settled around the Seine estuary and built a principality that took their name and became the springboard for wider expansion and the conquest of England. The book moves on to study the rise of Normandy, and the integration and influence of other groups including the Saxons, the Franks and new Scandinavian leaders. The Normans' remarkable warfare and maritime successes are revealed in detail including their conquest of England, infiltration of Wales and Scotland, and assimilation in Ireland; and their campaigns in the South of Europe including southern Italy and the Mediterranean region. The book also examines the development of Norman culture; the writing of their own history; Norman myth; and their achievements in bringing together various racial and cultural elements to form a single people.

This book provides the most comprehensive examination of the Normans available and will be invaluable for students and all those interested in European history.