He and Eleanor then went to Rouen, where for the first time she met her mother-in-law Matilda, the daughter of Henry I of England and grand-daughter of the Conqueror, and the widowed empress of Germany who had nearly become queen of England in her own right. For all her ability and bravery, however, the arrogance of ‘the lady of the English’ had tipped the scales against her in a ferocious war of succession.
Even so she had sometimes shown herself magnificently resourceful. Trapped in Oxford during the winter of 1142, Matilda had herself lowered down from the castle walls and then with only three knights, dressed all in white like herself, had crossed the frozen river beneath and calmly walked unseen through Stephen’s camp to safety.
Source:
Seward, Desmond. “Duchess of Normandy.” Eleanor of Aquitaine. New York: Times , 1979. 74. Print.
Further Reading:
Aliénor d'Aquitaine (Eleanor of Aquitaine)
Empress Matilda / Empress Maude
Henry I of England / Henry Beauclerc
No comments, yet...