6/26/2023 0 Comments Matilda catherine hanley![]() ![]() The same reason that opposition barons wee hesitant to switch sides when Matilda was in a strong position. The author massively underestimates self preservation as a motivation. ![]() The claim that the Londoners rejected her based solely off gender is silly as it is mentioned several times that London was loyal to Stephen, if for no other reason that Stephen and his brother controlled access to the main shipping harbor in France. ![]() The author is aghast that Matilda had the better claim and yet some Barons supported Stephen when her own father, King Henry I, "stole" the crown from his older brother, Robert - who, of course, had a stronger claim. In fact there are countless contemporary examples. Based on the author's argument you would think no crown was ever "stolen", no kingdom contested, no barons rebelled, and London never gave any ruler of England a hard time. However the author's entire thesis, that Empress Matilda was a shining light of medieval leadership and only her gender kept her from becoming Queen, or "female king" as she refers to the title is a problem. The author presents a nice narrative of the anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. ![]()
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