Matilda of Scotland

1080 - 1118  (~ 38 years)

• Name	Matilda of Scotland
  Born	ca 1080	Dunfermline Fife, Scotland
  Gender	Female
  Died	01 May 1118	Westminister Palace, London, England
  Buried	Westminster Abbey, London, England
  	Grave location, biography, and cathedral photo: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8428202
  Notes	Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_of_Scotland She was originally christened Edith, a Saxon name, but was crowned as "Matilda," a Norman name, when she married Henry I of England. Matilda was the daughter of the English Saxon princess Saint Margaret and the Scottish king Malcolm III. At the age of about six Matilda was sent with her sister to be educated in Romsey Abbey, near Southampton in southern England, where her aunt Cristina was abbess. It is not clear if she spent much time in Scotland thereafter. The Scottish princess was much sought-after as a bride. In 1093, when she was about 13, she was engaged to an English nobleman when her father and brother Edward were killed in a minor raid into England, and her mother died soon after; her fiance then abandoned the proposed marriage. In Scotland a messy succession conflict followed between Matilda's uncle Donald III, her half-brother Duncan II and brother Edgar until 1097. Matilda's whereabouts during this no doubt difficult period are uncertain. But after the suspicious death of William II of England in 1100 and accession of his brother Henry I, Matilda's prospects improved. Henry moved quickly to propose to her. It is said that he already knew and admired her, and she may indeed have spent time at the English court. Edgar was now secure on the Scottish throne, offering the prospect of better relations between the two countries, and Matilda also had the considerable advantage of Anglo-Saxon royal blood, descending from the royal family of Wessex. This was extremely important because although Henry had been born in England, he needed a bride with ties to the ancient Wessex line to increase his popularity with the English and to reconcile the Normans and Anglo-Saxons. There was also a difficulty about the marriage; a special church council was called to be satisfied that Matilda had not taken vows as a nun, which her emphatic testimony managed to convince them of. Matilda and Henry married in late 1100. They had two children who reached adulthood and two more who died young. Matilda led a literary and musical court, but was also pious. William of Malmesbury describes her as attending church barefoot at Lent, and washing the feet and kissing the hands of the sick. Matilda exhibited a particular interest in leprosy, founding at least two leper hospitals, including the institution that later became the parish church of St Giles-in-the-Fields. She had great interest in architecture and instigated the building of many Norman-style buildings, including Waltham Abbey and Holy Trinity Aldgate. She also had the first arched bridge in England built, at Stratford-le-Bow, as well as a bathhouse with piped-in water and public lavatories at Queenhithe. She took a role in government when her husband was away; many surviving charters are signed by her. Matilda lived to see her daughter Matilda become Holy Roman Empress but died two years before the drowning of her son William. Henry remarried, but had no further legitimate children, which caused a succession crisis known as The Anarchy. Matilda is buried in Westminster Abbey and was fondly remembered by her subjects as "Matilda the Good Queen" and "Matilda of Blessed Memory". There was an attempt to have her canonized, which was not pursued. Matilda is also thought to be the identity of the "Fair Lady" mentioned at the end of each verse in the nursery rhyme London Bridge Is Falling Down.
  Person ID	I36093	Master File
  Last Modified	14 Sep 2016

  
  

  Father	Malcolm III of Scotland,   b. ca 1031, Scotland ,   d. 13 Nov 1093, Alnwick, Northumberland, England  (Age ~ 62 years)
  Mother	Saint Margaret of Wessex, Queen of Scotland,   b. ca 1045, Hungary ,   d. 16 Nov 1093, Edinburgh Castle, Scotland  (Age ~ 48 years)
  Family ID	F14882	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Henry I (Beauclerc) of England,   b. ca 1068, Selby, Yorkshire ,   d. 01 Dec 1135, Saint-Denis-en-Lyons, Normandy, France  (Age ~ 67 years)
  Children	1. Matilda of England,   b. 07 Feb 1102, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England ,   d. 10 Sep 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France  (Age 65 years)
  Last Modified	12 Sep 2016
  Family ID	F14881	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart