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rhaenin-time · 5 days

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So many people try to argue that the Dance should parallel the War of the Roses even though it was clearly written to parallel the Anarchy because, among several other matters, they hate that awkward fact that the war was resolved through a legal adoption. Which, yes, tells us that legally adopting an heir very much was acceptable in Medieval Europe.

#asoiaf #fire and blood #team black #asoiaf fandom #house of the dragon #anti team green #hotd sexism #rhaenyra targaryen #hotd #empress matilda

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perioddramasource · 1 year

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ALISON PILL as EMPRESS MAUD

The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

#chewieblog #userstream #ceremonial #cinematv #perioddramaedit #gifshistorical #femaledaily #useroptional #userthing #ours #*gifs #Gaby #supervalcsi #empress matilda #historyedit #periodedit #the pillars of the earth #empress maud

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tercessketchfield · 5 months

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MEN THINK ABOUT ROMAN EMPIRE. WOMEN THINK ABOUT HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

JUDITH OF BAVARIA (797-843) — Daughter of Count Welf I of Bavaria, Judith was a Carolingian Empress as the second wife of Louis I the Pious. Mother of Gisela and Charles the Bald, she foght for both her own influence at court and for the succession of her son over the claims of his elder half-brothers, the sons of Louis I from his first marriage. Charles became the Emperor in 875, after the death of Louis II, his nephew and a son of his half-brother Lothair / fancast: Annabel Scholey

MARIA OF AUSTRIA (1528-1603) — Daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Isabella of Portugal. She served as Regent of Spain both jointly with her husband, Maximilian (before their accession to the imperial throne), and in person, for her father, and brother, Philip II. Her children include two Holy Roman Emperors, Rudolf II and Matthias, over whom she held great influence, and queens consorts of Spain, and France / fancast: Olivia Cooke

EMPRESS MAUD (1102-1167) — Daughter of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland. Her first marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, gave her the title under which she came down into history, and was a source of great pride to Maud. Rightful heiress of Henry I, she confronted her cousin, King Stephen, in the civil war, known as the Anarchy, fighting ferociously for her rights. She failed in this for herself but won for her son Henry, who became king and established the Plantagenet dynasty in England / cast: Alison Pill in The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

MARIA THERESA (1717-1780) — She succeded her father Charles VI as the ruler of Habsburg monarchy in 1740, and devoutedly defended it against its enemies in the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Year's War. Wife of the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, she was a forceful personality and a competent ruler herself, reigning first in her own right, and later, jointly with her son Empreror Joseph II. Her children include two Holy Romam Emperors (Joseph II and Leopold II), queens consorts of Naples ans Sicily, and France / cast: Marie-Luise Stockinger in Maria Theresia (2017)

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lunasglow · 4 months

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Empress Matilda — Rhaenyra’s Historical Parallel

“We can think of Empress Matilda as the fierce nearly Norman queen, who battled her cousin Stephen and the sexism of medieval England for 19 long years, during a period described as ‘The Anarchy’. Basing her campaign in Oxford, Matilda battled, sieged, and even made an elaborate escape during her enduring efforts to claim the English throne.

Matilda would have been the first English Queen to rule in her own right, had she been crowned in 1141. She was the first woman to be named as heir to the English throne and she fought fiercely for her succession. As it happened, England wouldn’t see a queen for another 400 years.” — Museum of Oxford

#rhaenyra targaryen #the realms delight #the dragon queen #history #empress matilda #hotd #house of the dragon #fire and blood #team black #pro team black #aegon ii #anti team green

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lady-corrine · 1 month

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There is some contemporary evidence that Matilda actually voiced her objections. Robert de Torigni tells us directly that she was unwilling to acquiesce to the marriage; and a letter from Hildebert, archbishop of Tours, to Matilda expresses the wish that she would stop causing distress to her father through her ‘disobedience’. It is clear that her personal wishes were against it. But Matilda was a sensible woman, an intelligent woman, and she realised that her position would be hugely weakened if she did not go along with her father’s plans. On the one hand there was always the possibility that failing to follow his wishes would result in him removing her from the succession; and on the other, the barons would be much less likely to accept her if she did not produce heirs. (...) Matilda faced a straightforward and somewhat stark choice: however much she disliked the prospect, if she did not marry, and marry according to the king’s will, any chance of acceding to the throne would disappear. And so, as she would on multiple occasions during the rest of her life, Matilda put her ambitions ahead of her personal desires, and agreed to the match. (x)

King and council had neglected to consult the princess, however, and Rhaenyra proved to be very much her father’s daughter, with her own notions about whom she wished to wed. The princess knew much and more about Laenor Velaryon, and had no wish to be his bride. “My half-brothers would be more to his taste,” she told the king. (The princess always took care to refer to Queen Alicent’s sons as half-brothers, never as brothers.) And though His Grace reasoned with her, pleaded with her, shouted at her, and called her an ungrateful daughter, no words of his could budge her…until the king brought up the question of succession. What a king had done, a king could undo, Viserys pointed out. She would wed as he commanded, or he would make her half-brother Aegon his heir in place of her. At this the princess’s will gave way. Septon Eustace says she fell at her father’s knees and begged for his forgiveness, Mushroom that she spat in her father’s face, but both agree that in the end she consented to be married.

*Empress Matilda and Queen Rhaenyra opposing their marriages.

#rhaenyra targaryen #empress matilda #asoiaf #history #parallels #fire and blood #hotd

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cesareeborgia · 1 year

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↳ a brief guide to house plantagenet history: the anarchy (part 1)

#house plantagenet #henry i #henry ii #stephen i #empress matilda #matilda of boulogne #eleanor of aquitaine #the anarchy #white ship #english history #history #historicalevents*#plantagenetguide*#my gifs #creations*

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twinpeaksfireblogwithme · 2 years

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Empress Matilda / Rhaenyra Targaryen

she-wolves: the women who ruled england before elizabeth, helen castor / house of the dragon, ‘the heirs of the dragon’ & ‘second of his name’ / fire and blood, george rr martin

#hotd #empress matilda #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #asoiaf #op

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royal-confessions · 28 days

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“If there's ever a Queen Matilda of the UK (or whatever there'll be - I'm not psychic) then she should be styled as Matilda II in female solidarity with the Lady of the English. Margarethe II did something similar.” - Submitted by Anonymous

#empress matilda

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catherinetheprincessofwales · 11 months

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William, The Conqueror to Catherine, The Princess of Wales ⤜ The Princess of Wales is William I's 27th Great-Granddaughter via her paternal grandfather’s line.

William the Conqueror (m. Matilda of Flanders)

Henry I, King of England (m. Matilda of Scotland)

Empress Matilda (m. Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou)

Henry II, King of England (m. Eleanor of Aquitaine)

John I, King of England (m. Isabella of Angoulême)

Henry III, King of England (m. Eleanor of Provence)

Edmund, Earl of Lancaster (m. Blanche of Artois)

Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster (m. Matilda de Chaworth)

Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy (m. Henry de Percy, 3rd Lord Percy) - Coat of Arms

Sir Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland (m. Margaret de Neville)

Sir Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy (m. Elizabeth Mortimer)

Sir Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (m. Lady Eleanor Neville) - Coat of Arms

Sir Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (m. Eleanor, Baroness Poynings) - Coat of Arms

Lady Margaret Percy (m. Sir William Gascoigne)

Agnes Gascoigne (m. Sir Thomas Fairfax) - Gawthorpe Hall, family seat.

William Fairfax (m. Anne Baker) - Gilling Castle, family seat.

John Fairfax (m. Mary Birch) Master of the Great Hospital at Norwich, Norfolk

Rev. Benjamin Fairfax (m. Sarah Galliard), Preacher at Rumburgh, Suffolk.

Benjamin Fairfax (m. Bridget Stringer) died in Halesworth, Suffolk.

Sarah Fairfax (m. Rev. John Meadows) died in Ousedon, Suffolk.

Philip Meadows (m. Margaret Hall)

Sarah Meadows (m. Dr. David Martineau)

Thomas Martineau (m. Elizabeth Rankin) buried at Rosary Cemetery, Norwich.

Elizabeth Martineau (m. Dr. Thomas Michael Greenhow) died in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland.

Frances Elizabeth Greenhow (m. Francis Lupton)

Francis Martineau Lupton (m. Harriet Albina Davis)

Olive Christina Lupton (m. Richard Noel Middleton)

Peter Francis Middleton (m. Valerie Glassborow)

Michael Francis Middleton (m. Carole Elizabeth Goldsmith)

The Princess of Wales m. The Prince of Wales

#this took wayyy to long #princess of wales #william the conqueror #history #ancestry #pictures #people #brf #british royal family #empress matilda #henry ii #henry i #john i #king of england #henry iii #hotspur #KTD

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world-of-wales · 9 months

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⋆ William, The Conqueror to Prince George of Wales ⋆

⤜ William I ia Prince George's 28th Great-Grandfather via his mother's paternal line.

William I of England

Henry I of England

Empress Matilda

Henry II of England

John of England

Henry III of England

Edmund, Earl of Lancaster

Henry III, King of England

Henry, IIIrd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster

Sir Henry Percy, Ist Earl of Northumberland

Mary of Lancaster, Baroness Percy

Sir Henry Percy

Sir Henry Percy, IInd Earl of Northumberland

Sir Henry Percy, IIIrd Earl of Northumberland

Lady Margaret Percy

Agnes Gascoigne

William Fairfax

John Fairfax, Master of the Great Hospital

Rev. Benjamin Fairfax, Preacher at Rumburgh Church

Benjamin Fairfax

Sarah Fairfax

Philip Meadows, Mayor of Norwich

Sarah Meadows

Thomas Martineau

Frances Elizabeth Greenhow

Francis Martineau Lupton

Olive Christina Lupton

Peter Francis Middleton

Michael Francis Middleton

Catherine Elizabeth, The Princess of Wales

Prince George Alexander Louis of Wales

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adhdthomasthorne · 1 year

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HORRIBLE HISTORIES (2009-2014) | Matilda(s), Stephen... and Henry

#horrible histories #henry ii of england #empress matilda #jim howick #martha howe douglas #larry rickard #alice lowe #abba #tvedit #tvgifs #tvshowedit #tvshowgifs #horriblehistoriesedit #six idiots #history #mari's stuff #one of the best songs in horrible histories #top 5 for sure

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rhaenin-time · 2 months

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I worry that someone will capitalize on HotD by adapting The Anarchy into a historical fiction movie/show.

There's so much potential there: Empress Matilda fighting to be queen regnant in her own right — with her bastard brother (one of the most powerful and respected lords in the kingdom) as her right hand man. Versus not just her cousin, but his queen consort, Queen Matilda. Whom at one point, when Stephen was captured, was leading the cause on her husband's behalf.

That's right, Matilda vs. Matilda. One fighting for her own power, another for her husband's. To be forever compared and contrasted as the good woman and the troublesome one. At one point not only heading their causes against each other, but negotiating with each other when each takes their highest ranking male hostage.

It would be fascinating to explore how these two women were treated differently, are still treated differently.

Even though a Queen Regnant was unheard of, there was also no law against it (sound familiar?) Which meant that she was subjected to misogyny in a lot of insidious, "It's not because she's a woman; it's because she's a BAD woman," kind of ways. People would point to other reasons to obfuscate their true objection. You know, because that's how the patriarchy works.

One of my favourite examples is when Stephen's faction argued that, because her mother spent so much time at a convent as a young woman, that actually made her practically a nun. Which meant she had not been eligible to wed and therefore Matilda was a bastard with no claim to inheritance — even though not only had her father willed the throne to her, but no one objected to the fact that her father had given lands and titles to many of his actual bastards.

Empress Matilda was held to incredibly impossible standards. Not just by the people around her, but by historians. I mean, before her first husband died, she ran the Holy Roman Empire not just as his regent but later as dowager empress to stabilize the transition. She was, for good reason, confident in her abilities and for that, probably the word most associated with her is "haughty." She eventually stepped aside for her own son so her faction could make a truce with Stephen — who would remain king but adopt her son as his heir above his own trueborn sons (a + point for Laenor/Rhaenyra there). And still in her old age, people would come away from interactions with her saying she had tyrant vibes.

So why am I worried?

Because in the name of doing a 'feminist' adaptation, they will absolutely make it the story of two Matildas who were secretly and impossibly best friends when they were younger and all they want is PEACE! Queen Matilda didn't even want the throne dammit! She just went along with her husband like a good woman. She just listened to the Church after that! Empress Matilda didn't want to fight for her throne! It was all her bastard brother, Robert Of Gloucester! He just wanted to be able to rule through his sister!

Women are peaceful creatures! If only men would listen to them! But not too much and they definitely shouldn't demand they be listened to.

Feminism!

#hotd #hotd critical #asoiaf #fire and blood #rhaenyra targaryen #empress matilda #the anarchy #white feminism #benevolent sexism

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deweydecimalchickens · 8 months

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So I went down a rabbit hole after the throwaway comment about England's Queen(ish) Matilda/Maud in 'Only Murders in the Building'. You get a years-long civil war known as The Anarchy in the 12th century (Cadfael times) after Henry I died without a legitimate male heir (one legitimate daughter and 24 illegitimate kids). Henry's daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen are fighting for the throne. I maintain this period should actually be called The Bullshit for reasons including but not limited to:

Entire crisis precipitated by putting all your eggs in one basket, or in this case aristocrats in one boat. The White Ship disaster (which is caused by the passengers getting drunk on the heir's wine and wanting to race another boat) takes out, as far as I can tell, 300 people important enough to be doing international travel in 1120, including the heir to the throne and two of his half-siblings. It's a bit of a political problem.

Stephen, incidentally, was supposed to be on the White Ship but misses it because he's got the shits.

Henry I dies FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, of an honest-to-god SURFEIT OF LAMPREYS (palfreys, according to '1066 and All That'), not having managed to produce another legitimate male child despite apparently being very worried about it and marrying a second wife for this very purpose.

Stephen and Matilda basically fight to a standstill over multiple years with the amount of ridiculous capturings-and-escapings you'd expect from a children's cartoon where nobody can die and the villain has to come back next week, and not actual for-reals warfare. The country is nonfunctional while all this shit is going on. At one point Stephen just straight-up lets Matilda go, because he's too stupid to live, apparently.

Matilda gets as far as a coronation but is chased out by a hostile crowd because god forbid women do anything. She keeps the title 'Lady of the English' which is like when you don't get any more money but your job title gets fancier.

The eventual solution, that Stephen can keep the throne but Matilda's son will inherit, absolutely stinks of everyone else being sick of their nonsense and wanting it to be over. (Stephen has a son, but he's called Eustace so he's obviously shit, but nobody knows this because CS Lewis hasn't been invented yet.)

ANYWAY! That's not the point. The point is Adeliza of Louvain, Matilda's stepmother. Henry I marries her in 1121, after his first wife dies in 1118 and his only legitimate son dies in 1120. Her one job is to produce a male heir to ward off a succession crisis. He's a 54-year-old with 24 illegitimate kids who claimed the throne after his brother had a hunting accident. She's an 18-year-old who likes French poetry. They are together for fourteen years until Henry dies of eating goddamn eels in 1135. They have zero (0) children.

Henry's bits clearly work; see above re: 24 illegitimate children. Okay he's getting on, but that's not a problem for fathers the way it is for mothers. It's not like their part of the baby-making process is difficult or time-consuming.

Maybe she's tragically infertile? LOL NOPE. Three years after Henry dies, Adeliza remarries - to William d'Aubigny, who is six years younger than her. Starting in her thirties, she has seven children with him in twelve years before fucking off to an abbey.

I can only conclude Adeliza - barely an adult, married to the king of England, given the one job of Incubator With A Pulse - spent fourteen years fighting Henry off her lady parts with a shovel. As soon as she's free to marry her toyboy, she has ALL the babies, until she loses interest and does something else instead.

I want to talk to this incredible woman. I need a ouija board and someone who can speak Medieval French.

This has been an episode of Feverish History.

#Medieval history #The Anarchy #Adeliza of Louvain #Empress Matilda #Stephen de Blois #Feverish History #It's like Drunk History but you moderate your alcohol intake and also you have Covid

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tercessketchfield · 2 years

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— House of Normandy: QUEENS ♕

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kazz-brekker · 9 months

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top most iconic/interesting bits in when christ and his saints slept that apparently actually happened in real life:

stephen of blois besieging a castle that empress matilda was in, letting her go out of a misplaced sense of gallantry once she’d surrendered, and therefore causing the entire war to drag on for years longer

empress matilda escaping stephen’s army on a whole separate occasion by dressing in a white cloak and traveling during a blizzard so she couldn’t be seen

the 14 year old future henry ii invading england with an army he put to together himself and stephen paying him to turn around and leave until he was older

john marshal barricading himself in an abbey while under attack by stephen’s forces and outlasting his enemies even when they set the abbey on fire with him inside

eleanor of aquitaine having to evade suitors while traveling through france who wanted to kidnap and forcibly marry her after her divorce from the king, instead managing to successfully marry henry ii of her own choosing

stephen taking john marshal’s youngest son hostage, threatening to hang him if his father didn’t surrender, and john marshal basically saying “go ahead and do it” because (correctly) knew that stephen wouldn’t be able to go through with murdering a child

stephen’s eldest son eustace, who refused to give up his claim to the crown even after peace had been brokered, dying on the same day that henry ii’s first son with eleanor of aquitaine was born

#history is nuts!#i love that sharon kay penman correctly understood that real history was interesting enough she didn't need to add any other drama #any ONE of these things is wild but all of them together in the same book was pretty cool #john marshal…that man was HARDCORE #pie says stuff #when christ and his saints slept #books #sharon kay penman #the anarchy #empress matilda #stephen of blois

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hexgirllovesyou · 4 days

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Say hi to the new wallpaper for my laptop!

-The quote does not belong to me, I saw it on Instagram and just wanted to create something interesting

credit: @lookbackwithliv -

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