Matilda of England
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Matilda Plantagenet (1156 - July 13, 1189), also known as Maud, was the eldest daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Matilda was a younger maternal half-sister of Marie de Champagne and Alix of France. She was a younger sister of William, Count of Poitiers and Henry the Young King. She was also an older sister of Richard I of England, Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, Leonora of Aquitaine , Joan Plantagenet and John of England. She seems to have spent most of her early life in her mother's company before leaving England in 1167 to marry the Duke of Saxony.
She married Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, on February 1, 1168. They had five sons and one daughter. Among her sons was Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1177 - 1218).
Her husband became involved in a conflict with the Emperor Frederick, and Henry and Matilda were forced to flee Germany and take refuge at her father's court in 1182. When Henry died in 1189, Matilda survived him by only one week.
The picture shows an ideal portrait made between 1230 and 1240 on the tomb of Matilda and Henry the Lion in Brunswick cathedral.
Sources
- Ralph of Diceto
- Robert of Torigny
- Wheeler, Bonnie. Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady, 2002