Research Article
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An Example of a Failed Female Succession in Medieval England: Why Empress Matilda Didn't Become Queen?

Year 2024, Issue: 53, 367 - 383, 30.04.2024
https://doi.org/10.52642/susbed.1410953

Abstract

King Henry I of England had lost his only legitimate son and legal heir to the throne in the tragic accident of the White Ship in 1120. Having lost his queen two years before, Henry needed a legitimate heir to succeed him and preserve the unity of the Anglo-Norman state on the continent and island, but his only remaining legitimate child was his daughter Matilda. The uncertainty of the succession raised the prospect of some of Henry's illegitimate children and the nephews. Moreover, the continental alliance forming around William Clito, the legitimate son of his brother Robert, whom he had held in captivity for twenty years, threatened both the Normandy lands and the English throne. In an extraordinary move, Henry declared his daughter Matilda, widowed after the death of his son-in-law Heinrich V, as his rightful heir. Although the Anglo-Norman nobles accepted Matilda's succession, after Henry's death, it was Henry's nephew Stephen, not Matilda, who succeeded to the throne of England. With Stephen as king, the uprising of Matilda and the nobles loyal to her plunged England into civil war.
This study aims to analyze the reasons behind Matilda's failure to ascend the throne of England. Matilda's throne candidate as a woman despite the absence of Anglo-Saxon and Norman succession tradition, Stephen's ascension to the throne after Henry's death, and Matilda's attitude during the civil war are analyzed with the help of contemporary sources, and an answer to the question of why Matilda could not become queen is sought.

References

  • ASC. (1961). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (D. Whitelock, Dü.) London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
  • Bartlett, R. (2020). Blood Royal: Dynastic Politics in Medieval Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Beem, C. (2009). Greater by Marriage: The Matrimonial Career of the Empress Matilda. C. Levin, & R. Bucholz (Dü) içinde, Queens & Power in Medieval and Early Modern England (s. 1-15). Lincoln; London: University of Nebraska Press.
  • Bradbury, J. (1990). Geoffrey V of Anjou, Count and Knigh. C. Harper-Bill, & R. Harvey (Dü) içinde, The Ideals and Practice of Medieval Knighthood (Cilt III, s. 21-38). Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
  • Bradbury, J. (2005). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-1153. Gloucestershire: The History Press.
  • Canterbury, G. o. (1879-1880). Opera (Cilt 2). (W. Stubbs, Dü.) London: Rolls Series.
  • Chibnall, M. (1991). The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother, and Lady of the English. Cambridge: Blackwell.
  • Creighton, O., & Wright, D. (2016). The Anarchy: War and Status in 12th-Century Landscapes of Conflict. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
  • Crouch, D. (2002). The Normans: History of a Dynasty. London: Hambledon Continuum.
  • Davis, R. H. (2013). King Stephen 1135-1154. New York; London: Routledge.
  • Gillingham, J. (1989). Love, Marriage and Politics in the Twelfth Century. Forum for Modern Language Studies, 25, 292-303.
  • Gillingham, J. (2001). The Angevin Empire. London: Arnold.
  • GND. (2003). The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumieges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigny. (E. M. Houts, Çev.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Green, J. (1986). The Government of England Under Henry I. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • GS. (1886). The Gesta Stephani Regis Anglorum. R. Howlett (Dü.) içinde, Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II., and Richard I. (Cilt III). London: Longman & CO.
  • Hexham, J. o. (1856). The Chronicles of John and Richard of Hexham. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England (Cilt IV). London: Seeleys.
  • Hollister, C., & Keefe, T. (1973). The Making of the Angevin Empire. Journal of British Studies, XII, 1-25.
  • Holweck, F. (1912). Pentecost (Whitsunday). The Catholic Encyclopedia, 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Huntingdon, H. o. (1879). Historia Anglorum (Cilt 74). (T. Arnold, Dü.) London: Rolls Series.
  • Ingulf. (1854). The History of Ingulf. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England (Cilt II). London: Seeleys.
  • Johnson, C., & Cronne, H. (1968). Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Keats-Rohan, K. (2016). Fortunes of War: Safe-Guarding Wallingford Castle and Honour 1135–60. P. Dalton, & D. Luscombe (Dü) içinde, Rulership and Rebellion in the Anglo-Norman World, c.1066–c.1216, Essays in Honour of Professor Edmund King (s. 125-149). London; New York: Routledge.
  • Keats-Rohan, K. S. (1989). The Devolution of the Honour of Wallingford, 1066–1148. Oxoniensia, LIV, 311-318.
  • Korkmaz, M. (2012). Mitoloji Sözlüğü. Ankara: Alter Yayıncılık.
  • Leyser, K. (1991). The Anglo-Norman Succession, 1120–1126. (M. Chibnall, Dü.) Anglo-Norman Studies VIII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990.
  • Mershman, F. (1907a). Advent. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Mershman, F. (1907b). All Saints' Day. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Norton, E. (2009). She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England. Gloucestershire: The History Press.
  • O'Callaghan, J. F. (1983). A History of Medieval Spain. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
  • Salisbury, J. o. (1956). Historia Pontificalis. (M. Chibnall, Dü.) Edinburgh.
  • Soyadı, A. (2020, Temmuz). Çalışma Başlığı. Selçuk İletişim, 13(2), 1-12.
  • Spencer, C. (2020). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. London: HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Tanner, H. (2002). Queenship: Office, Custom or Ad Hoc? The Case of Queen Matilda III of England (1135–52). B. Wheeler, & J. Parsons (Dü) içinde, Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady. New York; Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Thompson, K. (1994). William Talvas, Count of Ponthieu, and the Politics of the Anglo-Norman Realm. D. Bates, & A. Curry (Dü) içinde, England and Normandy in the Middle Ages. London; Rio Grande: The Hambledon Press.
  • Torigni, R. o. (1856). The Chronicles of Robert de Monte. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England. London: Seeleys.
  • Vitalis, O. (1980). The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis (Cilt VI). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Watkins, C. (2015). Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy. London: Penguin Press.
  • Worcester, F. o. (1854). The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. (T. Forrester, Çev.) London: Henry G. Bohn.
  • Worcester, J. o. (1995). The Chronicle of John of Worcester. (J. Bray, & P. MacGurk, Çev.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Orta Çağ İngiltere’sinde Başarısız Bir Kadın Veraseti Örneği: İmparatoriçe Matilda Neden Kraliçe Olamadı?

Year 2024, Issue: 53, 367 - 383, 30.04.2024
https://doi.org/10.52642/susbed.1410953

Abstract

İngiltere Kralı I. Henry 1120 yılında yaşanan trajik Beyaz Gemi kazasıyla tek meşru erkek çocuğunu ve tahtın yasal varisini kaybetmişti. Kazadan iki sene önce kraliçesini de kaybetmiş olan Henry’nin, kendisinden sonra tahta çıkarak Anglo-Norman devletinin kıta ve adadaki birliğini koruyacak yasal bir varise ihtiyacı vardı; fakat kalan tek meşru çocuğu kızı Matilda’ydı. Verasetin belirsizliği, Henry’nin gayrimeşru çocuklarından bazılarının ve yeğenlerinin taht adaylığını gündeme getiriyordu. Üstelik yirmi senedir esaret altında tuttuğu abisi Robert’ın meşru çocuğu William Clito etrafında şekillenen kıta ittifakı hem Normandiya topraklarını hem de İngiliz tahtını tehdit ediyordu. Henry sıra dışı bir hamle yaparak damadı V. Heinrich’in ölümünden sonra dul kalan kızı Matilda’yı yasal varisi ilan etmişti. Anglo-Norman soyluları Matilda’nın varis olmasını kabul etmişlerse de Henry’nin ölümünün ardından İngiltere tahtına Matilda değil, Henry’nin yeğeni Stephen oturmuştu. Stephen’ın kral olmasıyla birlikte Matilda ve ona bağlı soyluların ayaklanması İngiltere’yi iç savaşa sürükledi.
Bu çalışma Matilda’nın İngiltere tahtına çıkamamasının ardında yatan nedenleri incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Anglosakson ve Norman veraset geleneğinde bulunmamasına rağmen bir kadın olarak Matilda’nın varis yapılması, Henry’nin ölümünün ardından Stephen’ın tahta çıkması ve iç savaş sırasında Matilda’nın tutumu çağdaş kaynaklar yardımıyla incelenmiş; Matilda’nın neden kraliçe olamadığı sorusuna cevap aranmıştır.

Ethical Statement

Derginizde değerlendirilmek üzere Dergipark sistemi üzerinden yüklemiş olduğumuz “Orta Çağ İngiltere’sinde Başarısız Bir Kadın Veraseti Örneği: İmparatoriçe Matilda Neden Kraliçe Olamadı?” adlı çalışmamız herhangi bir Etik Kurul onayı gerektirmemektedir. Biliglerinize arz ederiz.

References

  • ASC. (1961). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. (D. Whitelock, Dü.) London: Eyre and Spottiswoode.
  • Bartlett, R. (2020). Blood Royal: Dynastic Politics in Medieval Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Beem, C. (2009). Greater by Marriage: The Matrimonial Career of the Empress Matilda. C. Levin, & R. Bucholz (Dü) içinde, Queens & Power in Medieval and Early Modern England (s. 1-15). Lincoln; London: University of Nebraska Press.
  • Bradbury, J. (1990). Geoffrey V of Anjou, Count and Knigh. C. Harper-Bill, & R. Harvey (Dü) içinde, The Ideals and Practice of Medieval Knighthood (Cilt III, s. 21-38). Woodbridge: Boydell Press.
  • Bradbury, J. (2005). Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-1153. Gloucestershire: The History Press.
  • Canterbury, G. o. (1879-1880). Opera (Cilt 2). (W. Stubbs, Dü.) London: Rolls Series.
  • Chibnall, M. (1991). The Empress Matilda: Queen Consort, Queen Mother, and Lady of the English. Cambridge: Blackwell.
  • Creighton, O., & Wright, D. (2016). The Anarchy: War and Status in 12th-Century Landscapes of Conflict. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.
  • Crouch, D. (2002). The Normans: History of a Dynasty. London: Hambledon Continuum.
  • Davis, R. H. (2013). King Stephen 1135-1154. New York; London: Routledge.
  • Gillingham, J. (1989). Love, Marriage and Politics in the Twelfth Century. Forum for Modern Language Studies, 25, 292-303.
  • Gillingham, J. (2001). The Angevin Empire. London: Arnold.
  • GND. (2003). The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumieges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigny. (E. M. Houts, Çev.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Green, J. (1986). The Government of England Under Henry I. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • GS. (1886). The Gesta Stephani Regis Anglorum. R. Howlett (Dü.) içinde, Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II., and Richard I. (Cilt III). London: Longman & CO.
  • Hexham, J. o. (1856). The Chronicles of John and Richard of Hexham. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England (Cilt IV). London: Seeleys.
  • Hollister, C., & Keefe, T. (1973). The Making of the Angevin Empire. Journal of British Studies, XII, 1-25.
  • Holweck, F. (1912). Pentecost (Whitsunday). The Catholic Encyclopedia, 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Huntingdon, H. o. (1879). Historia Anglorum (Cilt 74). (T. Arnold, Dü.) London: Rolls Series.
  • Ingulf. (1854). The History of Ingulf. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England (Cilt II). London: Seeleys.
  • Johnson, C., & Cronne, H. (1968). Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Keats-Rohan, K. (2016). Fortunes of War: Safe-Guarding Wallingford Castle and Honour 1135–60. P. Dalton, & D. Luscombe (Dü) içinde, Rulership and Rebellion in the Anglo-Norman World, c.1066–c.1216, Essays in Honour of Professor Edmund King (s. 125-149). London; New York: Routledge.
  • Keats-Rohan, K. S. (1989). The Devolution of the Honour of Wallingford, 1066–1148. Oxoniensia, LIV, 311-318.
  • Korkmaz, M. (2012). Mitoloji Sözlüğü. Ankara: Alter Yayıncılık.
  • Leyser, K. (1991). The Anglo-Norman Succession, 1120–1126. (M. Chibnall, Dü.) Anglo-Norman Studies VIII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990.
  • Mershman, F. (1907a). Advent. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Mershman, F. (1907b). All Saints' Day. The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • Norton, E. (2009). She Wolves: The Notorious Queens of England. Gloucestershire: The History Press.
  • O'Callaghan, J. F. (1983). A History of Medieval Spain. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
  • Salisbury, J. o. (1956). Historia Pontificalis. (M. Chibnall, Dü.) Edinburgh.
  • Soyadı, A. (2020, Temmuz). Çalışma Başlığı. Selçuk İletişim, 13(2), 1-12.
  • Spencer, C. (2020). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. London: HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Tanner, H. (2002). Queenship: Office, Custom or Ad Hoc? The Case of Queen Matilda III of England (1135–52). B. Wheeler, & J. Parsons (Dü) içinde, Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady. New York; Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Thompson, K. (1994). William Talvas, Count of Ponthieu, and the Politics of the Anglo-Norman Realm. D. Bates, & A. Curry (Dü) içinde, England and Normandy in the Middle Ages. London; Rio Grande: The Hambledon Press.
  • Torigni, R. o. (1856). The Chronicles of Robert de Monte. J. Stevenson (Dü.) içinde, The Church Historians of England. London: Seeleys.
  • Vitalis, O. (1980). The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis (Cilt VI). Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Watkins, C. (2015). Stephen: The Reign of Anarchy. London: Penguin Press.
  • Worcester, F. o. (1854). The Chronicle of Florence of Worcester. (T. Forrester, Çev.) London: Henry G. Bohn.
  • Worcester, J. o. (1995). The Chronicle of John of Worcester. (J. Bray, & P. MacGurk, Çev.) Oxford: Clarendon Press.
There are 39 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Medieval History (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Gökmen Günay Gökbayır 0000-0002-9861-2632

Sayime Durmaz 0000-0003-0989-4189

Publication Date April 30, 2024
Submission Date December 28, 2023
Acceptance Date January 30, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Issue: 53

Cite

APA Gökbayır, G. G., & Durmaz, S. (2024). Orta Çağ İngiltere’sinde Başarısız Bir Kadın Veraseti Örneği: İmparatoriçe Matilda Neden Kraliçe Olamadı?. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi(53), 367-383. https://doi.org/10.52642/susbed.1410953

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