atilda, the daughter of Henry I of England and mother of Henry II, Matilda, b. February 1102, d. Sept. 10, 1167, was frustrated in her ambition to become queen of England. She first married (1114) Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. After his death (1125) she returned to England, where she was recognized (1127) as her father’s heir, her only legitimate brother having died in 1120. Matilda’s waspish personality and her unpopular marriage (1128) to Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, a bristling warrior, alienated her supporters. On Henry I’s death in 1135, Matilda’s cousin Stephen was proclaimed king, and she went to war to claim her inheritance. For a few months in 1141 she held the upper hand in the conflict, but she was never crowned. Matilda gave up her struggle and left England in 1148, spending her remaining years in Normandy. In 1154, however, her eldest son by Geoffrey, Henry, succeeded to the English throne. James W. Alexander. Bibliography: Cronne, H. A., The Reign of Stephen, 1135-54: Anarchy in England (1970); Davis, R. H. C., King Stephen, 3d ed. (1990). [Grolier’s On-Line Encyclopedia]

Matilda, the Empress Maud (1102-1167)
Claimant to the throne of England. On the death of her father, Henry I, 1135, the barons elected her cousin Stephen to be king. Matilda invaded England 1139, and was crowned by her supporters 1141. Civil war ensued until Stephen was finally recognized as king 1153, with Henry II (Matilda’s son) as his successor. Matilda was recognized during the reign of Henry I as his heir. She married first the Holy Roman emperor Henry V and, after his death, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou (1113-1151). © Copyright Helicon Publishing Ltd 1996. [The Hutchinson Encyclopedia]

Declared heiress-presumptive, as his only daughter, to Henry I in 1126. Carried on the civil war in England with Stephen. Known as "the Empress Maud." Proclaimed Sovereign lady of England and Normandy at Winchester, Apr 1141, although never crowned. Renounced her claim to Stephen for period of his life with remainder to her son Henry, later Henry II. {Burke’s Peerage and Chamber’s Biographical Dictionary} [GADD.GED]

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