https://epistolae.ctl.columbia.edu/letter/174.html
Letters of royal and illustrious ladies of Great Britain, from the commencement of the twelfth century to the close of the reign of Queen Mary, volume 1, edited by Mary Anne Everett Wood, H. Colburn, London, 1846
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433075905988&view=1up&seq=41
Above: Matilda, Holy Roman Empress.
Empress Matilda (born circa 7 February 7, 1102, died September 10, 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. She travelled with her husband into Italy in 1116, was controversially crowned in St Peter's Basilica, and acted as the imperial regent in Italy. Matilda and Henry V had no children, and when he died in 1125, the imperial crown was claimed by his rival Lothair of Supplinburg.
Meanwhile, Matilda's younger brother, William Adelin, died in the White Ship disaster of 1120, leaving Matilda's father and England facing a potential succession crisis. On Emperor Henry V's death, Matilda was recalled to Normandy by her father, who arranged for her to marry Geoffrey of Anjou to form an alliance to protect his southern borders. Henry I had no further legitimate children and nominated Matilda as his heir, making his court swear an oath of loyalty to her and her successors, but the decision was not popular in the Anglo-Norman court. Henry died in 1135, but Matilda and Geoffrey faced opposition from Anglo-Norman barons. The throne was instead taken by Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois, who enjoyed the backing of the English Church. Stephen took steps to solidify his new regime but faced threats both from neighbouring powers and from opponents within his kingdom.
In 1139, Matilda crossed to England to take the kingdom by force, supported by her half-brother Robert of Gloucester and her uncle King David I of Scotland, while Geoffrey focused on conquering Normandy. Matilda's forces captured Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, but the Empress' attempt to be crowned at Westminster collapsed in the face of bitter opposition from the London crowds. As a result of this retreat, Matilda was never formally declared Queen of England, and was instead titled "Lady of the English" (Latin: domina Anglorum). Robert was captured following the Rout of Winchester in 1141, and Matilda agreed to exchange him for Stephen. Matilda became trapped in Oxford Castle by Stephen's forces that winter, and to avoid capture was forced to escape at night across the frozen River Isis to Abingdon, reputedly wearing white as camouflage in the snow. The war degenerated into a stalemate, with Matilda controlling much of the south-west of England, and Stephen the south-east and the Midlands. Large parts of the rest of the country were in the hands of local, independent barons.
Matilda returned to Normandy, now in the hands of her husband, in 1148, leaving her eldest son to continue the campaign in England; he eventually succeeded to the throne as Henry II in 1154, forming the Angevin Empire. She settled her court near Rouen and for the rest of her life concerned herself with the administration of Normandy, acting on her son's behalf when necessary. Particularly in the early years of her son's reign, she provided political advice and attempted to mediate during the Becket controversy. She worked extensively with the Church, founding Cistercian monasteries, and was known for her piety. She was buried under the high altar at Bec Abbey after her death in 1167.
Matilda wrote this letter to Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1165.
The letter:
THOMAE Cantuariensi archiepiscopo MATILDIS imperatrix.
Mandavit mihi dominus papa, et in remissionem peccatorum meorum injunxit, quatenus de pace et concordia inter filium meum regem et vos reformanda intromitterem, et vos ipsum eidem reconciliari satagerem. Inde etiam, sicut scitis, me requisistis. Unde majore affectione tam pro honore Dei, quam pro honore sanctae Ecclesiae rem istam incipere, et tractare curavi. Sed multum grave videtur regi, et baronibus suis, atque consilio, sicut vos dilexit, et honoravit, atque dominum totius regni sui, et omnium terrarum suarum constituit, et in majorem tandem honorem, quem habebat in tota terra sua, vos sublimavit, ut de caetero vobis securius debeat credere, praecipue cum asserant quod totum suum regnum, quantum potuistis, adversus eum turbastis, nec remansit in vobis, quin ad eum exhaeredandum pro viribus intenderitis. Eapropter mitto vobis fidelem et familiarem nostrum Laurentium archidiaconum, ut per eum sciam voluntatem vestram super his omnibus, et cujusmodi animum vos habetis erga filium meum, et qualiter vos continere volueritis, si contigerit, quod petitionem meam, et precem de vobis ad plenum exaudire voluerit. Unum quoque vobis veraciter dico, quia nisi per humilitatem magnam, et moderationem evidentissimam, gratiam regis recuperare non poteritis. Verumtatem quid super hoc facere volueritis, nuntio proprio, et litteris vestris mihi significate.
English translation:
To Thomas archbishop of Canterbury, Matilda the empress.
My lord pope sent to me, enjoining me, for the remission of my sins, to interfere to renewed peace and concord between you and the king, my son, and to try to reconcile you to him. You, as you well know, have asked the same thing from me; wherefore, with the more good-will, for the honour of God and the Holy Church, I have begun and carefully treated of that affair. But it seems a very hard thing to the king, as well as to his barons and council, seeing he so loved and honoured you, and appointed you lord of his whole kingdom and of all his lands, and raised you to the highest honours in the land, believing he might trust you rather than any other; and especially so, because he declares that you have, as far as you could, roused his whole kingdom against him; nor was it your fault that you did not disinherit him by main force. Therefore I send you my faithful servant, Archdeacon Laurence, that by him I may know your will in these affairs, and what sort of disposition you entertain towards my son, and how you intend to conduct yourself, if it should happen that he fully grants my petition and prayer on your behalf. One thing I plainly tell you, that you cannot recover the king's favour, except by great humility and most evident moderation. However, what you intend to do in this matter signify to me by my messenger and your letters.
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