Friday, August 6, 2010

Matilda of Flanders

The Queen of William the Conqueror.
As queen, Matilda used her newfound wealth to continue financing and expanding the Holy Trinity Abbey back in Caen, although with her customary dedication to Christianity she enthusiastically supported the reforms of the English Church which her husband and Archbishop Lanfranc were introducing, including forbidding priestly marriage and the corrupt selling of church offices. Under his wife's influence, William became more and more religious as he grew older and the Queen's household was noted for its regular attendance of Mass and its exemplary morality. The Queen was certainly not above throwing a tantrum when her husband took a mistress and faced with his diminutive wife's rages, William eventually ceased his adulteries altogether.
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1 comment:

Gareth Russell said...

Thank you for the link. I loved researching Matilda's story!