Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony
| Matilda of England | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Duchess of Saxony and of Bavaria | |
| Tenure | 1168–1180 |
| Born | January 6, 1156 Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 28 June 1189 (aged 33) Brunswick, Lower Saxony |
| Burial | Brunswick Cathedral, Lower Saxony |
| Spouse | Henry the Lion |
| Issue Detail |
Matilda, Countess of Perche and Coucy Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine Lothar of Bavaria Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Duke of Swabia William of Winchester, Lord of Lunenburg |
| House | Plantagenet / Angevin |
| Father | Henry II of England |
| Mother | Eleanor of Aquitaine |
Matilda of England (also called Maud; January 6, 1156 – 28 June 1189) was the eldest daughter of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Through her marriage with Henry the Lion, she was Duchess of Saxony and of Bavaria.
In 1165 Rainald of Dassel, Archbishop of Cologne, arrived at the court of King Henry II at Rouen, to negotiate a German match for Matilda. There was conflict during the negotiations, however, when Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester refused to greet the archbishop, alleging him to be a schismatic and a supporter of the anti-pope, Victor IV. The original plan to match a daughter of Henry II with a son of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, was abandoned, and instead Matilda left England in September 1167 to marry Henry the Lion.
She married Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, on 1 February 1168 at Minden Cathedral. They had four sons and one daughter:
Three other children are listed, by some sources, as having belonged to Henry and Matilda:
At the time of their marriage, Henry the Lion was one of the most powerful allies of Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. Matilda governed her husband's vast estates during his absence in the Holy Land from 1172 to 1173. In 1174, Henry the Lion became involved in a conflict with the Emperor Frederick, and Henry and Matilda were forced to flee Germany and take refuge in Normandy at her father's court in 1182. During this time at the royal court at Argentan, Matilda became acquainted with the Troubadour Bertran de Born, who, calling her "Elena" or "Lana", made her the object of his desire in two of his poems of "courtly love".
...
Wikipedia