Back to the Mainly The Normans calendar
The Kings and Emperors of Europe were always seeking ways to combine their countries and to stop the many wars which happened.
Henry I was no exception and in 1110 he betrothed his daughter, Matilda, to the German Emperor Henry V. Nothing unusual there you might say. Henry was 24 and
Matilda was 8. Less usual, you might now feel. They didn’t actually marry until 1114 by which time Matilda was 12 and obviously out of primary school hahaha.
Anyhow, Matilda became Empress of Germany and stayed married to Henry until he died in 1125 when he was 39 by which time Matilda was 23. They had no
children.
Three years later, Matilda married Geoffrey of Anjou, another
region in France, again at her father’s request. Anjou bordered Normandy and Henry thought this would stop war between the two regions. Henry was wrong. By the way
Matilda was now 26 while her new husband was only 15 and they lived in Anjou at first. Five years after their marriage they had a son called Henry who will also
appear later.
I wouldn’t want you to think that everything was now peaceful. The Normans had moved into Wales shortly after the conquest but the Welsh continued to
cause problems. Usually this was put down by the barons and nobles who ruled there but in 1114 Henry, possibly having no one to fight, led an expedition into the
Welsh countryside and forced the princes of Gwynedd and Powys, areas that still exist today (look them up), to submit to his rule.
Forward to 1120AD
