Five days of a busy program, more than two hundred delegates, including key Belgian ministers, academics and businessmen, and big plans for a series of bilateral agreements - the first state visit of Belgian monarchs in 40 years is in full swing in Canada. The trip of Philippe and Mathilde was supposed to highlight the importance of relations between the two countries, however, despite the obvious enthusiasm of the Belgian delegation, the Canadians, alas, were unable to show due respect to the guests.
We tell you what disappointments Their Majesties had to face on the other side of the Atlantic.
German flag instead of Belgian
Philippe, Mathilde and the rest of the Belgian delegation arrived in Ottawa on March 12, where a busy program awaited them from the very morning. IN last time King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola came here for a visit of this level in 1977. At the same time, the Belgian monarchs had to take part in a traditional ceremony that has been held here since 1906 - to plant a tree in the garden of the Governor General of Canada (formally the representative of the authority of Her Majesty Elizabeth II). Now about 130 maples and oaks grow on the territory of the residence, which symbolizes the unity of nations and peoples friendly to Canada.
Of course, the current rulers of Belgium, Philippe and Mathilde, also had to plant their own tree in the residence of Julie Payette (she has held the position of Governor General since last summer). Especially for this, before the ceremony itself, the organizers of the event decided to “highlight” the tree planted by King Baudouin by tying two crossed miniature flags of Canada and Belgium to it.
But the Belgian flag strangely turned out to be not Belgian at all... but German.
The organizers’ mistake is not difficult to explain: both flags differ from each other only in the location of the yellow, red and black stripes. In the German tricolor they are located horizontally, while in the Belgian they are vertical.
Fortunately, the contractors were able to notice and correct this misunderstanding before Philip and Matilda arrived on site. However, the news reached all local media - and it is naive to believe that this embarrassment never reached the ears of the monarchs.
However, Their Majesties maintained their dignity throughout the next day and later respectfully attended the ceremony marking the centenary of the end of the First World War. During those years, the Canadian army lost about a quarter of its soldiers liberating Belgium.
“We owe our freedom to your soldiers who came to our aid a hundred years ago,” said the king. “We Belgians will never forget this.”
"Demarche" by Justin Trudeau
However, the hiccup with the flags was not the only disappointment of Philip and Matilda during their visit. Over the next two days, the royal couple, as well as the ministers, businessmen and scientists who arrived with them, attended various forums, ceremonies, exhibitions and meetings with Canadian politicians and public figures, among which, however, the most important thing was not - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
To be fair, Trudeau was not obliged to meet with the Belgians: according to protocol, Philip and Mathilde were invited to Canada not by the government, but by the representative of the Queen of Great Britain, Julie Payette (as you know, Elizabeth is formally the head of Canada). Yet, as a senior diplomatic source told The Star, the Belgian delegation was serious about meeting the prime minister and is now “obviously” deeply disappointed.
Justin Trudeau's refusal to meet with representatives of the Belgian authorities is unprecedented in all respects.
So, in 1977, during the visit of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola, they were personally met by the then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin's father. In 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed Willem-Alexander and his wife Maxima (monarchs of the Netherlands), and Justin Trudeau himself personally shook hands with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2016, and in 2017 with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
Some members of the government have already openly accused their prime minister of lack of manners and “wrong prioritization.” The whole point is that in present moment Justin Trudeau is meeting with the steel industry in full force to curb panic over Donald Trump's abrupt decision to impose tariffs on US imports of steel and aluminum. However, some Internet users support the head of government, believing that he is doing the right thing by paying attention to workers instead of “eating caviar and drinking champagne” with a foreign king.
Trudeau himself delegated several government ministers, including the Minister of Trade, to meetings with the Belgians. Bilateral trade between Canada and Belgium has traditionally been important place in the economies of the two countries (last year the turnover was 6.5 billion dollars). Actually, as Belgian media report, it is the strengthening economic relations and became the main purpose of the visit of Philippe, Mathilde and other representatives of Belgium to Canada.
Severe weather conditions
In the homeland of Philip and Matilda, the temperature hardly ever drops to zero, so on the other side of the Atlantic, Their Majesties clearly had to get used to the local harsh spring - to the “minus” outside and relatively high humidity.
However, the weather was kind to the guests, but only at first: on the second day of the visit, the monarchs were caught at the Ottawa airport severe snowstorm, for which, apparently, the guests were not ready. Her Majesty Matilda had to make her way through the snow to the plane in a light coat with an open neck, without gloves and in suede pumps. Despite the fact that the queen definitely had a sheepskin coat, gloves and boots in her wardrobe, on the day when the lady needed warm clothes the most, her stylists chose a completely inappropriate outfit for her.
Philip and Matilda will stay in Canada until Saturday. The royal couple has two more stops ahead - in Toronto and Montreal.
Photo: Getty Images, East News, Legion-Media, Rex
While the King of the Belgians descends in direct male line from the German dynasty, his ancestry includes many rulers who ruled the territory of Belgium before 1831.
Through his grandmother, Queen Astrid, the King is a descendant of William I, King of the Netherlands, who was sovereign of Belgium from 1815 to 1830, and Josephine de Beauharnais, wife of Emperor Napoleon I, who ruled the Belgian lands in the early 19th century.
The king's ancestors also include representatives of the famous Habsburg dynasty, such as Empress Maria Theresa (18th century) and Emperor Charles V, born in Ghent in 1500. The latter was the grandson of Mary of Burgundy (born in Brussels in 1457, died in Bruges in 1482 ), heiress of the Duchy of Burgundy, the Duchy of Brabant and Limburg, and the countries of Flanders, Hainaut and Namur. Thanks to their connections with the Dukes of Burgundy, all medieval dynasties made enormous contributions to the history of Belgium and to the ancestry of the king of the Belgians.
In 1795 he was appointed by the Russian Tsar as colonel of the Izmailovsky regiment. imperial guard. Seven years later he became a general in the Russian army. The emperor wanted to make him his adjutant. Leopold refused. He would then take part in the campaign against Napoleon.
In 1815, Leopold received British citizenship, was made a field marshal, and married Princess Charlotte, heir to the British throne. A year later, she gives birth to a stillborn child and dies herself.
On July 21, 1831, he took the oath of office as the first King of the Belgians and devoted most of his reign to strengthening the young state.
Who represents the Belgian royal family today?
King Philip
His Majesty King Philippe was born in Brussels on April 15, 1960. He is the eldest son of King Albert II and Queen Paola and the grandson of King Leopold III and Queen Astrid.
The King was educated bilingually (Dutch and French) in Belgian public primary and secondary schools and later at the Belgian Royal Military Academy. Inspired by a passion for flying and space adventures Since childhood, he chose to join the Air Force, where he qualified as a fighter pilot. Having completed your military training, he left Belgium to continue his studies abroad. After one semester at Trinity College, Oxford (United Kingdom), he spent two years at Stanford University in the USA, from which he graduated with a Master's degree in Political Science.
Returning to Belgium in 1985, he began to become acquainted with political, social and economic life Belgium. This gave him a deep understanding of the country and its workings.
The death of King Baudouin in 1993 marked a turning point in the prince's life. After the accession of his father, King Albert II, to the throne, Philip became heir to the throne at the age of 33.
Prince Philip took the Honorary post of Chairman of the Belgian agency foreign trade. In this capacity, he led 85 economic missions abroad over the next 20 years. He built bridges between Belgian and foreign companies, as well as between Belgian companies.
Another of Prince Philip's main concerns is the sustainable development of Belgium. From 1993 to 2013 he was honorary chairman of the Federal Council for sustainable development, which brings together economic, social, environmental and scientific institutions from across the country to make recommendations to the federal government.
Following the abdication of King Albert's father, Prince Philippe took the oath of office before the united houses of parliament on 21 July 2013 and became the seventh King of the Belgians.
In 1999, He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz. King Philip and Queen Matilda combine family life with ceremonial and official duties. They personally oversee the upbringing of their four children, Elisabeth, Gabrielle, Emmanuelle and Eleanor. Children are given a multilingual education and the opportunity to attend school in Holland.
In his free time, The King and Queen enjoy reading and playing sports.
Queen Matilda
Her Majesty the Queen was born in Uccle on January 20, 1973. She is the daughter of Count and Countess Patrick d'Udekem d'Acoz.
She married Prince Philip on 4 December 1999 and they had four children: a daughter Elisabeth (2001), now Duchess of Brabant, two sons Gabriel (2003) and Emmanuel (2005) and another daughter Eleanor (2008). As a mother of four, the Queen gives great value to your family.
The Queen assists the King in carrying out his functions as head of state. These include numerous visits to institutions, contacts with the population, ceremonies in Belgium and abroad, state visits, promoting the image of Belgium abroad, with representatives various groups society and countless trips throughout the country.
In addition to her activities in the King's company, the Queen also devotes time to issues that are close to her heart. She visits regularly social institutions And medical centers. These contacts help her stay in touch with people and their needs and wants. The Queen attaches great importance to close contact with the population.
The Queen also deals with a number of social issues, including education, the status of women in society and literacy.
The Queen is Honorary President of the Missing and Sexually Exploited Children Trust. The welfare of children is a fundamental principle for her and she is dedicated to the fight against child abduction and all forms of sexual abuse.
The Queen has a wide interest in art and dance. She loves modern as well classical music and plays the piano. She also loves literature. She is an avid cyclist, tennis player and swimmer, and enjoys nature and outdoor activities.
Elisabeth, Princess of Belgium, Duchess of Brabant, was born in Anderlecht on October 25, 2001.
As the first born child of the King and Queen, Princess Elizabeth is first in the line of succession to the throne. When her father ascended the throne on July 21, 2013, Elizabeth became Duchess of Brabant.
Elisabeth attends secondary school in Brussels. She also speaks French and English and studies German.
On 7 September 2011, Elisabeth officially opened the new Princess Elisabeth Children's Hospital, part of the Ghent University Hospital. She also gave her name to an Antarctic research station.
Elisabeth lives with her parents, her brothers Gabriel and Emmanuel and her sister Eleanor at the Royal Palace of Laeken.
Elizabeth loves sports. She plays tennis, skiing and scuba diving. She also loves hiking, activities in contact with nature.
She took piano lessons for several years. Her musical interests include various types music. She loves to cook and is always looking for new recipes. Friendship is very important to her. She spends a lot of time with her friends. Reading is still a pleasure for her because it important source discoveries and inspiration.
She helps children with learning difficulties, the elderly and the homeless.
Gabriel, Prince of Belgium, was born in Anderlecht on August 20, 2003. Prince Gabriel is the second child of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
The Prince attends a Dutch language school high school in Brussels. French and English are also part of his education.
Prince Gabriel lives with his parents, sisters Elisabeth and Eleanor and brother Emmanuel at the Royal Palace of Laeken.
Prince Gabriel plays the piano. Engaged in the following sports: Football, Cycling, Tennis, Swimming, Skiing, Sailing. He is also a member of the hockey club.
Emmanuel, Prince of Belgium, was born in Anderlecht on 4 October 2005, the third child of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
Prince Emmanuel visits a Dutch language school primary school in Leuven. French and English are also part of his education.
Prince Emmanuel lives with his parents, sisters Elisabeth and Eleanor and brother Gabriel at the Royal Palace of Laeken.
Prince Emmanuel loves nature. He enjoys cycling, swimming, skiing and sailing. He also plays the flute.
Eleanor, Princess of Belgium, was born in Anderlecht on 16 April 2008, the fourth child of Their Majesties the King and Queen.
Princess Eleanor attends a Dutch language primary school in Brussels, but French and English are also part of her education.
Princess Eleanor lives with her parents, sister Elisabeth and two brothers Gabriel and Emmanuel at the Royal Palace of Laeken.
Princess Eleanor plays the violin and loves to read. She is very creative personality and loves to draw. He enjoys cycling, swimming, skiing and sailing.
Yesterday in Belgium, King Albert II abdicated the throne in favor of his son Philip. This is the second case in Belgian history of abdication in favor of a son (Leopold III in favor of Baudoin in 1950), and the 79-year-old king made a wise decision. Perhaps the experience of the Dutch queens pushed him to this.
So, a 53-year-old ascended the throne King Philip. His wife, a 40-year-old princess Mathilde became Queen of Belgium. I want to talk about her.
Nowadays the tradition of equal marriages for princes and princesses is practically no longer preserved. The offspring of royal families calmly marry representatives “of the people.” There is nothing wrong with this, of course, but the marriage of the Crown Prince of Belgium was not like that.
His bride, born Mathilde Maria Christina Ghislaine d'Oudekem d'Acoz, whom he married in 1999, is from a high-born family. Her father is the Belgian Count Patrick Henri d'Udekem d'Acoz, her mother is Polish Countess Anna Maria Komorowska, who moved to Belgium as a child. It is on the female line of the young Queen Matilda that I want to dwell in more detail, because it is very interesting.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium
The queen's mother, the now living Countess Anna Maria Komorowska, comes from an old family Polish Counts Komorowski coat of arms of Korczak. This genus comes from Aukštaitija and has been known since the beginning of the 15th century. September 27, 1469 The Hungarian king Matthew granted one of the Komorowski coat of arms of Korczak - Peter on Liptov and Orava - a count's dignity.
The family of counts and nobles of the Komorowski coat of arms of Korczak is included in the genealogical books of the nobles of the Kingdom of Poland, Vilna and Kovno provinces and in the matrix of the nobility of the Courland province.
By the way, the current President of Poland, Count Bronislaw Maria Komorowski, belongs to the same family. 
coat of arms of the Counts of Komorowski
For such a long time and glorious history The Counts of Komorowski became related to many noble families. The ancestors of the Belgian Queen Mathilde on her mother's side, Countess Komorowska (if we consider only 7 generations back in time), are:
Princes Sapieha- a famous noble family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which, having inherited mid-16th century centuries of ownership of the Olshansky princes, began to enjoy enormous influence. The peak of Sapieha's power came in beginning of XVIII centuries, when they waged internecine wars with the rest of the gentry, which ultimately undermined their strength. In those same years they also acquired the princely title. The Sapiehas were both governors of Vilnius and great hetmans of Lithuania.
Counts Zamoyski- Polish count family, which played an exceptional role in national history and culture. This branch comes from the fourth cousin of Hetman Jan, the Kholmsky castellan, also named Jan. His descendants occupied the most important positions until the partition of Poland. government positions. Among them are known, in particular, the great crown chancellor Andrzej Zamoyski (1716-92), his grandchildren Andrzej Artur (1800-74) and Wladyslaw Zamoyski (1803-68) - prominent figures in the Polish emigration.
Princes Czartoryski - princely family from among the Gediminovichs in Lithuania, then in the Lithuanian-Polish state of the coat of arms of Pahonia Lithuania. They got their surname from the name of the family estate Chartoryisk above the Styr River in Volyn. They descend from Constantine, the son of Coriat or Olgerd, the grandson of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas. This family is closely related to Russian surnames. Suffice it to say that Konstantin’s grandson, Alexander, was married to the daughter of the famous Shemyaki, his daughter to Prince Andrei Mozhaisky, and his granddaughter to the wife of boyar Obraztsov. And then - deeper.
Princes of Sangushki- Volyn princely family from among the Gediminovichs, to mid-18th century centuries, having accumulated in his hands enormous land holdings, including the Ostroh Ordination. From this family came many elders, governors and castellans.
Princes Lubomirski- Polish princely family dating back to the beginning of the 16th century. They come from the town of Lubomierz in Silesia, hence the name. IN late XVI centuries, they became rich in the management of salt mines, for which they were authorized by Stefan Batory, and received from the German emperor first count and then princely titles (second in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after the Radziwills). During the 17th century, the extensive possessions of the Ostrog and Koniecpolskis in the Dniester basin passed to the Lubomirskis through marriage alliances. The family split into several branches, Lancut, Rzeszow and Volyn, and established palaces in Warsaw, Lviv, Dubno and other cities. In the 18th century, the Lyubomirskys began to aim for the Polish throne.
Counts Potulitsky- Polish count family, based on the cabinet rescript of the Prussian king Frederick II dated April 28, 1780, allowing Michael-Bonaventure-Ignatius Potulitsky (1756-1806) to use the title of count.
Counts of Potocki- a noble, later Polish count family, which received its name from the village. Stream near Krakow. The Potocki rose to prominence at the end of the 16th century, when Chancellor Jan Zamoyski began to favor the Potocki brothers for their military abilities; then they were patronized by Sigismund III, especially for their intrigues against their previous patron, Zamoyski; finally, kinship with the Moldavian ruler Jeremiah Mogila made the Pototskys “kings” in Podolia and Ukraine.
Counts of Lubensky- Polish count and noble family. Dating back to the 17th century. Several Lubenskys were bishops, archbishops and governors. The family of counts Lubensky is included in the noble genealogical books of the Kingdom of Poland, and the noble branch is included in the VI part of the genealogical book of the Vilna province.
Now the descendant has such famous families, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, married to King Philip, four children: 
Princess Elizabeth (born 25 October 2001). She is the heir to the throne. Could become the first woman to ascend the throne of Belgium.
Prince Gabriel (born 20 August 2003).
Prince Emmanuel (born October 4, 2005).
Princess Eleanor (born 16 April 2008).
Queen Mathilde of Belgium
Saved
Matilda and her brother William were the only children of King Henry I of England and his first wife Matilda of Scotland. They were direct descendants of the Anglo-Saxon royal dynasty and William the Conqueror. When Matilda was only seven years old, her father arranged a marriage with Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor. Two years later, the girl was sent to be raised at the groom’s court, and already in 1114, a magnificent wedding of 12-year-old Matilda and 30-year-old Henry took place in Worms ( exact date The birth of the emperor has not been established). With this marriage, Matilda's father strengthened his position in the confrontation with French king, later the Anglo-German alliance would help stop French aggression in Normandy. The union of Matilda and Henry was childless, although there is speculation that she did give birth to an heir, who died in infancy. And according to one legend, the child survived and was given up to be raised foster parents. He subsequently became known as Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Wedding of Matilda and Henry V
Matilda's marriage ended sadly; at the age of 23 she was left a widow. By that time, a succession crisis was brewing in England. The fact is that in 1120, Matilda's brother William, the only legitimate heir to the English throne, died tragically in a shipwreck. The king faced a difficult choice of whom to appoint as heir to the throne. In England at that time there was no such tradition as in France - to crown an heir while the king was still alive. In England, any worthy and noble person could challenge and dispute the right to the crown. After her husband's death in 1125, Matilda returned to Normandy. Since her father's second marriage did not bring children, she became the main contender for the crown. However, Henry I also considered his nephew Stephen of Blois and Matilda's bastard half-brother, Robert of Gloucester, as heirs. As a result, Henry still chose Matilda, in the hope that she would still be able to give birth to a boy who would become an heir. At Christmas 1126 English king gathered all the Anglo-Norman barons and forced them to recognize Matilda and her future heir as the legitimate rulers. Stephen of Blois also took the oath.
The shipwreck in which Wilhelm died
The nobility, of course, was not delighted with this choice, but obeyed the king’s word. Firstly, at that time there were no cases in either England or Normandy when a woman ruled. In addition, Matilda spent most of her life outside home country, therefore, she did not have any personal connections or supporters among the local aristocracy. Secondly, the future queen had a rather difficult temperament, she was capricious, arrogant, arrogant, treated people with contempt, all this made it difficult to establish strong contacts with the nobility. However, the Anglo-Norman nobility still swore allegiance to her, with the condition of approving the candidacy of a future husband for Matilda.
But here Henry I outplayed everyone. He secretly betrothed his daughter to Geoffrey Plantagenet, son of the Count of Anjou, who, after his father's departure to crusade inherited his power. The nobles were furious. A Frenchman at the head of the Anglo-Norman monarchy, and even from the House of Angevin, with whom the Norman dukes had been competing for a century in Northern France. Contemporaries wrote that “all the English and French had an unkind word for this marriage.” The wedding took place in the summer of 1128, but the relationship between the spouses did not go well. Matilda was not delighted with her groom, since a wedding with the count would lower her royal status, and he was just a boy - Geoffroy was 14 years old, while Matilda was already 26. After a year of marriage, her husband exiled Matilda to Rouen along with all her property. The couple were reunited only in 1131, and in 1133 their first child, Henry Plantagenet, was born. IN next year she gave birth to a second son, Geoffroy, Count of Nantes, and two years later another son, Guillaume, Count of Poitou. The problem of succession to the throne was resolved, Henry I was calm. Their recent years He spent his life in Rouen, raising his eldest grandson, and trying to pacify the Norman barons, dissatisfied with the marriage of Geoffroy and Matilda.
Geoffrey of Anjou
The delicate balance was disrupted after the death of Henry I in 1135. Despite the fact that Stephen of Blois twice - in 1131 and 1133 - confirmed his oath of allegiance to Matilda, after the death of his uncle he decided to fight for the throne. He had many supporters both in England and Normandy. Upon news of the king's death, he immediately landed in England and was greeted with jubilation in London. Stephen was supported by the clergy, who controlled the royal administration, Bishop Roger of Salisbury and most English nobility. The reason for refusing to fulfill the oath, Stefan said, was that Matilda was allegedly illegitimate - her mother, before her marriage to Henry, stayed in a monastery and took a vow of celibacy, which means she could not lay claim to the crown. In general, at first Stefan held all the cards. In 1135, in London, he was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, he was supported by aristocrats, the barons swore allegiance to him, even Matilda's half-brother Robert.
Empress Matilda, Lady of the English
At this time, Matilda and her husband tried to subjugate Normandy. They established control over the most important fortresses along the southern border of their duchy, and in 1136 Geoffrey attempted to invade Normandy. But there he received rebuff from Stephen's supporters and agreed to a six-month truce. After this, the Angevin attacks resumed. Soon Stephen himself arrived in Normandy, but he was unable to decisively repel Matilda’s troops and returned to England. After this, the Angevins went on the offensive with new strength, they captured several fortresses in northwestern France, but the advance of Stephen's allied army drove them back to Anjou. However, in 1139 a full-scale outbreak broke out in England. civil war and the barons who supported Stephen were forced to leave Normandy. So, by 1144, Geoffrey managed to conquer most of the duchy and proclaim himself Duke of Normandy.
By 1139, the balance of power began to change. Matilda wasted no time and a year earlier tried to challenge Stephen's crown. She turned to the Pope, but the council of 1139 recognized Stephen's coronation as legal. But by that time the king began to gradually lose his influence. Robert of Gloucester went over to his sister’s side and gradually began to gather around him aristocrats who were dissatisfied with the king’s policies. And there were enough of them, especially after Stephen arrested Bishop Roger of Salisbury and tried to take away all his money and lands for his own benefit. This caused outrage among the church and the nobility. Even younger brother Stefan went over to Matilda's side.
Stefan of Blois
She, in turn, took advantage of the split and landed on the Sussex coast. Her brother Robert, who now led her party, settled in Bristol. Soon Matilda also moved there, and the city became the unofficial capital of her supporters. The army of Matilda and Robert conquered more and more lands, they were supported by Scotland. On February 2, 1141, the Battle of Lincoln took place, in which Stephen's troops suffered a crushing defeat, and the king himself was captured. He was taken to Bristol Castle to Matilda and kept there in chains. Now the path to power was clear. Matilda took over royal treasury, and on April 8, 1141, she was officially elected Queen of England, she received the title of Lady of the English, which was traditionally worn by monarchs in the period before their coronation. Matilda finally came to London, but the townspeople who sympathized with Stephen greeted her coldly. The queen immediately after her election began to distribute money, lands and titles to her supporters, and was so carried away that she even created six new earldom titles. Meanwhile, Londoners, dissatisfied with Matilda, began to organize themselves into military organizations to protect their freedoms. They were outraged by the arrogance and neglect of them on the part of the queen, and when she wanted to surround the city with a tag, they completely rebelled. The Londoners took up arms and drove the queen out of the city. At the same time, troops of Stephen's supporters, led by his wife Matilda of Boulogne, approached the walls of London. They also began to distribute land and money, which lured away some of the supporters of Empress Matilda.
Battle of Lincoln
Matilda retreated to Oxford and then arrived at Winchester. But unexpectedly, enemy forces approached the city walls. The Battle of Winchester turned into a stampede for the Empress's army. Matilda herself miraculously survived, but her brother Robert was captured. To save his life, Matilda gave up her main trump card - she freed Stefan. Thus ended Matilda's short reign, which lasted from April 8 to December 7, 1141. After this, Stephen returned to the throne and was greeted as a martyr. Both the church and the aristocrats were on his side. Matilda's supporters were threatened with excommunication. In 1142, the king went on the offensive and began to take revenge. So, he burned Oxford, where Matilda was then. She held the siege for three months, and when her supplies ran out, she fled across the ice-covered Thames from the fortress. The number of her supporters was inexorably declining, Stefan conquered more and more lands. Even the entry into the war of Matilda's son Henry Plantagenet did not bring her any benefit. In 1147 he returned to Normandy having suffered several defeats from the royal army. The following year Matilda left England.
After her defeat, she no longer took direct participation in the struggle for the English throne, and devoted herself to her family. The civil war did not end until 1153, when Stephen agreed to appoint Henry Plantagenet, Matilda's son, as his successor. Matilda indirectly influenced her son's politics and acted as a mediator during the conflict between her children. In 1167, Matilda died, and an epitaph was carved on her grave, which summed up difficult life queen: “Here lies buried the daughter, wife and mother of Henry, great by birth, even more by marriage, but most of all by motherhood.”
I continue to share with you what I dug up for the book, but never used.
By by and large, mania Henry VIII acquiring an heir is understandable: most civil wars (and not only in England) occurred due to the fact that the next contender for the throne was a) illegitimate, b) not recognized and rejected. Therefore, an exclusively legitimate son was required so that the mosquito would not undermine his nose. And no useless girls! In one of the films of Henry's theme ("Anne of a Thousand Days") this postulate (incorrectly!) is voiced as follows: "Never before has a woman ruled England!"
In fact, there was already one reigning queen in the history of England at that time. And although she was not officially crowned, she still remained in power for nine months. By and large, nothing good came of it, but she wasn’t allowed to rule normally! This historical thriller is much less known than the story of Henry and his wives, but no less interesting. In my book, Queen Matilda should have played quite important role, but in the process it became clear that she had not sewn on the sleeve. I had to remove it. 
Matilda (or, otherwise, Maud) was born in 1102. She was the daughter of King Henry I and his first wife Matilda (Edith) of Scotland. At the age of seven, she was betrothed to Henry V, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, who was 21 years older. A couple of years later, Matilda was sent to be raised by her future husband, but already at the age of 12 she became the full-fledged wife of a 33-year-old uncle. It is officially believed that their marriage was childless, although there is a legend that Matilda did give birth to one child (maybe not from her husband?), who for some reason was given to be raised, and this child was none other than the Catholic saint Thomas Becket ( Thomas of Canterbury). However, there are other, no less strange, legends about the origin of Becket.
In 1125, 23-year-old Matilda was left a widow and returned to England. The only legitimate heir of the loving Henry I, Wilhelm Adeline (Etheling), died during a shipwreck, and Henry decided to declare his daughter heir to the throne - what a scandal! He convened the notables and demanded that they swear allegiance to Matilda - in case he no longer had legitimate sons. The barons, although reluctantly, obeyed, and the oath was confirmed twice more after that. It must be said that Matilda, who spent most of her life in Germany, was not really known at the English court, so she had few supporters. But what was much worse was that Matilda enjoyed the reputation of a real bitch: she was arrogant, arrogant, power-hungry and despised everyone around, especially those of lower status. But if I smiled more often, look, everything would have turned out differently!
As one of the conditions for recognizing Matilda's right to the throne, peerage demanded mandatory agreement with the aristocratic public on the candidacy of the heiress's future husband. And here we need to make one digression. Unscrupulous writers and screenwriters created a myth that in the Middle Ages girls and married women They had absolutely no rights, but widows could do whatever their hearts desired. But alas, this was not the case. More precisely, not quite like that. Low-class widows really managed themselves as they wanted: they married according to their taste, managed the household, and even ran the business of their late husbands. But the widows (and orphans) of titled persons became, paradoxically as it may sound, the property of the Crown. The royal chancery had a Register of Rich Widows and Orphaned Heiresses - a register of rich widows and orphan heiresses. Orphans (with the approval of the king) were placed under the guardianship of wealthy relatives (who, of course, received income from their property until the girls were married off - however, the guardians themselves often married them). Widows had two duties: to appear periodically at court and to marry by order of the king (unless, of course, they could present convincing reasons why they could not do so). If the widow wanted to marry according to her choice, the king still had to approve it. Formally, a widow could pay a fee to the treasury and buy the right not to marry at all (except for entering a monastery), but this was too expensive and therefore almost never practiced.
So, the choice of a new husband for Matilda had to be approved by the aristocracy. However, Henry I carried out this matter secretly, organizing the betrothal of his daughter to Geoffrey (Gottfried) V of Anjou (aka Handsome, aka Plantagenet), the son of Count Fulk V of Anjou (future King of Jerusalem). The king needed this marriage to normalize the troubled situation in Normandy. Dissatisfaction with the engagement was universal and very loud, but in 1128 the wedding still took place. Matilda was 11 years older than her husband, and Geoffrey, according to chroniclers, was a rather spoiled teenager with the same shitty character as his wife. Their relationship did not work out, they constantly quarreled and even fought, until Geoffroy sent his wife from Anjou to Normandy with all her property.
Two years later, either Geoffroy had grown up and wiser, or Matilda had calmed down, one way or another, the couple began to live together and successfully raised three sons. In 1135, Henry I died. Taking advantage of the fact that the heir to the throne (her eldest son was only two years old at that time - he was not fit to be a king) was overseas, Henry's nephew, grandson of William the Conqueror, Stephen of Blois, declared his rights to the English throne ( aka Etienne de Blois, but this name is not usually used so as not to be confused with his father of the same name). There’s nothing, he said, for a woman to do on the throne, it’s nothing but disgrace. As a formal substantiation of his claims, Stefan stated that Matilda was illegitimate, since her mother was brought up in a monastery before her marriage, and therefore had no right to get married at all (although she did not take monastic vows, and the Council of the English clergy gave permission for her marriage with Heinrich). Another formal reason was that the nobles did not consent to the marriage of Matilda and Geoffroy, which means that the oath they took was declared non-shield.
Matilda at that time was pregnant with her third son and was unable to quickly respond to her cousin’s usurpation of the throne. London, which hated the heiress, greeted Stephen with delight, and in December 1135 he was crowned. At first, all the more or less significant barons of England and Normandy, and even Matilda’s half-brother, Henry’s natural son, the Earl of Gloucester, swore allegiance to him. However, Matilda was not going to give up. While she was carrying and giving birth to a child, Geoffroy gathered troops and captured several strategically important fortresses in Normandy. Having handed over the baby to the nannies, Matilda joined her husband, and the capture of Normandy continued with redoubled force. When Stephen arrived in Normandy with his troops, Anjou's position was shaken, but in 1139 he was forced to return to England, where a full-scale civil war began. By 1144, Geoffrey had captured most of Normandy and proclaimed himself duke.
While her husband was busy with Normandy, Matilda dealt with the offender personally. Back in 1138, she turned to the Pope with a demand to recognize Stephen's coronation as illegal. The matter was considered at the Second Lateran Council in 1139 and ended in an offensive defeat for Matilda. However, Stefan, whom everyone was so happy at first, acted extremely stupidly and very soon alienated even his most loyal supporters, including the Earl of Gloucester and own brother. The completely raider seizure of the property of the Bishop of Salisbury turned the clergy against Stephen. The Scots, who attacked the north of England, and Wales, where an uprising broke out, joined the general fray. With much fanfare, Matilda landed with an army on the coast of Sussex (note: she did not give orders from the castle trench, but acted at the head of the army!), and her brother Gloucester captured Bristol. At first they suffered a number of failures, but within a year almost the entire Western and southwestern part countries and a number of central counties were under their control, and the king of Scotland, who came out in support of Matilda, captured a fair part Northern England.
Early in 1141, Matilda captured her enemy and marched to Winchester, where she took possession of the royal treasury there. On April 8, she was officially proclaimed Queen of England and took the title "Lady of the English" (Domina Anglorum - Lady of the English), as they were usually called English monarchs before the coronation. After this she marched on London, which surrendered in June. However, things didn’t work out for Matilda in London. Mostly Stephen's supporters lived there, who organized their own wild army. When the queen tried to impose a land tax on the Londoners, they rebelled and drove Matilda out of the city with arms in their hands. At the same time, another army of Stephen’s supporters approached London, led by (don’t laugh!) another Matilda - his wife Matilda of Boulogne.
Well, what can you do, these are the warlike Matildas who were in the 12th century! This Matilda was more cunning and through bribery attracted many of Matilda No. 1’s associates to her side, including the Bishop of Winchester.
Offended by the latter's betrayal, Matilda No. 1 returned with an army to Winchester and besieged the bishop's palace. The army of Matilda No. 2 (of Boulogne), which was significantly superior in strength to the rival troops, rushed in pursuit. A fierce fight ensued between the women's armies, which ended in the disastrous defeat and flight of Matilda's army No. 1. The queen herself was saved with the help of her faithful servant Brian Fitz-Count (oh, you can write a separate novel about him, by the way, his wife was also called Matilda, but he was in love - completely platonically, of course, to the queen) and rushed to Brother Gloucester for help. However, bad luck - it turned out that he was also captured. After much deliberation, Matilda No. 1 exchanged the captive Stefan for her brother.
Meanwhile, the fickle public swung again towards Stefan. Firstly, in political and economic terms, Matilda showed herself to be an even greater fool, alienating even those who at one time defected to her from Stefan. Secondly, the beau monde considered Stefan a poor thing: his comrades spread rumors that Matilda kept him in chains at Bristol Castle. In December 1141, the English synod again recognized Stephen as king, and Matilda's supporters were threatened with excommunication. But that was not all!
Matilda refused to admit defeat, and most of England was still under her control. While she was gathering strength for a new breakthrough, Stefan unexpectedly went on the offensive and, with a powerful attack, captured strategically important objects, cutting off her connection with Normandy. In the autumn of 1142, Stephen's troops broke into Oxford, where Matilda was, and set the city on fire. Three months already former queen held the defense against many times superior forces Stephen, fortifying himself in Oxford Castle. When food ran out and no help arrived from Normandy, one day winter night Matilda, dressed in white, climbed down a rope from the castle wall and escaped along the ice of the Thames with three companions to Wallingford, which was under the control of the Fitz Count. And at that time she was already forty years old - an old woman at that time!
But even then Matilda did not give up. No more than a dozen counties remained under her control, and the number of supporters was steadily declining (even her beloved nephew, the son of Gloucester, betrayed her), but she was not going to give up the fight. And yet Stefan gradually squeezed more and more land from her. In 1147, Matilda suffered a heavy blow - Robert of Gloucester, her beloved brother, faithful comrade-in-arms and leader of her party in England, died. To support his mother in the hopeless struggle for the English throne, Henry Plantagenet, the eldest son of Matilda and Geoffrey, who was only 14 years old, landed in Northern England with a small detachment (Gaidar is crying bitterly under a bush!). Of course, nothing was going to happen to the guy, but he fought with such courage that he earned the admiration of his cousin Stephen, who did not take Henry prisoner, but, on the contrary, paid all the expenses for his return to Normandy. The following year, Matilda finally admitted defeat and, together with Fitz-Count, returned to the continent (according to other versions, Fitz-Count went to Jerusalem, where he died, or became a monk. By the way, for all his devotion, he even received a pathetic title from Matilda did not receive it, and remained a simple knight).
Well, then everything is boring. After returning, Matilda's relationship with her husband went wrong again, and she retired to Rouen, where she maintained her own court. The restless Henry made another attempt to fight his uncle, this time in alliance with the Scottish king and several English supporters of Matilda. They even managed to capture a few important objects, but Stephen soon gained the upper hand, and Henry returned home. In 1153 Geoffrey died, Henry became sole ruler Anjou, Touraine and Maine, as well as the Duke of Normandy. As soon as he renounced his claims to England, Stefan, who was almost annoyed twenty years war, and most of all finished off by the death of his beloved son, he himself invited Henry to conclude an agreement, according to which he was recognized as the heir to the English throne. A year later Stephen died and Henry II Plantagenet became English king. Matilda remained in Normandy, but at the same time - like a real imperious mother - she constantly interfered from across the sea in both the family and state affairs of her son-king. She died at the age of 65 in 1167.
