Matilda was born into nobility as the daughter of the Count of Flanders, one of the original fiefdoms of France. On her mother’s side, Matilda was the granddaughter of the King of the Franks, Robert II of France. Her cousin Duke William II of Normandy took a liking to the fresh young beauty, but she rebuffed his marriage proposal which had been delivered by messenger; Matilda believed marrying William would be marrying down. You see, William was a bastard, the child of his father, the then Duke of Normandy, and his mistress. According to legend, the outraged William rode his horse from Normandy to Bruges in order to confront the arrogant girl himself. It was said he found her on her way to church, grabbed her by her braids, threw her off her horse and then rode away. Others say this even took place in her father’s house where William, again grabbing the insolent girl by the braids, threw her to the ground and then left. Apparently this made quite an impression on Matilda, for she suddenly found herself in love! Despite her father’s objections, not to mention the opposition of the Church (on the grounds of consanguinity because the pair were cousins), Matilda and William were finally married in 1051. Once married, Matilda added Duchess of Normandy to her titles. By all accounts, the union was a happy one. Certainly it was a success in the bedroom, as the couple produced nine children together. Once her husband successfully conquered England, Matilda then became Queen Consort of England (although she preferred to stay in Normandy).
