Empress Matilda

Empress Matilda A talk by Professor Elisabeth van Houts Tuesday 3rd November 7pm Empress Matilda (1102-67) and Ely during the civil war (1135-54). In this lecture, Professor van Houts will discuss Matilda’s unique position as the first uncrowned queen regnant of England, her struggle against her cousin King Stephen (1135-1154), and her ultimate support for her son Henry II, Stephen’s successor.

Elisabeth van Houts is a Life Fellow of Emmanuel College and Emeritus Honorary Professor of European Medieval History at the University of Cambridge. She has written widely on medieval Anglo-Norman history, gender and memory. Her most recent books are Married Life in the Middle Ages, 900-1300 (Oxford University Press, 2019) and Empress Matilda, Queen of the Romans and Ruler of the English, English Monarch Series (London, Yale University Press, 2026)