In 1141 there occurred a war within a war- known as the War of the Two Matildas. The main contestants of the Civil War known as The Anarchy were King Stephen and the Empress Matilda, but when Stephen was captured and imprisoned his wife the Queen Matilda kept his cause alive. For almost a year Matilda led her troops, defeating the Empress and driving her out of first London and then Winchester. A lesser known and underrated Queen, Matilda of Boulogne was a highly intelligent woman who hid her backbone of steel behind a facade of graciousness and smiles.
Sources/Further Reading
Weir, Alison: Queens of the Conquest
Bennet Connolly, Sharon: Women of the Anarchy
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