In TWO HOUSES, TWO KINGDOMS she brings vividly to life an extraordinary cast of characters, the men and women through whom the kingdoms of England France took shape, telling their story with wit, wisdom, and formidable scholarship.” Helen Castor “Catherine Hanley knows the twelfth and thirteenth centuries like the back of her hand. Much of what comes in between reads like the plot of a soap opera peopled by larger-than-life characters.” Katherine Harvey, The Sunday Times No doubt there were more strict gender roles and it certainly might have played a role, perhaps even a significant role, in the outcome but the absurd and simplistic conclusion that every problem Matilda encountered came down to gender is truly head scratching.“Catherine Hanley’s engaging account of England and France during the 12th and 13th centuries covers a turbulent period bookended by the accession of Henry I (after the suspicious death of his brother William Rufus) and the marriage of Edward II to Isabella of France (she would later be implicated in his murder). In the end the author concludes that Matilda did not rule England simply because she was a woman. She is distraught at the fact that Matilda is promised to marry Geoffrey of Aquitaine because he is merely a count's son and is ten years younger yet, no complaints when Matilda is set to wed the future Emperor Henry who was much older than she was. The author goes on to complain about unfair treatment in hostile chronicles, while uncritically embracing the favorable chronicles. The same reason that opposition barons wee hesitant to switch sides when Matilda was in a strong position.

The author massively underestimates self preservation as a motivation.

The claim that the Londoners rejected her based solely off gender is silly as it is mentioned several times that London was loyal to Stephen, if for no other reason that Stephen and his brother controlled access to the main shipping harbor in France.

The author is aghast that Matilda had the better claim and yet some Barons supported Stephen when her own father, King Henry I, 'stole' the crown from his older brother, Robert - who, of course, had a stronger claim. In fact there are countless contemporary examples. Based on the author's argument you would think no crown was ever 'stolen', no kingdom contested, no barons rebelled, and London never gave any ruler of England a hard time. However the author's entire thesis, that Empress Matilda was a shining light of medieval leadership and only her gender kept her from becoming Queen, or 'female king' as she refers to the title is a problem. The author presents a nice narrative of the anarchy, the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda.

Matilda by Catherine Hanley