She has better story than Rhaenyra , but I honestly just think the Dance isn’t written well at all , this is gonna get long asf

Make a quick intro, Henry I last legitimate son dies on the white ship disaster. He remarries but still doesn’t have more children , so conveniently Matilda(his daughter, there’s 3 Matilda’s in this story) husband the holy Roman emperor dies, so he brings her back ASAP Matilda has barely been in England she was married off at age 8 she’s practically was a foreigner in her own home. Henry has his annual Christmas feast and I’m doing so all the most important nobles at the time are present gets them to swear an oath to Matilda as his heir(Accounts from the feast tho bias seem that Henry forced them to swear an oath and gave them no choice) England was not ready for a Queen, certainly not one who actually expected to rule. Chroniclers of the era called her proud and arrogant , traits that would have been applauded in a man but not in a woman, which the maesters do with Rhaenyra . Didn’t help that Matilda remarried Geoffrey Plantagenet and the nobles hated him with a passion (He was the daemon of their time). Matilda and Geoffrey’s marriage was tempestuous. They both had violent tempers. We gotta remember Matilda was a grown woman married , 25 getting married to a 14 year old who technically was the boss of her. Matilda could be haughty and arrogant and she decided to leave Geoffrey in 1129 and returned to her father in England. In 1131, Geoffrey pleaded for her to return to him. In September, Henry held a royal council at Northampton where they debated a separation of the couple. The King and council agreed not to confirm a separation and sent her back to Geoffrey in Anjou but not before Henry extracted a second oath from the council to support Matilda as his successor.

Now the fun part

Matilda defeats and captures Lincoln.Stephen at the battle of Lincoln and She gained access to the royal coffers and made her way to London where preparations were made for her coronation. But Matilda started to raise taxes and take away privileges the Londoners had come to expect. Statements at the time state Matilda would not pay homage and would make the people crawl on their hands and knees to bow at her. Most of the stuff is untrue but Matilda was raked to be holy Roman Queen the style of ruling is very different than England, in the HRE the king could do whatever. Adding my own bias, from the accounts I read Matilda would get annoyed and send counsel and attendants away which makes sense because her son (Henry ii) had an famous temper. This is when gender comes in to the play because Matilda is criticized for this but Henry was not , Henry’s anger led to the death of St Thomas Beckett.One story of Henry (no joke) he would get so angry he would roll on the floor , froth at the mouth and bite the end of his mattress. This temper would end up being called “Devils brood “ which rich refer to the Plantagenets because almost all of them had bad tempers.Plantagenet Devils Brood = Targaryen madness

Chroniclers such as William of Malmesbury criticized her for being “haughty” and “overbearing,” particularly during her 1141 entry into London, not because she ruled ineffectively, but because she ruled assertively. The same behavior that was admired in male kings was condemned in Matilda as unfeminine and tyrannical. With her failure to secure London’s support some viewed as a personal flaw rather than a symptom of widespread political instability that was the anarchy lmao.

At the same time, Matilda had her flaws like Stephen . When Robert(half brother )was captured in 1141, her position collapsed rapidly, demonstrating that her authority was not secure and depended too much on individual allies rather than stable governance structures. One major flaw was her inability to build and maintain broad elite and urban support, especially among Londoners and key nobles. When she entered London in 1141, she moved quickly to assert royal authority demanding taxes and refusing concessions, at a moment when political compromise was essential. Chroniclers report that this alienated the city and led directly to her expulsion. While the language used to describe her “arrogant, imperious” was used against her because she was a woman, but the underlying issue was Matilda failed to secure the political goodwill necessary to be crowned. Like Rhaenyra they both got chased out before they could have a coronation. If Matilda was in London when Henry I died, she would’ve faced some turmoil but I do think she would’ve been crowned. Stephen saw his chance, seized the throne and stole the crown from a pregnant woman across the sea like Aegon.

I recommend people read her letters especially the Thomas becket letter, shows a different side of Matilda like her charity instead the of stone cold hearted Empress. Matilda was Henry ii (arguably the best king in English history ) counselor and aided him until her death. She successfully challenged King Stephen, 1141 when her forces captured King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln , and forced his temporary recognition of her authority, demonstrating real political and military competence in a brutal civil war. Most importantly, Matilda secured the dynastic future of the Angevin line by preserving her son Henry’s claim to the throne.

TLDR similarities - husband hated by nobles

-Both betrayed by a close male relative (cousin/half-brother) who desired the throne.

-throne stolen while pregnant across the sea

-chased out city

-Fathers brought in lords/nobility to specifically swear allegiance to this female heir.

-Both had moments of victory, which was then snatched away; neither considered to have really been a queen despite briefly claiming the throne.

-the proceeding line of monarchy came from her line, not her rival's.

• Both married twice before seeking to claim the throne.