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It was becoming clear that Matilda herself would have to stand at the centre, the campaign to secure her inheritance. Her uniquely royal blood - despite the female body in which it was housed - represented the only hope of challenging the sanctity of Stephen's coronation. And so, in 1139, Matilda set foot on English soil for the first time in eight years. She came here, to Arundel Castle. News quickly reached Stephen of Matilda's arrival and he lost no time in marching an army to Arundel's gates. For once, Matilda's sex worked to her benefit, not her disadvantage. She was the daughter of a king, the widow of an emperor and Stephen's own cousin. Attempting to wage war on a woman of such exulted status would be a profoundly risky business. So Stephen was reluctantly persuaded to allow Matilda to leave Arundel. This played straight into Matilda's hands. She immediately went to Bristol, where Robert of Gloucester waited in his fortress. |
