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Stephen, he declared, hadn't brought peace and justice to England,and he was now a prisoner. So the English church spoke in the voice of Bishop Henry. We choose as Lady of England and Normandy the daughter of a king who was a peacemaker, a glorious king, a wealthy king, a good king, without peer in our time, and we promise her faith and support. This was a victory that Matilda had fought for six long years to achieve. So here at Winchester Matilda was recognised as England's lady, "domina" in Latin. What that meant was that she would have dominion, power, or lordship, of the kind that her father had enjoyed. And once she was anointed and crowned she would become a new kind of queen, one who would rule in her own right. |
