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Matilda had won. But the cost of her victory was her own political eclipse. She wasn't even mentioned by name in the treaty that brought an end to the conflict that had dominated her life. It wasn't long though before her self denial was rewarded. Stephen died in October 1154 and two months later, almost exactly 19 years since Matilda's father had died, her son was crowned King Henry II. With her son safely on the throne, Matilda returned to Normandy and settled just outside its capital, Rouen, where she acted as Henry's councillor and sometimes his royal deputy. Matilda had shown how hard it was for a woman to rule in her own right. In the end she sacrificed her own claim to the throne to ensure her dynasty continued. She had lost the battle but she had won the war. Her father would have been proud of her and her son certainly was. |
