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At the age of eight, she'd already begun an extraordinary career. She'd left England to marry Henry the Fifth, the King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Since then, she'd been fated as his empress at the greatest court in Europe, and as a result, she had a powerful sense of her own majesty. Matilda assumed that she would spend the rest of her life as a German empress, but when she was 23, her husband died suddenly and after 16 years abroad, Matilda came home to England. She was Henry's only heir and he chose this moment to ensure the future of his dynasty. This is Westminster Hall. In Matilda's day, it was probably the largest indoor space in Europe. It still has a daunting grandeur. It was at a ceremony here that Henry promised Matilda a startling new future. He was suggesting that for the first time a woman could rule in her own right as a female King. |
