The Many Roles of a Queen: Mathilda as...

A queen has the capability to take on several different roles, depending on the circumstance with which she is faced; her roles and subsequent actions, that is, are context-specific. A queen’s power is not fixed, since how she employs both her authority and influence is based upon the role she is fulfilling in that instance. Consequently, the queen is the sole member of the royal household who is able to realize her several important essential roles simultaneously, in order to exercise maximum authority and ensure that the domestic and political sphere of the royal household and the larger community maintain prolonged stability.

The variety of the queen’s roles is noted by many medieval authors. Hincmar of Reims, for example, states that the queen performed several governmental and familial tasks, because she was responsible for “the good management of the palace, and especially the royal dignity, as well as the gifts given annually to the officers” (219). With this statement, Hincmar acknowledges the queen’s position as one that transcends the royal household and enters the realm of the state’s politics. Hincmar’s description also applies to Mathilda as she is one English queen of the early twelfth-century who maintains several different roles throughout her lifetime. As a queen of notable longevity, she was able to exercise control over the decisions made during not only the rule of her husband, but also the rule of her sons and grandsons not only because this is part of her responsibility as mother.

Mathilda as Mother and Grandmother:

Mathilda played a vital role as mother. Since she had several children including three sons, Henry, Otto, and Brun, she was responsible for their education. She particularly had to ensure a proper political education for her sons not only because this was expected from her role as a mother, but also to further her own royal standing and political motives as they were the future rulers of the kingdom after her husband deceased. Additionally, due to the several children she bore, she had several male grandchildren who were also in line for the throne and were potential future kings of the region. Furthermore, during the reign of these male children and grandchildren, she was frequently able to influence their decisions and governance as they trusted her judgment and often acted upon her advice.

Mathilda as Spiritual Role Model:

Mathilda also acted very piously in a manner that a queen of the time period was expected to behave. She displayed several religious virtues, including charity, forgiveness, humility, and chastity, that can be likened to those of previous queens such as Helen and Radegund. This comparison validated her queenship in several aspects because it links her directly to the actions of her predecessors. She is said to have regularly went to the church during the nighttime in order to display her religious nature and then lay on the church floor to display her piety.

Mathilda as Wife and Queen:

Mathilda also exercised significant authority during her husband, King Henry I’s, reign; she influenced many of his political decisions. Furthermore, the queen maintained power over the many high-ranking officers, particularly, the chamberlain, who managed the royal treasury. Mathilda also acted as the key mediating figure between the king and the subjects. Additionally, in typical queenly custom, Mathilda was able to effectively be part of both the political and domestic spheres. Therefore, she essentially maintained a foothold in both royal realms and exercised control over matters both inside the castle and without.