by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Henry I of England, father of Richard of Lincoln; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard of Lincoln was one of the three children – one legitimate (Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir) and two illegitimate – of King Henry I of England who were killed in the tragic sinking of the White Ship in 1120. Richard was born before 1101. His mother was probably Ansfride (circa 1070 – 1164), who was sometimes called a mistress and sometimes called a concubine. Ansfride was the widow of Anskill of Abingdon, a knight and a tenant of Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, England, who died following a few days of harsh treatment after being imprisoned by King William II Rufus, King Henry I’s brother and predecessor. Richard’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Richard’s half-siblings.

Richard’s probable full siblings:

• Juliane of Fontevrault (circa 1090 – 1136), married Eustace de Pacy, Lord of Pacy, Breteuil, and Pont-Saint-Pierre, had two sons and two daughters
• Fulk FitzRoy (circa 1092 – 1132), a monk at Abingdon Abbey

Richard had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Matilda of Scotland:

• Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (1102 – 1167), married (1) Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, no children (2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, had three sons including King Henry II of England
• William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy (1103 – 1120), married Matilda of Anjou, no children, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir, died in the sinking of the White Ship

Richard was brought up and educated by Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln, who had also educated Richard’s half-brother Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester, another illegitimate son of King Henry I.

Richard fought in the war between his father and King Louis VI of France in which King Henry I had to defend his territories in the Duchy of Normandy, now part of France. Richard was at his father’s side during the siege of the castle of Évreux being held by Henry I’s most detested enemy, Amaury III de Montfort. Richard was also at the Battle of Brémule on August 20, 1119, where the decisive English victory led to Louis VI’s accepting Richard’s half-brother William Ætheling as Duke of Normandy. In 1120, Richard was betrothed to Amice de Gaël, daughter of Raoul II de Gaël, Lord of Gaël, Montfort, and Breteuil. However, the marriage never took place because of the tragedy of the White Ship on November 25, 1120.

Because the Kings of England still held Normandy (in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, Henry suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perch, Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

William Ætheling and his retinue boarded the ship in a festive mood and barrels of wine were brought on board to celebrate the return to England. Soon both passengers and crew were inebriated. By the time the ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board, including many high-ranking people of Norman England. William and his retinue ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized.

An 1866 watercolor by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise showing a scene from the sinking of the Blanche Nef or White Ship. A male figure, probably William Ætheling, is shown in a lifeboat to the lower left. He is shown full-length, standing with his hands clasped together and looking up towards his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche who is still on board the ship. Drowning men are shown trying to climb into the small boat which is soon to capsize; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche, and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

The people of the coastal communities of Normandy found bodies washed up on the beaches. Charles Spencer writes in his book The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream that among the bodies found was that of Richard of Lincoln. He had been in the water long enough to lose his facial features which had been eaten, rotted, or cut up by the rocks. Richard was identified by his clothing.

King Henry I mourning the loss of three children in the sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The sinking of the White Ship caused King Henry I to lose two illegitimate children, Richard of Lincoln and Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, and most importantly, King Henry I’s only son William Ætheling. King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In January 1121, Henry married a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day in 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize his daughter Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry I’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between first cousins Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for more than 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1154.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Ansfride Concubine #3 of Henry I King of England. geni_family_tree. (2022a, August 22). https://www.geni.com/people/Ansfride-Concubine-3-of-Henry-I-King-Of-England/6000000001563248849
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/
• Spencer, Charles. (2022). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. William Collins.
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023e). Richard of Lincoln, illegitimate son of Henry I of England. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_of_Lincoln_(illegitimate_son_of_Henry_I_of_England)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Juliane’s father KIng Henry I had around 25 illegitimate children; Credit – WIkipedia

Known for trying to shoot her father King Henry I of England with a crossbow after he allowed her two young daughters to be blinded, Juliane of Fontevrault (also called Juliane FitzRoy) was born circa 1090 at the Old Palace of Westminster in London, England. Her mother was probably Ansfride (circa 1070 – 1164), who was sometimes called a mistress and sometimes called a concubine. Ansfride was the widow of Anskill of Abingdon, a knight and a tenant of Abingdon Abbey in Abingdon, England, who died following a few days of harsh treatment after being imprisoned by King William II Rufus, King Henry I’s brother and predecessor. Juliane’s paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Juliane’s half-siblings.

Juliane’s probable full siblings:

• Fulk FitzRoy (circa 1092 – 1132), a monk at Abingdon Abbey
• Richard of Lincoln (circa 1094 – 1120), died in the sinking of the White Ship

Juliane had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage to Matilda of Scotland:

• Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (1102 – 1167), married (1) Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, no children (2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, had three sons including King Henry II of England
• William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy (1103 – 1120), married Matilda of Anjou, no children, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir, died in the sinking of the White Ship

In 1103, Juliane married the Norman noble Eustace de Pacy, Lord of Pacy, Breteuil, and Pont-Saint-Pierre (circa 1090 – 1136). Eustace was the illegitimate son of an unknown mother and Guillaume de Breteuil, a Benedictine abbot at the Notre-Dame de Breteuil Abbey in Breteuil, then in the Duchy of Normandy and a possession of England, now in France. Upon his father’s death in 1071, Guillaume de Breteuil inherited his father’s titles and extensive estates in Normandy. King Henry I arranged the marriage between Juliane and Guillaume’s son Eustace to have allies in the English strongholds of the Duchy of Normandy.

Juliane and Eustace had four children:

• Daughter #1 de Pacy
• Daughter #2 de Pacy
• Guillaume de Pacy (circa 1116 – 1153)
• Roger de Pacy (circa 1118 – ?)

The ruins of the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille; Credit – By I, Nitot, CC BY-SA 3.0,

In 1119, when the Norman nobles revolted against King Henry I, Juliane’s husband Eustace threatened to ally himself with the Norman nobles unless the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille in Ivry-la-Bataille in the Duchy of Normandy, which had belonged to his predecessors, was returned to him. At that time, the castle was in the possession of Eustace’s maternal fist cousin Raoul II de Gaël. King Henry I took his time dealing with the issue but assured Eustace that the issue would be concluded. To ensure his daughter and son-in-law’s loyalty, King Henry I took their two daughters as hostages and traded them for the son of Ralph Harnec, Constable of Ivry. While the son of Ralph Harnec was in the custody of Eustace and Juliane, Eustace had the boy’s eyes gouged out. Ralph Harnec demanded his right to retaliation because he had not been guilty of any offense against Eustace and Juliane that could justify that treatment of his son. King Henry I approved Harnec’s right to retaliate and Harnec gouged out the eyes and cut off the noses of Eustace and Juliane’s two daughters, King Henry I’s own grandchildren.

Juliane and Eustace were outraged. Eustace fortified his castles in the Duchy of Normandy at Lire, Gls, Pont-Saint-Pierre, and Pacy-sur-Eure. Juliane went to the Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille with the troops needed to guard the castle. The citizens of Bretuil refused to support her against the powerful King Henry I and opened the castle doors to him. Julianne agreed to meet with her father. However, when she went to the meeting, she took a crossbow and attempted to shoot him. King Henry I destroyed the drawbridge, confining Juliane to the castle. Eventually, Juliane managed to escape by having herself lowered along the wall into the moat, full of half-frozen water. She made her way to Eustace who was at his castle in Pacy-sur-Eure in the Duchy of Normandy.

King Henry I confiscated Juliane and Eustace’s property except for the castle in Pacy-sur-Eure. The Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille was given back to the de Gaël family for their loyalty to Henry. Juliane and Eustace begged King Henry I for forgiveness. He did forgive them and gave them 300 silver marks a year for the loss of Château d’Ivry-la-Bataille.

Fontrevault Abbey; Credit – By Pierre Mairé, PixAile.com – www.pixAile.com, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1356886

In 1123, Juliane became a nun at Fontevrault Abbey, near Chinon in the Duchy of Anjou, now in France. Some sources say her two blinded daughters went with her. Juliane died in 1136 at Fontevrault Abbey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Ansfride Concubine #3 of Henry I King of England. geni_family_tree. (2022a, August 22). https://www.geni.com/people/Ansfride-Concubine-3-of-Henry-I-King-Of-England/6000000001563248849
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
• Juliane Fitzroy. geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/Juliane-FitzRoy/6000000003219799748
• Lea. (2021). A King’s Daughter Who Attempted to Murder Her Father. https://worldroyals.medium.com/a-kings-daughter-who-attempted-to-murder-her-father-45a1a23de27f
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Juliane de Fontevrault. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_de_Fontevrault
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Juliane de Fontevrault. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliane_de_Fontevrault
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Julienne (Bâtarde). Wikipedia (French). https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julienne_(b%C3%A2tarde)

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

1840 drawing of Robert’s effigy in St James’ Priory, Bristol; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa the late 1080s-1095, Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. His paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders. Robert was the half-brother of Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (sometimes called Maud or Maude), King Henry I’s only legitimate surviving child, and was her chief military supporter during the long civil war (1135 – 1153) known as The Anarchy, when Matilda unsuccessfully battled with her first cousin Stephen of Blois for the throne of England.

King Henry I of England, the father of Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester was probably the eldest of his father’s many illegitimate children and King Henry I recognized him as his son at birth. He was probably born in Caen, then in the Duchy of Normandy, a possession of the English crown, now in France, before his father became King of England in 1100, during the reign of either his paternal grandfather King William I (the Conqueror) or his paternal uncle King William II Rufus. The identity of Robert’s mother is uncertain. Robert’s mother may have been an unknown woman from Caen, Duchy of Normandy. Robert was educated by Robert Bloet, Bishop of Lincoln who educated many noblemen, including illegitimate children of King Henry I. Robert spoke Latin, was interested in philosophy and history, and as an adult, was an active patron of science and art in England. Contemporary chroniclers Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Malmesbury both dedicated some of their works to Robert.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Robert’s half-siblings.

Robert had two royal half-siblings from her father’s marriage with Matilda of Scotland:

• Empress Matilda, Lady of the English (1102 – 1167), married (1) Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, no children (2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, had three sons including King Henry II of England
• William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy (1103 – 1120), married Matilda of Anjou, no children, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir, died in the sinking of the White Ship

Robert and his wife Mabel holding churches or abbeys which they founded or were benefactors of; Credit – Wikipedia

Robert married Mabel FitzRobert (circa 1100 – 1157), the daughter of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Gloucester and Glamorgan and Sybil de Montgomery. Mabel was the eldest of her father’s four children, all daughters, and because her three younger sisters became nuns, she was the sole heir to her father’s titles and vast estates in England, Wales, and Normandy upon his death in 1107.

Robert and Mabel had at least eight children:

• William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (1116 – 1183), married Hawise de Beaumont, had five children, including Isabella, 3rd Countess of Gloucester, the first wife of King John of England before he was king, their marriage was annulled
• Roger FitzRobert, Bishop of Worcester (? – 1179)
• Hamon FitzRobert (? – 1159), killed at the Siege of Toulouse
• Robert FitzRobert of Ilchester (? – before 1157), married Hawise de Redvers, had one daughter
• Richard FitzRobert, Lord Creully (? – 1175), married the daughter of Hughes de Montfort, had five children, inherited the Lordship of Creully from his mother Mabel
• Philip FitzRobert, (? – 1147), took part in the Second Crusade
• Matilda FitzRobert (? – 1190), married Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester, had three children.
• Mabel FitzRobert, married Aubrey de Vere

During the latter part of his father’s reign, Robert was the recognized leader of the Welsh border barons and of Norman expansion in southern Wales. His Lordship of Glamorgan which came from his wife, became a model for the economic and political organization of Anglo-Norman possessions in the conquered territories. However, in 1120 an event occurred that would affect the succession to the English throne and have an impact on many people, including Robert – the sinking of the White Ship.

The Sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

Because the Kings of England still held the Duchy of Normandy (now in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, King Henry I suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William Ætheling ’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William Ætheling’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized. William Ætheling’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William Ætheling ’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The tragedy of the White Ship resulted in King Henry I losing his only legitimate son and heir and two of his illegitimate children. All three were half-siblings of Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

Robert’s half sister Empress Matilda; Credit – Wikipedia

Although King Henry I had many illegitimate children, the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. King Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In 1118, King Henry I’s first wife Matilda of Scotland died, aged 38. In January 1121, King Henry I married for a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. King Henry I’s daughter 12-year-old daughter Matilda married 23-year-old Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1114. The couple had no children, and Heinrich died from cancer on May 23, 1125, at the age of 44, leaving Matilda as a 23-year-old childless widow with the choice of becoming a nun or remarrying. Some offers of marriage started to arrive but Matilda chose to return to her father’s court.

In 1126, King Henry I arranged for his daughter Matilda to marry Geoffrey of Anjou, eldest son of Fulk V, Count of Anjou. Matilda was quite unhappy about the marriage. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey and marriage to a future mere Count would diminish her status as the widow of an Emperor. Nevertheless, the couple was married on June 17, 1128. Matilda and Geoffrey did not get along and their marriage was stormy with frequent, long separations. Matilda insisted on retaining her title of Empress for the rest of her life. In 1129, her husband became Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou when his father left for the Holy Land where he was to become King of Jerusalem. Matilda and Geoffrey had three sons including the future King Henry II of England.

King Henry I’s choice of a successor fell to his daughter Matilda and her successors. On Christmas Day 1126, King Henry I gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize Matilda and any future legitimate heirs she might have as his successors. Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester did homage to his half-sister Matilda, recognizing her as his father’s successor in the kingdom. However, King Henry I’s plan did not work out.

King Stephen of England; Credit – Wikipedia

On December 1, 1135, King Henry I of England died. His nephew Stephen of Blois, the son of King Henry I’s sister Adela of Normandy and Stephen II, Count of Blois, quickly crossed the English Channel, arriving in England accompanied by his military household. With the help of his brother Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen seized power in England and was crowned King Stephen of England on December 22, 1135, at Westminster Abbey in London. Empress Matilda did not give up her claim to England and Normandy, leading to the long, brutal civil war known as The Anarchy between 1135 and 1153, known as “When Christ and His Saints Slept”.

Matilda’s husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou; Credit – Wikipedia

For the first few years after the death of his father King Henry I and the usurpation of the crown by his first cousin King Stephen, Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester was an inactive spectator of the struggle between his half-sister Matilda and his first cousin Stephen for the English throne. In June 1138, Matilda’s husband Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou persuaded Robert to join the faction opposing King Stephen. Robert rebelled against King Stephen, starting the beginnings of civil war in England. Meanwhile, Matilda’s husband Geoffrey took advantage of the situation by invading Normandy. Matilda’s maternal uncle King David I of Scotland invaded the north of England and announced that he was supporting the claim of Matilda to the English throne. Matilda gathered an invasion army and landed in England in September 1139 with the support of her half-brother Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester who served as her commander and several powerful barons.

In 1141, at the Battle of Lincoln where Robert commanded Matilda’s forces, King Stephen was captured, imprisoned, and deposed and Matilda ruled for a short time. Stephen’s brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester turned against his brother and a church council at Winchester declared that Stephen was deposed and declared Empress Matilda “Lady of the English.” Stephen’s wife Matilda of Boulogne rallied Stephen’s supporters and raised an army with the help of William of Ypres, Stephen’s chief lieutenant. Matilda of Boulogne recaptured London for Stephen and forced Matilda to withdraw from the Siege of Winchester, leading to Stephen’s release in 1141 in exchange for Matilda’s half-brother Robert who had also been captured.

By freeing Stephen, Matilda gave up her best chance of becoming Queen of England. The civil war continued for several more years, without much success, with alternate triumphs and defeats. However, it came to a quiet close in 1147 when Matilda’s half-brother Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester, her valiant commander, died at Bristol Castle in Bristol, England. Robert was buried at St. James’ Priory in Bristol, which he had founded in 1129. Deprived of Robert’s protection, Matilda returned to Normandy in 1147 where she focused on stabilizing the Duchy of Normandy and promoting the rights of her son Henry FitzEmpress, the future King Henry II, to the English throne.

Matilda’s son King Henry II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Although Robert, Earl of Gloucester did not achieve his goal of seeing his half-sister become Queen of England, Matilda lived long enough to see her son Henry FitzEmpress firmly established on the English throne. In the 1154 Treaty of Winchester, King Stephen recognized Matilda’s son Henry FitzEmpress as his heir. Stephen died on October 25, 1154, and Henry ascended the throne as King Henry II, the first King of England from the House of Angevin. Matilda spent the rest of her life in Normandy, often acting as King Henry II’s representative and presiding over the government of the Duchy of Normandy. She died, aged about 65, on September 10, 1167, in Rouen, Duchy of Normandy, now in France.

Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester, Empress Matilda, King Stephen, and their families are characters in the late Sharon Kay Penman‘s excellent historical fiction novel When Christ and His Saints Slept about the civil war, The Anarchy. The years of the civil war fought by Matilda and Stephen also serve as a backdrop for Ellis Peters‘ historical detective series about Brother Cadfael, set between 1137 and 1145.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Empress Matilda, Lady of the English. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/empress-matilda-lady-of-the-english/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Henry I of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-i-of-england/
• Robert de Caen 1st Earl of Gloucester. Genealogics. (n.d.). https://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00027782&tree=LEO
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert,_1st_Earl_of_Gloucester
• Williamson, David. (1996). Brewer’s British Royalty: A Phrase and Fable Dictionary. Cassell.

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

An 1866 watercolor by Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise showing a scene from the sinking of the Blanche Nef or White Ship. A male figure, probably William Ætheling, is shown in a lifeboat to the lower left. He is shown full-length, standing with his hands clasped together and looking up towards his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche who is still on board the ship. Drowning men are shown trying to climb into the small boat which is soon to capsize; Credit – Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023

Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche, who lost her life in the sinking of the White Ship, was the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England and a mistress identified only as Edith. Matilda’s birth date is unknown. King Henry I recognized at least twenty of his illegitimate children, including Matilda. Her surname FitzRoy comes from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son of” and Roy, meaning “king”, implying the original bearer of the surname was a child of a king. Her paternal grandparents were King William I of England (the Conqueror) and Matilda of Flanders.

King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children who were Matilda’s half-siblings.

Matilda’s royal half-siblings, the children of her father King Henry I and his first wife Matilda of Scotland were:

• Matilda (1102 – 1167), married (1) Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, no children;  (2) Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, had three sons including King Henry II of England
• William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy (1103 – 1120), married Matilda of Anjou, no children, William Ætheling, King Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir, died in the sinking of the White Ship

Matilda’s husband Rotrou III, Count of Perche; Credit – Wikipedia

Matilda married Rotrou III, Count of Perche (circa 1077 – 1144) in 1103, becoming his second wife. The County of Perche was a medieval county between Normandy and Maine, in present-day France. Matilda’s husband took part in the First Crusade (1096 – 1099) and in the Reconquista in eastern Spain, a series of military campaigns that Christian kingdoms waged against the Muslim kingdoms.

As a dowry, Matilda brought lands in Wiltshire, England to the marriage. During their marriage, the couple received possession of the Bellême estate in Normandy, which had been confiscated from Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury in 1102.

Matilda and Rotrou had two daughters:

• Philippa, married Elias II, Count of Maine, had one daughter
• Felicia

Because the Kings of England still held Normandy (in France) and were Dukes of Normandy, they were often in Normandy, and this was the case in November of 1120. After the successful military campaign in which King Henry I of England had defeated King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Brémule, the English were finally preparing to return to England. King Henry I was offered the White Ship for his return to England, but he had already made other arrangements. Instead, Henry suggested that his only son and heir William Ætheling, Duke of Normandy sail on the White Ship along with his retinue which included William’s illegitimate half-brother Richard of Lincoln, William’s illegitimate half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perch, Richard d’Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester and many of the heirs of the great estates of England and Normandy.

The sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

On November 25, 1120, William Ætheling and his retinue boarded the ship in a festive mood and barrels of wine were brought on board to celebrate the return to England. Soon both passengers and crew were inebriated. By the time the ship was ready to set sail, there were about 300 people on board, including many high-ranking people of Norman England. William and his retinue ordered the captain of the White Ship to overtake the ship of King Henry I so that the White Ship would be the first ship to return to England. Unfortunately, the White Ship hit a submerged rock and capsized. William’s bodyguard quickly got the heir to the throne into the safety of a dinghy. However, William Ætheling heard the screams of his half-sister Matilda, Countess of Perche, and ordered the dinghy to turn back to rescue her. At this point, the White Ship began to sink and the many people in the water desperately sought the safety of William’s dinghy. The chaos and the weight were too much causing William Ætheling’s dinghy to capsize and sink without a trace. The contemporary chronicler Orderic Vitalis claimed that only two people survived the shipwreck by clinging to a rock all night.

• Unofficial Royalty: The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession

King Henry I mourning the loss of three children in the sinking of the White Ship; Credit – Wikipedia

The sinking of the White Ship caused King Henry I to lose two illegitimate children, Matilda FitzRoy, Countess of Perche and Richard of Lincoln, and most importantly, King Henry I’s only son William Ætheling. King Henry I holds the record for the British monarch with the most illegitimate children, 25 or so illegitimate children, but the tragedy of the White Ship left him with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda. Henry I’s nephews were the closest male heirs. In January 1121, Henry married a second time to Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for sons, but the marriage remained childless. On Christmas Day in 1226, King Henry I of England gathered his nobles at Westminster where they swore to recognize his daughter Matilda and any future legitimate heir she might have as his successors. That plan did not work out. Upon hearing of Henry I’s death on December 1, 1135, Stephen of Blois, one of Henry I’s nephews, quickly crossed the English Channel from France, seized power, and was crowned King of England on December 22, 1135. This started the terrible civil war between first cousins Stephen and Matilda known as The Anarchy. England did not see peace for more than 18 years until Matilda’s son acceded to the throne as King Henry II of England in 1154.

La Trappe Abbey today; Credit – Von PY. Stucki, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11471582

After her tragic death, Matilda’s husband Rotrou III, Count of Perche built a small chapel to the Virgin Mary, in Soligny-la-Trappe, then in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France, as a memorial to his wife. A few years later Rotrou built an adjoining monastery, the La Trappe Abbey, known for being the house of origin of the Trappists (also known as the Cistercians), to whom it gave its name.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter, & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). The Sinking of the White Ship and How It Affected the English Succession. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/november-25-1120-the-sinking-of-the-white-ship-and-how-it-affected-the-english-succession/
• Spencer, Charles. (2022). The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream. William Collins.
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Matilda Fitzroy, Countess of Perche. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_FitzRoy,_Countess_of_Perche
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Rotrou III, Count of Perche. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotrou_III,_Count_of_Perche