I have always been fascinated with this period of English history, and an admirer of Good Queen Maud in particular. Her mother was Saint Margaret of Wessex, “The Pearl of Scotland.” As a Norman outsider, Henry showed good political sense in marrying her, a descendant of Saxon royalty (Alfred the Great, Ethelred the Unready, Edmund Ironside), to cement his relations with the indigenous population.

Despite the (to say the least) suspicious circumstances of his accession, Henry turned out to be quite an able and conscientious ruler—certainly more so than either of his wastrel brothers, Robert Curthose and William Rufus. He established the Exchequer to administer taxation and finances, reformed the currency to combat debasement by unscrupulous coiners, and put the courts of justice on a firm footing. I suspect Matilda’s influence was behind much of this. She was beloved by the people and deeply mourned on her premature death.