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Welcome to this episode of Gone Medieval from History Hit. I'm Matt Lewis and on today's show

we're going to be taking a really good

look at one of medieval periods most fascinating women and most tantalising what-ifs in Empress

Matilda. She was very nearly England's first Queen Regnant and a central figure in the Civil

War known as the Anarchy. So we're going to be in the 12th century, watching the sunset on Norman

kingship and looking forward to the dawn of the Plantagenet age. And our guide through this fascinating

labyrinth is someone who knows the Empress very well, the wonderful Kath Hanley. Great to have you

here with this Kath to give us some insights on Empress Matilda. Hello, I'm very glad to be here.

Kath has written a biography of the Empress and no doubt we'll have lots and lots of fascinating

stories to tell us about her. So if you could start off, Kath, with an idea of who Matilda

was and where she fits into the medieval period in England. Matilda was born in the year

1102 and this was a time that was very, very interesting and also potentially

unstable in English politics. So the Norman dynasty obviously has been on the throne

...