She was born to rule — but England wasn’t ready for her. Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I, was the rightful heir to the throne, yet her claim divided the kingdom. When her cousin seized power ...

Greg Jenner is joined in 12th-century England by Dr Gabrielle Storey and comedian Cariad Lloyd to learn about Empress Matilda ...

Empress Matilda. She was sent to Germany as a child to marry the Holy Roman Emperor. But after a shipwreck swallowed her younger brother, she returned to England to claim the crown. Had she been born ...

There have been only eight reigning queens in the history of the British monarchy Stephanie Kaloi is a contributing writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. She has also written ...