UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository) The many faces of Duchess Matilda: matronage, motherhood and mediation in the twelfth century Jasperse, T.G. Publication date 2013 Document Version Final published version Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Jasperse, T. G. (2013). The many faces of Duchess Matilda: matronage, motherhood and mediation in the twelfth century. Boxpress. General rights It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Disclaimer/Complaints regulations If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You will be contacted as soon as possible. UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:26 Sep 2021 The many faces of Duchess Matilda: matronage, motherhood and mediation in the twelfth century Jitske Jasperse The many faces of Duchess Matilda: matronage, motherhood and mediation in the twelfth century ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. dr. D.C. van den Boom ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties ingestelde commissie, in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Aula der Universiteit op vrijdag 6 december 2013, te 11.00 uur door Tjisje Geertje Jasperse geboren te Kloosterburen Promotiecommissie Promotor Prof. dr. C.A. Chavannes-Mazel Co-promotor Dr. W.A.W. van Welie-Vink Overige leden Prof. dr. J.A.A.M. Biemans Prof. dr. G. Geltner Prof. em. dr. J.C. Klamt Dr. J. Koopmans Prof. dr. J. Luckhardt Dr. T. Martin Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen Preface 11 Introduction 15 1 The Rolandslied: Matilda’s literary matronage and other responsibilities of noble women 33 1.1 The noble duchess, child of a mighty king: Matilda as instigator 37 1.1.1 Matilda as a matron of literature 39 1.1.2 The writer revealing his name and working method 43 1.1.3 The intended courtly audience of the Rolandslied 46 1.1.4 The influence of the matron? An emphasis on female characters 48 1.2 Women in the Rolandslied 49 1.2.1 Literary texts as sources: a social-historical approach 51 1.2.2 Limitations of the Rolandslied as historical source 53 1.3 More than a woman: consorts, widows and regents in the Rolandslied 57 1.3.1 Roland’s fiancée Aude as loyal and devout 58 1.3.2 Ganelon’s wife, more than Charlemagne’s sister: mother and regent 62 1.3.3 Ganelon’s wife: taking care of the hereafter 70 1.3.4 Queen Bramimonde: women as mediators and advisors 76 1.4 Conclusion: almost all the world is playing a part 90 3.2.2 The act of giving makes virtuous donors 178 3.2.3 Matilda as one of the makers of the book 179 2 3.2.4 The Gospel Book’s audience 183 3.3 The donation of the Gospel Book: Matilda as devout Matilda as consort: authority and motherhood 95 and wealthy donor 186 3.3.1 Dressed to impress: insignia and clothes as makers 2.1 The iconography of Henry’s and Matilda’s bracteate 104 and markers of identity 189 106 2.1.1 A visual analysis of the coin: the construction of an image 3.3.2 St Blaise and St Aegidius constructing Henry and 2.1.2 Married couples and the sceptre as a female attribute 116 Matilda’s identity 191 2.1.3 All by themselves: women carrying a sceptre 125 3.3.3 Presenting the book to Mary and Christ 195 2.1.4 Some concluding remarks on Henry and Matilda’s 3.4 The coronation miniature: ducissa mathilda filia regis bracteate 131 anglici henrici 205 2.2 Matilda in action: ruling in the absence of her husband 133 3.4.1 Matilda in the middle 207 2.2.1 The sins of a father as the impetus for a journey 134 3.4.2 The coronation of Henry and Matilda: a family affair 209 2.2.2 Duchess Matilda in charge 138 3.4.3 Constructed identities in the coronation miniature 213 2.2.3 Matilda and the consors regni idea and practice 143 3.5 The importance of marriage and lineage 214 2.3 Conclusion: the bracteate as a witness to Matilda’s co-rule 152 3.5.1 The narrative miniatures in the Gospel Book 214 3.5.2 The Tree of Jesse 216 3.5.3 Sponsus and Sponsa 221 3.6 The importance of what is not depicted 223 3.7 Conclusion: the Gospel Book and the construction of Matilda’s identity 227 3 157 The verbal and visual construction of Matilda’s identity Conclusion 233 Appendix 241 3.1 Identity as a performative act 165 Abbreviations 251 168 3.1.1 Women matter Bibliography 255 3.2 The dedication poem: an insight into Matilda’s duties 173 Illustration credits 283 176 3.2.1 Matilda as Henry’s partner Samenvatting / Summary / Zusammenfassung 289 Preface 13 Writing my PhD-thesis would have been extremely difficult without the grant of the Stichting Art, Books and Collections and the Institute of Culture and History of the University of Amsterdam. During the whole process I have con- sidered the Art Historical Institute my home. Therefore I would like to thank my colleagues Miranda Bloem, Lex Bosman, Klara Broekhuijsen, Sanne Fre- quin, Marije Osnabrugge and Wouter Wagemakers, and especially my super- visor Claudine Chavannes-Mazel. All of them contributed to my research in their own way. My dear co-supervisor Wendelien van Welie deserves special mention. She has supported and stimulated me throughout the process. Both her comments and home-baked bread provided essential food for thought. The same care was given to me by Annika Rulkens who listened to all my stories, proofread my papers and kept me going. Although our research is separated by three centuries, we have stumbled upon many similar authors and accompanied each other on research trips. I would also like to thank my fellow art historian Marrigje Rikken who was always willing to give advice. I am immensely grateful that Gerd Althoff, Maaike van Berkel, Truus van Bueren, Mario Damen, Joachim Ehlers, Piet Gerbrandy, Knut Görich, Christian Klamt, Jelle Koopmans, Jochen Luckhardt and Therese Martin made useful bibliographical suggestions and were willing to discuss my thoughts and questions. Jos Biemans, Guy Geltner, Karl Heidecker, Jef Jacobs, Martine Meuwese, Anneke Mulder-Bakker, and Lucia Travaini were willing to read my texts. I want to express my sincere gratitude to them, though whatever shortcomings remain are fully my own doing. I also want to thank all of those who commented on the papers I have given in Leeds, Kalamazoo and Winchester as well as during the meetings organised by the Onderzoekschool Mediëvistiek. On a more practical level I have benefitted from the assistance of the Münzkabinett of the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum Braunschweig, the Städtisches Museum Braunschweig, the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbüttel and the British Library in London. I also want to render my thanks to Ilse Slot and Maarten Prot for helping me out with the Latin, and to Yvonne Vermijn who assisted me with the Old French. Andy Duncan was so kind as to correct a chapter in the early stage of my research. Rosi Wiegmann translated the summary into German. And Thomas Belyea meticulously read and corrected the whole text and therefore improved it enormously. I highly appreciate their help. Lastly, I am thankful for the support my family and husband have given me. Introduction 17 […] the married woman, the countess or the lady, like the queen, held the power of her womb, that womb which the holder of potestas came to fertilise in the chamber so as to assure the dynasty’s future. Whence the wife’s prestige.1 These words by Georges Duby reveal that medieval noblewomen were expected to provide heirs, motherhood being one of women’s most impor- tant duties. This demand was no different for Matilda of England (* 1156- † 1189), the eldest daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.2 In 1165 negotiations for her marriage to Henry the Lion (* 1131/1135-† 1195), duke of Saxony and Bavaria, were initiated.3 A charter issued 1 February 1168 men- tions that Henry and Matilda were united through the exchange of rings, which has been interpreted to mean that they were then married.4 Fortu- nately, Matilda lived up to the expectation that heirs should be brought into the world and provided Henry with a daughter and four sons. Besides record- ing her progeny, medieval chroniclers writing around 1200 also took the opportunity to commemorate Matilda’s royal descent. She is almost always referred to as filia regis Anglorum (daughter of the king of the English).5 Con- sidering Matilda’s royal status, it seems strange that no thorough study of her life has yet been published, though modern historians have by no means ignored her existence.6 Understandably, this is partly due to the fact that her husband, Henry the Lion, is considered more appealing.