Matilda Fitzroy (c. 1080/1100 – 25 November 1120), Countess of Perche, was among several members of the English royal family who died in the wreck of the ''

White Ship The ''White Ship'' (french: la Blanche-Nef; Medieval Latin: ''Candida navis'') was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the Channel during a trip from France to England near the Normandy ...

'' off

Barfleur Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France. History During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England. * 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour ...

Life

Matilda, or Maud, was an illegitimate daughter of King

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

by a mistress identified only as Edith.Her mother Edith held lands in Devon as late as 1130 and so survived her daughter. See Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage'', Vol XI (1949), p. 112 note (a). Nothing is known of her mother's family. Her father was the youngest son of

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

and his wife

Matilda of Flanders Matilda of Flanders (french: link=no, Mathilde; nl, Machteld) ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was t ...

. During the High Middle Ages, illegitimate children were not always acknowledged by their fathers (and so many remained unknown) but Henry I recognised at least 20 of his 'natural' children, including Maud. She was identified as his daughter by

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...

, who added that the king built up her husband's power by greatly augmenting his estates and wealth in England. Her father gave her lands in Wiltshire as her dowry. In 1103, Matilda married Rotrou III, Count of Perche, as his second wife.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 82 She married at the same time as her half-sister Juliane de Fontevrault. Rotrou was a direct vassal of King Henry in England, where he held fiefs ''jure uxoris'', in right of his wife. He also was given the de Bellelme fief in Normandy at the forfeiture of

Robert de Belleme The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, ho ...

.Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Belleme', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 79

''White Ship''

In the wreck of the ''

'', the evening of 25 November 1120,

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury ( la, Willelmus Malmesbiriensis; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as " ...

noted the fate of the countess:

Family

Matilda and Rotrou had two daughters:Walter Lee Sheppard, Jr., ''Royal Bye-Blows, The Illegitimate Children of the English Kings From William I to Edward III', ''The New England Historical and Genealogical Register'', Vol. 119 (April 1965), p. 96 * Philippa, married

Elias II, Count of Maine Elias II (also Helias, ''Hélie'', ''Helyes'' or ''Élie'') (died 15 January 1151) was the younger son of Fulk V of Anjou and his first wife, Eremburga, daughter of Count Elias I of Maine. There is debate as to whether he was ever count of Maine or ...

and had issue * Felicia

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzroy, Matilda 1120 deaths Deaths on the White Ship Illegitimate children of Henry I of England 12th-century English people 12th-century English women Year of birth unknown 11th-century English people 11th-century English women 11th-century French people 11th-century French women 12th-century French people 12th-century French women Daughters of kings