Runaway Nuns in Norman England
Anglo-Saxon noblewomen took shelter from the invading Normans in nunneries. Did that make them brides of Christ?
Edith-Matilda or Matilda II of England is best remembered as ‘Good Queen Maud’, the wife of Henry I and patron of the 12th century’s best-known chronicler, William of Malmesbury. As the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his saintly queen, Margaret of Wessex, Edith-Matilda had an impeccable royal lineage. But her marriage to Henry in 1100 almost did not happen. As a young girl, Edith-Matilda had spent around seven years in two royal nunneries, Romsey and Wilton, allegedly ‘taking the veil’ in the process. When the time came for Edith-Matilda to marry, questions arose as to whether she was actually a runaway nun.
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