Empress Matilda: Civil War and the Fight for the Throne
This episode of The Rest is History delves into the life and legacy of Empress Matilda, a 12th-century royal claimant whose bid for the English throne ignited nearly two decades of civil war known as 'the Anarchy'. Hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook with historian Helen Castor,
Sign up to read the full summary
Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Guest
Helen Castor
narrative on The Rest Is History
Mentions
Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.
People
Books
Topics
Listen to This Episode
More from The Rest Is History
691. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: The Queen’s Spymaster (Part 1)
694. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: A Treacherous Conspiracy (Part 4)
696. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: Killing the Queen of Scots (Part 6)
695. Elizabeth I vs The Catholics: The Shadow War (Part 5)
689. A Murderous Affair: The Habsburg's Great Scandal (Part 1)
705. Queen Victoria’s Revenge: The Mad Emperor of Abyssinia (Part 1)
Related episodes
From other shows on similar topics.
The Spymaster and the Exiled Queen: Was Mary Queen of Scots Framed?
Conspiracy Theories
Bonus Episode - Hedy Lamarr and Billie Jean King
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Mothers' Day
Letters from an American
America at 250: A View from Britain, with “The Rest Is History”
The New Yorker Radio Hour
Day 252: Queen of Heaven (2026)
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Part Three: Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada
Behind the Bastards
Get summaries like this every morning.
Free AI-powered recaps of The Rest Is History and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.