Matilda

Matilda (c. 1030-83), queen of William I and duchess of Normandy. The daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders, her marriage to William c. 1050 was initially prohibited by the papacy on grounds of (unspecified) consanguinity. The couple made amends by founding two abbeys at Caen. The marriage seems to have been an exceptionally successful one, and she frequently acted as regent during William's absences from Normandy.