Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William by Tracy Borman

This is a non-fiction biography of the wife of William the conqueror who won England in 1066 and ruled thereafter. Matilda was the daughter of a Flemish duke and a French princess who William courted roughly an married. Matilda was very educated and intelligent as well as being very short, not even 5 foot!  Even though she was small, Matilda made her mark on England and Normandy, making her a great queen and duchess during this period. At first, William and Matilda’s relationship was rough. Williams temper and his attitude toward women was not great,  but they eventually had affection for each other for a time. They had thee sons who would later cause trouble among the family, and three daughters who would not. Matilda was a very good queen. She was regent for her husband when he was not present, and did very well managing the kingdom and duchy. It was interesting to read about how well educated she was and how her mother encouraged her, and this helped her throughout her life. Matilda gave to churches and helped different abbies with what she could. Toward the end of her life, family unity fell apart and the conflict between William and their eldest son Robert, threatened to tear everything apart. When Matilda died, the tension in the family was still high and wouldn’t resolve until Williams death. I liked reading a non fiction book about the first woman to officially hold the title Queen of England. The middle of the book was a little dry and slow but was enjoyable overall. This would be a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me