She was an extremely well-educated and beautiful high-borne lady, the niece and granddaughter to kings of France. Her features, according to chroniclers, were refined, delicate, her body graceful, and her head well-set. He, on the other hand, was the bastard son to the Duke of Normandy, a descendent of vikings, rugged, tall, and rough albeit healthy and handsome. His voice was said to be guttural and his skill as a horseman and a fighter unmatched. Medieval writers criticized William for his greed and cruelty, his relentless onslaughts, but universally praised him for his personal piety; while hard and unforgiving on the outside with his wife Matilda - and only her - he was by all accounts an affectionate and devoted husband, never recorded to have taken a mistress or fathered any children but that of the ten he sired with Matilda.
According to legend, William had fallen deeply in love with Matilda when he first saw her at the French court. He was said to have been so passionately enamored by her that he would’ve done anything to obtain her, and his pride was greatly slighted when his marriage proposal was rejected due to his “bastard” origins. After hearing this response, William rode from Normandy to Bruges, found Matilda on her way to church, dragged her off her horse by her long braids, and threw her down in the street in front of her flabbergasted attendants before riding off. Another version of the story states that William rode to Matilda’s father’s house in Lille, threw her to the ground in her room (again, by her braids), and hit her (or violently battered her) before leaving. Naturally, Matilda’s father took offense at this but, before they could draw swords, Matilda settled the matter by refusing to marry anyone but William; even a papal ban by Pope Leo IX at the Council of Reims on the grounds of consanguinity did not dissuade her. Despite the rather violent nature of their meeting, William and Matilda went on to have a successful and happy marriage. William was especially proud of his wife. He made sure that he would take her with him on royal tours of his dominions, showing her off to his subjects.
Matilda’s death plunged William into deep depression. It was said that after her death, he became tyrannical, and people blamed it on his having lost her. He no longer went hunting, which was his favorite sport. After four long years of mourning and grief, he too died, and was buried next to his wife for eternity. (x) (x)
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