Empress Matilda was the daughter of King Henry I of England.
Empress Matilda . The daughter of King Henry I of England , she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V . In 1139 Matilda crossed to England to take the kingdom by force , supported by her half-brother , Robert of Gloucester , and her uncle , King David I of Scotland , while Geoffrey focused on conquering Normandy . William Ætheling ( [ wiɫiɑm ætheliŋg ] ; 5 August 1103 -- 25 November 1120 ) , designated or titled Adelin ( alternately rendered as Adelinus , Adelingus , A ( u ) delin or other Latinised Norman-French variants of Ætheling ) , was the son of Henry I of England by his wife Matilda of Scotland , and was thus heir apparent to the throne .