Empress Matilda was the daughter of Henry I.
Empress Matilda ( c. 7 February 110210 September 1167 ) , also known as the Empress Maude , was the claimant to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy . On Henry V 's death , Matilda was recalled to Normandy by her father , who arranged for her to marry Geoffrey of Anjou to form an alliance to protect his southern borders . Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou . By his marriage to the Empress Matilda , daughter and heiress of Henry I of England , Geoffrey had a son , Henry Curtmantle , who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II ( 1154-1189 ) and was the first of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England ; the name `` Plantagenet '' was taken from Geoffrey 's epithet .