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 . Meanwhile , Matilda 's younger brother , William Adelin , died in the White Ship disaster of 1120 , leaving England facing a potential succession crisis . Henry II ( 5 March 1133 -- 6 July 1189 ) , also known as Henry Curtmantle ( Court-manteau ) , Henry FitzEmpress or Henry Plantagenet , ruled as Count of Anjou , Count of Maine , Duke of Normandy , Duke of Aquitaine , Count of Nantes , King of England ( 1154 -- 89 ) and Lord of Ireland ; at various times , he also controlled Wales , Scotland and Brittany . 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 .