She was also said to have been extremely tall and often donned armour while leading troops into battle. [19] She learns of Matilda's unhappy marriage, her love for the handsome Richard de Clare, and the brutal death threats handed out by King John, before it becomes clear that Jo’s past and present are inevitably entwined. She realises that eight hundred years on, Matilda’s story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to repeat itself... Maud married William "the Ogre of Abergavenny," 4th Lord of Bramber, 5th Baron Braose, son of William de Braose, 3rd Baron Bramber and Bertha de Pîtres, before 1175. In 1210, however, King John sent an expedition to Ireland. Maud and William escaped from Trim but were apprehended on the Antrim coast while attempting to sail to Scotland.[3]

Matilda de Braose was probably born in the early 1150s in Saint-Valery-en-Caux, France, to Bernard IV, Seigneur de Saint-Valery and his wife, Matilda. Contemporary records describe her as tall and beautiful, wise and vigorous. Mother of Anthony de Braose; Bertha De Braose; William de Braose, IV; Giles de Braose, Bishop of Hereford; Matilda "Maud" de Braose and 8 others ; Laurette de Braose; Roger de Braose; John Knill de Braose, II; Annora de Braose; Flandrina de Braose; Philip de Braose; Margaret de Braose, Lady of Trim and Reginald de Braose, 9th Baron Abergavenny « less Concerning the identification of Maud de St. Valery as daughter of Bernard, this is based somewhat on onomastic evidence (cf. St. Valery names - Reginald, Maud, Lauretta/Loretta introduced into de Braose line with Maud's children) and largely on the identification of Tetbury, co. Gloucs. - a holding of Bernard de St. Valery - as the maritagium of Maud.One of Matilda’s titles was the Lady of Hay and Welsh folklore has her building the Castle of Hay in one night, single-handed, carrying the stones in her skirts.

Matilda’s fate was more gruesome; she and her son were left to starve to death in John’s dungeons (though whether this was at Corfe or Windsor is unclear). Tradition has it, that when their bodies were found, William’s cheeks bore his mother’s bite marks, where she had tried to stay alive following his death. This book... I don't know if the subject matter is horrendously dated because it was written in the 80s, but it was one of the most hideously offensive, misogynistic books I've ever had the misfortune to read. I have not rated a book this low in a long time and there is a good reason for this. Some of you may not agree, but as a reader I am entitled to my opinion. Whatever the reason, in 1207 King John moved to make a public example of one of his most powerful barons, and punish him for his debts to the Exchequer. John demanded William and Matilda give up their sons as hostages.The final fall of her husband may owe a lot to her hasty reply to King John when he requested her son William as a hostage in 1208. She refused on the grounds that John had murdered his nephew Arthur whom he should have protected. The dispute between John and the de Braoses led to Maud dying of starvation in the King's castle at Windsor along with her son, while her husband, stripped of all his lands, died the following year in exile in France. The basic premise is that modern day Joanna undergoes hypnosis to see if there's such thing as past lives. She's is traumatically introduced to a past life as Matilda, Lady of Hay, who constantly rebuffs King John's amorous attempts. Sadly King John is not one to take rejection very well at all. Her husband died a year later in exile in France where he had gone disguised as a beggar to escape King John's wrath after the latter had declared him an outlaw, following his alliance with Llywelyn the Great, whom he had assisted in open rebellion against the king, an act which John regarded as treason. He was buried in the Abbey of St. Victor, Paris.

Of their daughters Loretta, married Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester and another, Margaret, married Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath. Reading Lady of Hay you will meet King John up close and personal as well as learn so much about the reign of probably the worst King of England ever.

why is a strong modern woman getting raped past and present by the men in her life and then just getting on with these guys as if nothing much really happened, I understood why they got away with this in the past.. but in present day? it is just to hard to believe. Maybe this is the problem with 80's romance. Maud and William are reputed to have had 16 children.[6] The best documented of these are listed below. Maud and William are reputed to have had 16 children. [9] The best documented of these are listed below.