Joan consciously or unconsciously adopted the persona of a hero from popular chivalric romances. This was an effective strategy, as it tapped into a pre-existing cultural narrative that inspired knights and soldiers to follow her, making her spectacle a key element of her success.

Recognizing she could not unite the barons behind female leadership, Matilda made a strategic shift. Instead of continuing an unwinnable war for herself, she refocused her efforts on establishing her son, Henry, as the rightful heir. This pragmatic move ultimately secured her dynasty's future on the English throne.

Despite her formidable agency and decades-long fight for the throne, Empress Matilda's epitaph erases her personal struggle. It defines her entirely by her relationship to powerful men: "daughter, wife, and mother of Henry." This shows how historical narratives can diminish female power by re-centering male lineage.

During the peaceful Tokugawa Shogunate era, the samurai class functioned primarily as civil administrators. Despite the lack of warfare, they were legally obligated to maintain military readiness and wear armor, effectively role-playing as the warriors their ancestors had been.

In the 12th century, the act of being anointed with holy oil was a quasi-sacrament that transformed a person into a king. This ritual held as much, if not more, legitimacy than hereditary claims, allowing figures like Henry I and Stephen to legitimize their coups by seizing the moment.

Empress Matilda strategically leveraged her gender to her advantage. When trapped in Arundel Castle, her opponent Stephen hesitated to besiege her and another royal woman, fearing it would damage his chivalric reputation. This demonstrates how gender norms could be weaponized in medieval politics.

Joan adopted the martial glamour of a male knight while leveraging the spiritual power associated with female virginity. This unique combination of potent gender archetypes made her an exceptionally compelling and authoritative figure, transcending conventional roles.

Unlike in medieval Europe, the ruling class in Japan's imperial court in Kyoto valued arts like poetry over military prowess. Warriors were seen as uncouth and vulgar. This cultural contempt for violence led the aristocracy to neglect military power, enabling the rise of the samurai.

When Matilda was on the verge of being crowned, her decisive and authoritative behavior—expected of a male king—was perceived as "arrogance" unbefitting her gender. This clash between the expected role of a monarch and the expected behavior of a woman led her allies to abandon her at a pivotal moment.