When her husband died in 1125, ... ruler was unprecedented and her marriage to Geoffrey was unpopular. When Henry I died in 1135 Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois immediately had himself crowned king....

May 23, 2021 - What was the Anarchy that tore England apart in the 12th century? What sparked the episode often known as one of the darkest periods in England's history? Emma Slattery Williams explores for BBC History Revealed…

This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving. ... Stephen © Stephen usurped the English throne from Matilda in 1135, but failed to consolidate his power during the ensuing civil strife.

November 17, 2023 - Matilda (Empress Maud), Stephen and The Anarchy, the 'forgotten' English Civil War of the 12th century...

On the death of Henry I in 1135, his favourite nephew, Stephen of Blois, son of his sister Adela, hurried to London, where he secured election and coronation within the month. This contravened the oath he and his fellow barons had sworn in 1127 ...

May 7, 2019 - He was supported by his able wife, Matilda of Boulogne and his brother, Henry of Blois who held the important role of Bishop of Winchester. During the Anarchy, Stephen lost the trust of many of the barons as he called several to court, arrested ...

Cambridge OCR homepage · It occurred to me that amongst all the interesting blogs we have, we nothing on an aspect of history specifically. So for my blog I thought I’d look at the road to civil war in England, specifically an abridged history of the story of Stephen and Matilda

As featured in: 'What if... Empress Matilda had Defeated King Stephen?' BBC History Revealed

December 13, 2022 - Whilst Matilda was busy fighting against the forces of Stephen of Blois, her son Henry took control over Normandy and later Anjou.

Soon after this, Stephen crossed to Normandy and rounded off his coup d'etat by gaining the support of the Norman aristocracy. There were those who had reason to support the empress, as Matilda (formerly married to the German emperor Henry V) still called herself, either from principle, family attachment, or self-interest: David, king of Scots; Matilda's illegitimate half-brother Robert, earl of Gloucester, who was highly capable and highly respected; and Matilda's own husband Geoffrey of Anjou, who was well placed to put capture Normandy.

The first challenge to Stephens rule came from the King of Scotland who coveted Northumbria and in 1138 a Scottish army was defeated in Yorkshire at the Battle of the Standard. Much more serious for Stephen was that from 1139 - 1148 he had to contend with the supporters of Henry Is daughter Matilda ...

Matilda defeated Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln.

June 1, 2024 - Stephen is also depicted as a young lover of Matilda in The Fatal Crown, by Ellen Jones. Stephen appears in the historical thriller Winter Siege (2014) by Ariana Franklin and Samantha Norman. Stephen has rarely been portrayed on screen. He was played by Frederick Treves in the 1978 BBC TV series ...

January 27, 2022 - Also known as Stephen of Blois, Stephen was king of England from 1135 to 1154. He successfully challenged the ascension of Empress Matilda.

March 25, 2024 - This clip explains how the marriage of Princess Matilda to a French duke founded the 331-year-long Plantaganet dynasty. Following a civil war with King Stephen, their son Henry II ruled vast lands in England and France.

February 3, 2025 - Video post by @NRGSHistory

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October 1, 2018 - Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I of England, was declared the ‘Lady of England and Normandy’ on 7 April 1141 in advance of a coronation that never took place. Medieval England Henry II Anarchy Stephen de Blois Civil War Angevin