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 ...

4 days ago - His father died as a crusader while ... in prominence and was granted extensive lands. He married Matilda of Boulogne, inheriting additional estates in Kent and Boulogne that made the couple one of the wealthiest in England....

November 17, 2023 - Albans monks, 15th century · Matilda ... of England, but in 1135 Stephen of Blois claimed that his uncle had changed his mind on his deathbed, recognising Stephen instead as his successor to the throne....

4 days ago - However, her cousin Stephen of Blois was crowned king in her place. Matilda was the only daughter and eldest child of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, by his first wife Matilda of Scotland, to survive to adulthood.

Died: 10th September 1167, Rouen, France Reign: 8th April 1141-1148 (as Lady of the English, though never as queen) Parents: Henry I and Matilda of Scotland Predecessor: Stephen of Blois (cousin) Successor: Stephen of Blois (cousin) Spouse: Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1114-1125) and then Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou (1128-1151) Children: Henry II, Geoffrey Count of Nantes, William Fitzempress Royal House: Normandy

February 14, 2025 - As a pious man and courageous soldier, ... England. Sensing her opportunity, Matilda landed in Sussex in 1139, seeking to wrest the crown from Stephen, who she viewed as an unlawful usurper....

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....

June 3, 2025 - The campaigns, battles and sieges of England's first civil war are explored, including the two major battles at the Standard adn Lincoln, which show that Stephen always held more ground than his opponents and was mostly on the offensive. The two sides finally reached a compromise, after 14 years, with the Treaty of Wallingford - Stephen would rule unopposed until his death but the throne would then pass to Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son.

May 23, 2021 - Stephen besieged the castle, effectively trapping Matilda inside. As she had not yet declared herself as a threat to him, he allowed her safe passage to meet up with Robert in Bristol.

2 weeks ago - Stephen drew heavily on his wife, Queen Matilda of Boulogne (not to be confused with Empress Matilda), during the conflict, both for leading negotiations and maintaining his cause and army while imprisoned in 1141; Queen Matilda led the royal ...

Not all the barons supported King Stephen. In Scotland King David, Matilda's uncle, gave his full support to her cause and in the summer of 1138 invaded the north of England travelling as far south as Lincolnshire.

February 14, 2025 - Stephen forced David to withdraw. His speed and agility would become trademarks of his rule. Empress Matilda, pregnant with her third child, lingered at the Norman border and appeared to have allowed her moment to pass. But if Stephen believed he was secure, the illusion was short-lived.

With foolish chivalry, Stephen had Matilda escorted to Bristol, whereupon she proceeded to take control of western England. Early in 1141, Matilda's supporters captured Stephen in a battle at Lincoln. In November, he was exchanged for Gloucester, who had been captured by forces loyal to the king.

At the court in London in January 1127, nobles—including Stephen—swore to uphold her claim. Her marriage to Geoffrey of Anjou in 1128 created tensions, tying her to southern Norman and Angevin alliances and alienating many Anglo-Norman nobles.

July 28, 1999 - At first Stephen scored several military triumphs, but he lost the support of the church when he arrested Bishop Roger of Salisbury and his relatives. ... Seizing her opportunity, Matilda invaded England (September 1139). In an incredible display of chivalry, Stephen had Matilda escorted to Bristol, and she proceeded to bring most of western England under her control.

November 15, 2023 - Galvanised by the news that her husband, King Stephen, had been imprisoned by his vengeful rival and cousin, the Empress Maud (also known as Empress Matilda), the queen was utterly determined to march on London and ensure that the empress would ...

December 18, 2024 - After the death of King Henry I, Stephen seized the throne in 1135, despite the prior designation of Henry's daughter, Empress Matilda, as his heir. Stephen's claim was supported by a faction of English barons who preferred him over Matilda.

November 21, 2023 - A grandson of William the Conqueror, Stephen took the throne on the death of King Henry I. However most of his reign was spent in a bitter civil war between him and his rival for the throne, Henry’s daughter Matilda,..

August 16, 2023 - It is the year 1138 CE. The clouds have burst. Open hostilities between Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I and the presumptive first Queen of England, and King Stephen of Blois, the third son of a Count and the most ambitious man in the Kingdom, have begun. In Part 1 of our series

This couple is by no means conventional, yet they have always struck me as devoted to one another in a time of strife and treachery. I hope you enjoy their story · King Stephen has never been acknowledged as one of England's most appealing kings. He usurped the throne from his cousin, Maud, ...