King Stephen

1096 – 1154 · Generation X · King of England (r. 1135–1154)

Stephen of Blois (1096–1154). King of England (r. 1135–1154). Married Matilda of Boulogne in 1125. A grandson of the Conqueror through his mother Adela, he rose at the court of his uncle Henry I and narrowly escaped the sinking of the White Ship, which drowned the king’s son and threw the succession open. When Henry died, Stephen crossed the Channel at speed and, aided by his brother the Bishop of Winchester, seized the crown despite the oaths he had sworn to uphold the Empress Matilda’s claim. Her invasion in 1139 fixed the long civil war remembered as the Anarchy: taken prisoner at Lincoln in 1141 and deserted by much of his following, he saw Normandy slip from his grasp, regaining his liberty only once his wife’s forces seized Robert of Gloucester at Winchester. Rome refused to crown his son Eustace, and after Eustace’s sudden death Stephen sealed the Treaty of Winchester, accepting Matilda’s son Henry as his successor in return for an end to the war; he died the following year.

Line of descent: King William I The Conqueror → Adela of Normandy → King Stephen.

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Parents

• Stephen Henry of Blois (1045 – 1102)
• Adela of Normandy (1067 – 1137)

Partners

• Married Matilda of Boulogne (1105 – 1152) in 1125

Life

• 1096 — Born
• 1125 — Married Matilda of Boulogne
• 1135 — Stephen usurps the throne from Matilda, Henry’s daughter.
• 1136 — The Earl of Norfolk leads the first rebellion against Stephen starting civil war known as 'The Anarchy'.
• 1138 — Robert, Earl of Gloucester, an illegitimate son of Henry I, deserts Stephen and pledges allegiance to Matilda.
• 1141 — Matilda’s forces take Stephen prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln, and Matilda is proclaimed queen.
• 1141 — Earl Robert is captured and exchanged for Stephen’s freedom.
• 1145 — Stephen defeats Matilda’s forces at the Battle of Faringdon.
• 1147 — Matilda's son Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II) invades England but runs out of money. Stephen pays for Henry's return to Normandy
• 1153 — Henry lands in England again, and gathers support for further war against Stephen.
• 1153 — Henry and Stephen agree terms for ending the civil war. Under the terms of the Treaty of Westminster, Stephen is to remain King for life, but thereafter the throne passes to Henry.
• 1154 — Died
• 1154 — Stephen dies.