Stephen, King of England 1135-1154

b. c.1096; d. 1154

The death of Henry I precipitated a civil war between his daughter, Matilda, and his nephew, Stephen, the younger son of Adela, William the Conqueror's daughter. Although Stephen had two older brothers, he took the initiative. He sailed across the Channel and was quickly crowned king by his brother, Henry, Bishop of Winchester, and thereafter Matilda had to fight as a contender for the throne. Stephen produced two reactions amongst the chroniclers of his reign. For most of them he was a mild man, generous, likeable, exceptionally brave and chivalrous, but he could be obstinate and rash. He fought tirelessly at the battle of Lincoln in 1141 instead of retreating and so was eventually captured. His chivalry could also be misplaced, for when he had Matilda at his mercy in 1139 he gave her safe conduct to Bristol and thus prolonged the war.

Not all the chroniclers, however, were flattering; some said he was sly and shifty, and one that he was 'a good knight, but otherwise a fool'. In 1138 Matilda invaded England to claim the crown and began a time of war known as the 'Anarchy'. The fighting went back and forth across the country. In 1141 Matilda captured Stephen but her arrogance turned many of her former friends against her. A powerful counter-attack by forces led by Stephen's queen led to the capture of Matilda's half-brother, Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Each side had a crucial hostage, and so an exchange was arranged, Stephen for Robert. This marked the beginning of the end for Matilda, and by 1148 she gave up the struggle, leaving Stephen in comparative peace. Stephen had won control in England, but the question of the succession and the power of the barons immediately arose. Many barons had land in both England (ruled by Stephen) and France (ruled by Matilda and Geoffrey). If a baron openly supported one side his land could be forfeited across the Channel. The major landholders were therefore keen to negotiate peace and to settle the problem of the succession. Stephen attempted to crown his son Eustace as his successor, but the archbishop of Canterbury fled rather than co-operate and the pope, who had been influenced by the nobles supporting Matilda, forbade the coronation. A new player emerged on the stage, Henry of Anjou, son of Matilda and Geoffrey. In 1147 and 1149 he raided England, and landed with an army in 1153. He marched to Wallingford, where Stephen met him and an agreement was reached that Henry rather than Eustace would succeed to the throne after Stephen's death. Fortunately for Henry Eustace died, and after Stephen himself died in 1154, Henry II was crowned by the now-returned Archbishop of Canterbury on 19 December of the same year.

This article is based on material taken from A Traveller's History of England (© Christopher Daniell), published by The Windrush Press, and is by kind permission of its author Christopher Daniell.