1564109 - King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois

Events

Event	Date	Place	Sources
Birth [E37157]	1095	Blois, France	4 5a 1c 1d 3b
Birth [E37158]	1095		2b
Death [E37159]	1154-10-25	Dover Castle, Dover, Kent, England	4 5 1e 1f 3c
Death [E37160]	1154-10-25	Kent, England	2c
_FA1 [E37161]		Reigned 1135-1154. Buried at Faversham Abbey.	5 1g 1h 3d
_FA2 [E37162]		South & midlands counties wracked by civil war & famine throughout his reign.	1i 1j 3e
_FA3 [E37163]		When Henry I died, Stephen landed on England bef. Maud & made bid for the crown.	1k 1l 3f
_FA4 [E37164]		To curry Church’s favor, had to relax the severe crown control of the nobility.	1m 1n 3g
_FA5 [E37165]		A general rebellion broke out (1141), taken prisoner in Battle of Lincoln.	1o 1p 3h
_FA6 [E37166]		His brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, switched support to Maud (1141).	1q 1r 3i
_FA7 [E37167]		Henry I was Stephen’s guardian aft the death of his father.	1s 1t 3j

Parents

Relation to main person	Name	Birth date	Death date
Father	Ct de Blois, Etienne-Henri “le Sage” [I28678]	1045	1102-07-13
Mother	de Normandy, Adela (Alice) [I28677]	1062	1137/8-03-08 (Julian)
Brother	Ct de Chartes, Guillaume de Champagne [I28679]	1086	1150
Brother	Ct de Blois, Theobald III le Grand [I28680]	1088	1151/2-01-08 (Julian)
	King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois [I28641]	1095	1154-10-25

Families

Family of King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois and Cts de Boulogne, Matilda [F11110]

Married

Wife

Cts de Boulogne, Matilda [I28642] ( * 1103 + 1152-05-03 )

Event	Date	Place	Description	Notes	Sources
Marriage [E58331]	1125	Westminster, England			5 4 1u 3k 6

Children

Name	Birth Date	Death Date
Ct de Boulogne, Eustace IV [I28690]	1130	1153-08-16
de Blois, William [I3264]	1134
Cts de Mortaigne, Marie [I30826]	1136	1182

Narrative

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REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry I was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois (reigned 1135-54), his only legitimate son having drowned in the wreck of the White Ship which sank in the English Channel in 1120. Although widely preferred in England and Normandy as Henry's successor, Stephen lacked ruthlessness and failed to inspire loyalty. Henry's daughter, Matilda, invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Neither side was strong enough to win and the war ended only in 1153 when Matilda's son, Henry, Count of Anjou, was recognised as heir to the throne.
Acceded 1135-1154.

Stephen and Matilda
Though charming, attractive and (when required) a brave warrior, Stephen (reigned 1135-54) lacked ruthlessness and failed to inspire loyalty. He could neither control his friends nor subdue his enemies, despite the support of his brother Henry of Blois (Bishop of Winchester) and his able wife Matilda of Boulogne. Henry I's daughter Matilda invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne, and the country was plunged into civil war. Although anarchy never spread over the whole country, local feuds were pursued under the cover of the civil war; the bond between the King and the nobles broke down, and senior figures (including Stephen's brother Henry) freely changed allegiances as it suited them.

In 1141, Stephen was captured at Lincoln and his defeat seemed certain. However, Matilda's arrogant behaviour antagonised even her own supporters (Angevins), and Stephen was released in exchange for her captured ally and illegitimate half-brother earl Robert of Gloucester. After the latter's death in 1147, Matilda retired to Normandy (which her husband, the Count of Anjou had conquered) in 1148. Stephen's throne was still disputed. Matilda's eldest son Henry, who had been given Normandy by his father in 1150 and who had married the heiress Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine, invaded England in 1149 and again in 1153. Stephen fought stubbornly against Henry; Stephen even attempted to ensure his son Eustace's succession by having him crowned in Stephen's lifetime. The Church refused (having quarrelled with the king some years previously); Eustace's death later in 1153 helped lead to a negotiated peace (the treaty of Wallingford) under which Henry would inherit the throne after Stephen's death.
[large-G675.FTW]

REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry I was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois (reigned 1135-54), his only legitimate son having drowned in the wreck of the White Ship which sank in the English Channel in 1120. Although widely preferred in England and Normandy as Henry's successor, Stephen lacked ruthlessness and failed to inspire loyalty. Henry's daughter, Matilda, invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Neither side was strong enough to win and the war ended only in 1153 when Matilda's son, Henry, Count of Anjou, was recognised as heir to the throne.
[large-G675.FTW]

REF: British Monarchy Official Website: Henry I was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois (reigned 1135-54), his only legitimate son having drowned in the wreck of the White Ship which sank in the English Channel in 1120. Although widely preferred in England and Normandy as Henry's successor, Stephen lacked ruthlessness and failed to inspire loyalty. Henry's daughter, Matilda, invaded England in 1139 to claim the throne and the country was plunged into civil war. Neither side was strong enough to win and the war ended only in 1153 when Matilda's son, Henry, Count of Anjou, was recognised as heir to the throne.

Pedigree

Ct de Blois, Etienne-Henri “le Sage” [I28678]
1. de Normandy, Adela (Alice) [I28677]
  1. Ct de Chartes, Guillaume de Champagne [I28679]
  2. Ct de Blois, Theobald III le Grand [I28680]
  3. King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois
    1. Cts de Boulogne, Matilda [I28642]

Ancestors

King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois
* 1095
+ 1154-10-25

Ct de Blois, Etienne-Henri "le Sage"
* 1045
+ 1102-07-13

Ct de Blois, Theobald II de Champagne
* 1015
+ 1089

Ct de Blois & Champagne, Odo II
* about 990
+ 1037-11-15

de Normandy, Matilda (Mahaud)
* about 974
+ before 1017

von Maine, Garsende
* 1019
+ ...

von Maine, Heribert
*
+ ...

de Normandy, Adela (Alice)
* 1062
+ 1137/8-03-08 (Julian)

King of England, William I the Conqueror
* 1024-10-14
+ 1087-09-09

Duke of Normandy, Robert I the Devil
* about 990
+ 1035-06-22

de Falaise, Herleva (Arlette)
* 1003
+ about 1050

de Flanders, Matilda (Maud)
* 1031
+ 1083-11-02

Ct de Flanders, Baudouin V the Pious
* 1012
+ 1067-09-01

Cts de Contenance, Adela (Alix) Capet de France
* 1009
+ 1078/9-01-08 (Julian)

Source References

large-G675.FTW [S286834]
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11615-2.ftw [S7587]
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large-G675.FTW [S261374]
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    marriage of Adelaide de Roucy & Hildouin III (his father)
World Family Tree Volume 2 Tree # 1822 [S283138]
Denis R. Reid: Royal Genealogies DB [S284656]
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    abt 1096
large-G675.FTW [S468232]

Birth Name	King of England, Stephen Ct de Blois 1a 1b 2a 3a
Gramps ID	I28641
Gender	male
Age at Death	59 years, 9 months, 24 days