I. Parentage and early life, c. 1096-1135 -- II. The succession, 1135-1136 -- III. Mistakes, 1136-1139 -- IV. The empress and her party, 1136-1140 -- V. Disaster, 1140-1141 -- VI. Recovery, 1141 ; Postscript: the empress Matilda and the church -- VII. A second start, 1142-1143 -…
I. Parentage and early life, c. 1096-1135 -- II. The succession, 1135-1136 -- III. Mistakes, 1136-1139 -- IV. The empress and her party, 1136-1140 -- V. Disaster, 1140-1141 -- VI. Recovery, 1141 ; Postscript: the empress Matilda and the church -- VII. A second start, 1142-1143 -…
The reign of King Stephen (1135-54) is famous as a period of weak government, as Stephen and his rival the Empress Matilda contended for power. This is a study of medieval kingship at its most vulnerable. It also shows how individuals and institutions enabled the monarchy to sur…
The reign of King Stephen (1135-54) is famous as a period of weak government, as Stephen and his rival the Empress Matilda contended for power. A contemporary chronicler described it as 'nineteen long winters in which Christ and his saints were asleep'. Historians today refer to…
