LITMIR.BIZ

About History in an Hour

      History in an Hour is a series of ebooks to help the reader learn the basic facts of a given subject area. Everything you need to know is presented in a straightforward narrative and in chronological order. No embedded links to divert your attention, nor a daunting book of 600 pages with a 35-page introduction. Just straight in, to the point, sixty minutes, done. Then, having absorbed the basics, you may feel inspired to explore further.

      Give yourself sixty minutes and see what you can learn …

      To find out more visit http://historyinanhour.com or follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/historyinanhour

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

About History in an Hour

Introduction

The White Ship Disaster

The Succession Crisis

Stephen the Usurper

The Scottish Invasion

The Rise of Matilda

       Civil War Begins

       The Battle of Lincoln

       Lady of the English

       Rout of Winchester

       King Stephen Fights Back

       Rebellion of Geoffrey de Mandeville

       Faringdon

       The Next Generation

       The Expedition of 1153

       The Treaty of Winchester

       The Legacy of the Anarchy

       Appendix 1: Key Players

       Appendix 2: Timeline of The Medieval Anarchy

       Copyright

      Got Another Hour?

      About the Publisher

Introduction

      The earth bare no corn, for the land was all laid waste by such deeds; and they said openly, that Christ slept, and his saints. Such things, and more than we can say, suffered we nineteen winters for our sins

      The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

      The death of King Henry I in 1135 created a succession crisis that resulted in England’s first civil war. Nicknamed ‘The Anarchy’ for its unprecedented levels of chaos and disorder, this nineteen-year conflict witnessed the usurpation of King Stephen, and a persistent battle on the part of Henry’s daughter, Matilda, to reclaim her royal inheritance. Though the civil war came to a peaceful end with the Treaty of Winchester in 1153, it was Matilda’s son, Henry, who succeeded to the throne of England after the death of King Stephen in 1154.

      This, in an hour, is the story of The Medieval Anarchy through the personalities, context, events, and aftermath of England’s first, and often forgotten, civil war.

The White Ship Disaster

      No ship ever brought so much misery to England

      William of Malmesbury

      As Duke of Normandy, King Henry I made frequent trips to his Duchy across the Channel. In November 1120, Henry was accompanied by his son and heir, William Adelin. On arrival in the French port of Barfleur, Thomas FitzStephen, master of the White Ship, approached the King and offered his services. FitzStephen claimed that his father had been employed by William the Conqueror as his personal captain; he had taken the Duke to England for the invasion of 1066. As Henry already had a good ship and crew of his own, he suggested that his son, William, and his party use the White Ship instead.

      Having spent much of the day drinking, the 300-strong group – including FitzStephen, the helmsman and fifty oarsmen – were roaring drunk by the time they boarded the ship on the evening of 25 November 1120. Desperate to overtake the King’s ship, which had already cleared the harbour, the helmsman began to steer the vessel northwards. It was during this manoeuvre that the White Ship hit a rock on its port side and began to fill with water. In a bid to save the King’s heir, Prince William and a small group of oarsmen descended into a dinghy and began to sail away from the ship. But the cries of those left behind soon became too much for William to bear and he ordered that the dinghy be turned around to help those in need. His attempts were in vain; the White Ship soon capsized, dragging William and his party deep into the murky waters.