Matilda’s Qualifications and Weaknesses
Of the three, Matilda was on the whole the one who had least to recommend her. Her great personal advantage was that she, and she alone, was the child of a crowned king and queen,…
Theobald the Great as a Candidate
If a sovereign was to be chosen for personal qualifications, it would have been hard to find a better choice than Theobald the Great, count of Blois, Chartres and Champagne.…
Stephen’s Advantages as a Claimant
It was Stephen, not Theobald, who had been the king’s favourite and constant companion, lacking nothing of the rank of an adoptive son save the avowed prospect of the crown.…
第五章
Chapter V. traces the rapid transfer of the Anglo-Norman realm from Henry I to Stephen of Blois in late 1135 and early 1136. It follows Matilda’s brief and unsuccessful bid to secure Normandy, Stephen’s stormy Channel crossing, and his swift acquisition of the English crown thro…
Matilda claims her inheritance in Normandy
Matilda claims her inheritance in Normandy On receiving news of Henry’s death before the first week of December 1135 was out, Matilda presented herself in Normandy to take possess…
Stephen crosses to England amid a storm
Stephen crosses to England amid a storm Stephen set out at once from Wissant and crossed the Channel in a storm so terrific that men on shore deemed it could bode nothing less tha…
The citizens of London elect Stephen as king
The citizens of London elect Stephen as king Repulsed from Dover and Canterbury (the men of Kent having a hereditary grudge against anyone coming from Boulogne), Stephen pushed on…
The original text of this work is in the public domain. This page focuses on a guided summary article, reading notes, selected quotes, and visual learning materials for educational purposes.