Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy

Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy

by Matthew Lewis
Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy

Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy

by Matthew Lewis

eBook

$13.49  $17.99 Save 25% Current price is $13.49, Original price is $17.99. You Save 25%.

Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers

LEND ME® See Details

Overview

Two cousins waged war for the future of England. Only one could win. This is the story of Stephen and Matilda, and the civil war remembered as The Anarchy.

The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings. When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, he had caused all of his barons to swear to recognize his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir and remarried her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. When she was slow to move to England on her father’s death, Henry’s favorite nephew Stephen of Blois rushed to have himself crowned, much as Henry himself had done on the death of his brother William Rufus.

Supported by his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen made a promising start, but Matilda would not give up her birthright and tried to hold the English barons to their oaths. The result was more than a decade of civil war that saw England split apart. Empress Matilda is often remembered as aloof and high-handed, Stephen as ineffective and indecisive. By following both sides of the dispute and seeking to understand their actions and motivations, Matthew Lewis aims to reach a more rounded understanding of this crucial period of English history and asks to what extent there really was anarchy.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781526718358
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date: 04/01/2021
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 280
Sales rank: 964,991
File size: 26 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Matthew Lewis trained in law and is now a full time author of historical fiction and non-fiction. He also blogs on his website, Matt’s History Blog, and can be found on Twitter as @mattlewisauthor. His main interest is medieval history and he has a number of books on that topic, including The Wars of the Roses: The Key Players in the Struggle for Supremacy and Richard, Duke of York: King by Right.
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews