King Stephen

by Edmund King

• ISBN13: 9780300112238
• ISBN10: 0300112238
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2011-01-18
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

This compelling new biography provides the most authoritative picture yet of King Stephen, whose reign (1135-1154), with its "nineteen long winters" of civil war, made his name synonymous with failed leadership. After years of work on the sources, Edmund King shows with rare clarity the strengths and weaknesses of the monarch. Keeping Stephen at the forefront of his account, the author also chronicles the activities of key family members and associates whose loyal support sustained Stephen's kingship. In 1135 the popular Stephen was elected king against the claims of the empress Matilda and her sons. But by 1153, Stephen had lost control over Normandy and other important regions, England had lost prestige, and the weakened king was forced to cede his family's right to succession. A rich narrative covering the drama of a tumultuous reign, this book focuses well-deserved attention on a king who lost control of his destiny.

Author Biography

Edmund King is emeritus professor of medieval history, University of Sheffield. He has published widely in the field of medieval British history and is author of Medieval England: Hastings to Bosworth and editor of The Anarchy of King Stephen’s Reign. He lives in Sheffield, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. viii
Acknowledgements	p. x
Abbreviated References	p. xii
The Anglo-Norman Succession	p. xvi
Family and Honour	p. 1
The Accession	p. 41
Mixed Fortunes	p. 82
War and Peace	p. 115
1141	p. 145
Provincial Government	p. 175
A Variety of Coin	p. 203
The Family	p. 236
Blessed are the Peacemakers	p. 270
Appraisal	p. 301
Bibliography	p. 340
Index of Royal Charters	p. 357
General Index	p. 360
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