[MR] Wikipedia: King Stephen of England

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today's Wikipedia "Featured Article" is about King Stephen of England:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen,_King_of_England .

After the tragic sinking of the White Ship in 1120, in which the heir to
the English throne William Adelin drowned, Henry I's daughter Matilda (or
Maude) was his only surviving child. Upon Henry's death in 1135, Matilda
(widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, thus her title "Empress") and her next
husband Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, were ready to rule England. Stephen of
Blois, Matilda's cousin and like Matilda a grandchild of William the
Conqueror, disputed her rights and seized power. This lead to a long civil
war in England from 1139-1153. With both sides worn out, a truce was
negotiated that recognized Matilda's son Henry (II) as his successor. An
uneasy peace resumed, and Stephen died in 1154.

The "Anarchy", as the civil war was known, forms the back story for many of
Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels.

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆