Opinions vary over the degree to which Stephen's acquisition of power resembled a coup. He was also "full of Gods grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8). [151], Stephen's wife Matilda played a critical part in keeping the King's cause alive during his captivity. [168] He threatened to execute Geoffrey unless the Earl handed over his various castles, including the Tower of London, Saffron Walden and Pleshey, all important fortifications because they were in, or close to, London. [212] Upon news of this, Stephen gathered up a large force and marched from Oxford, and the two sides confronted each other across the River Thames at Wallingford in July. [13] Adela and Theobald allied themselves with Henry, and Stephen's mother decided to place him in Henry's court. [134] When the news reached Stephen, he held a council to decide whether to give battle or to withdraw and gather additional soldiers: Stephen decided to fight, resulting in the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141. Henry vigorously re-established royal authority in the aftermath of the civil war, dismantling castles and increasing revenues, although several of these trends had begun under Stephen. Keith Stringer argues that Stephen "was surely right" to seize the castles, and that the act was a "calculated display of royal masterfulness"; Jim Bradbury and Frank Barlow praise the military soundness of the tactic. Barlow, pp. The events in Normandy are less well recorded than elsewhere, and the exact sequence of events less certain. Stephen, also called Stephen Of Blois, (born c. 1097died Oct. 25, 1154, Dover, Kent, Eng. France in the Middle Ages 9871460: From Hugh Capet to Joan of Arc. He was freed only after his wife and William of Ypres, one of his military commanders, captured Robert at the Rout of Winchester, but the war dragged on for many years with neither side able to win an advantage. [243] Modern historians vary in their assessments of Stephen as a king. [147] No help was forthcoming from Stephen's brother Theobald this time either, who appears to have been preoccupied with his own problems with Francethe new French king, Louis VII, had rejected his father's regional alliance, improving relations with Anjou and taking a more bellicose line with Theobald, which would result in war the following year. [193], In the final years of the war, Stephen began to focus on the issue of his family and the succession. [76] Meanwhile, he had put down two revolts in the south-west led by Baldwin de Redvers and Robert of Bampton; Baldwin was released after his capture and travelled to Normandy, where he became an increasingly vocal critic of the King. He's a devoted Christian and is very passionate about his beliefs while keeping an open mind. Kenji Yoshitake represents the current academic consensus when he notes that the impact of the arrests "was not serious", placing the beginning of the disintegration of the royal government at the subsequent battle of Lincoln. (1974) "King Stephen and the Anglo-Norman Aristocracy". [216] Meanwhile, Stephen's brother Henry of Blois and Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury were for once unified in an effort to broker a permanent peace between the two sides, putting pressure on Stephen to accept a deal. [25] It was also traditional for the King of France to crown his successor whilst he himself was still alive, making the intended line of succession relatively clear, but this was not the case in England. [108], Stephen took steps to remove a group of bishops he regarded as a threat to his rule. 1 SEASON. [84] He agreed to another truce with Geoffrey, promising to pay him 2,000 marks a year in exchange for peace along the Norman borders. Frank Barlow, for example, describes it as a straightforward. S tephen as a boys' name is pronounced STEE-ven, STEF-en. [28] Geoffrey was unpopular with the Anglo-Norman elite: as an Angevin ruler, he was a traditional enemy of the Normans. [69] He portrayed himself as the natural successor to Henry's policies, and reconfirmed the existing seven earldoms in the kingdom on their existing holders. [100] Stephen's wife Matilda was sent to negotiate another agreement between Stephen and David, called the treaty of Durham; Northumbria and Cumbria would effectively be granted to David and his son Henry, in exchange for their fealty and future peace along the border. Edmund King believes the attack never got close to York; R. Davis believes that it did and was deterred by the presence of Stephen's forces. The Beaumont Twins: The Roots and Branches of Power in the Twelfth Century. (Official Music Video) Stephen Sharer 9.25M subscribers Subscribe 192K Share Save 32M views 3 years ago MORE MUSIC VIDEOS!! [165] On this occasion, however, William Martel, Stephen's steward, made a fierce rear guard effort, allowing Stephen to escape from the battlefield. It is possible, however, that Stephen had already begun to consider passing over Eustace's claim; historian Edmund King observes that Eustace's claim to the throne was not mentioned in the discussions at Wallingford, for example, and this may have added to his anger. [194] He wanted to confirm his eldest son, Eustace, as his successor, although chroniclers recorded that Eustace was infamous for levying heavy taxes and extorting money from those on his lands. [207] When Theobald refused yet again, Stephen and Eustace imprisoned both him and the bishops and refused to release them unless they agreed to crown Eustace. Other supporters of the Empress were restored in their former strongholds, such as Bishop Nigel of Ely, or received new earldoms in the west of England. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Stephen is "garland, crown". Stephen, also spelled Steven, is a strong and likable classic, with the he's-a-great-guy short form Steve. [57] Theobald then agreed to the Normans' proposal that he be made king, only to find that his former support immediately ebbed away: the barons were not prepared to support the division of England and Normandy by opposing Stephen, who subsequently financially compensated Theobald, who in return remained in Blois and supported his brother's succession. He left his father and returned home to Cambridge to gather more funds for a fresh campaign, where he fell ill and died the next month. Stephen did not participate in the Second Crusade himself due to internal conflicts in his kingdom. Stephen became increasingly concerned with ensuring that his son Eustace would inherit his throne. [138] Robert and Ranulf's cavalry encircled Stephen's centre, and the King found himself surrounded by the enemy army. [20], Finally, the King arranged for Stephen to marry Matilda in 1125, the daughter and only heiress of Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, who owned both the important continental port of Boulogne and vast estates in the north-west and south-east of England. [2], During the First Crusade, Stephen-Henry had acquired a reputation for cowardice, and he returned to the Levant again in 1101 to rebuild his reputation; there he was killed at the battle of Ramlah. Biblical: Stephen was the first Christian martyr. [235] Those writing for the church after the events of Stephen's later reign, such as John of Salisbury for example, paint the King as a tyrant due to his argument with the Archbishop of Canterbury; by contrast, clerics in Durham regarded Stephen as a saviour, due to his contribution to the defeat of the Scots at the battle of the Standard. Biblical: Stephen was the first Christian martyr. (2001) "Kingship, usurpation and propaganda in twelfth century Europe: the case of Stephen", This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 01:15. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen, an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first martyr of the Christian Church. TV-PG. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Stephen is "garland, crown". [24] Despite the King taking a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, it became increasingly unlikely that he would have another legitimate son, and he instead looked to Matilda as his intended heir. Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology and more. [93] In France, Geoffrey of Anjou took advantage of the situation by re-invading Normandy. His friend and advisor Waleran was one of those who decided to defect in mid-1141, crossing into Normandy to secure his ancestral possessions by allying himself with the Angevins, and bringing Worcestershire into the Empress's camp. [168] Geoffrey gave in, but once free he headed north-east into the Fens to the Isle of Ely, from where he began a military campaign against Cambridge, with the intention of progressing south towards London. [129] Nigel escaped to Gloucester, but his men and castle were captured, and order was temporarily restored in the east. Stephen narrowly escaped drowning with Henry I's son, William Adelin, in the sinking of the White Ship in 1120; William's death left the succession of the English throne open to challenge. [229] Stephen probably had three illegitimate sons, Gervase, Abbot of Westminster, Ralph and Americ, by his mistress Damette; Gervase became abbot in 1138, but after his father's death he was removed by Henry in 1157 and died shortly afterwards. Stephen lost the towns of Oxford and Stamford to Henry while the King was diverted fighting Hugh Bigod in the east of England, but Nottingham Castle survived an Angevin attempt to capture it. [113] Stephen sent Aubrey de Vere II as his spokesman to the council, who argued that Roger of Salisbury had been arrested not as a bishop, but rather in his role as a baron who had been preparing to change his support to the Empress Matilda. The story of Saint Stephen's ordination as a deacon is found in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, which also recounts the plot against Stephen and the beginning of the trial that resulted in his martyrdom; the seventh chapter Though not as well-used or fashionable as it was in its heyday -- it was a Top 25 name from 1946 to 1957 -- it's still a widely used name. [135][nb 18] Stephen was not a gifted public speaker, and delegated the pre-battle speech to Baldwin of Clare, who delivered a rousing declaration. [94][nb 12], Anglo-Norman warfare during the reign of Stephen was characterised by attritional military campaigns, in which commanders tried to seize key enemy castles in order to allow them to take control of their adversaries' territory and ultimately win a slow, strategic victory. Le Patourel, John (1973) "What did not happen in Stephen's reign?". Crouch (2002), p. 269; White (1998), p. 133. The character was portrayed by Justine Lupe in the Audience show Mr. Mercedes and by Cynthia Erivo in the HBO series The Outsider. In return, Stephen confirmed the English possessions of David's son Henry, including the Earldom of Huntingdon. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen, an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first martyr of the Christian Church. Stephen was heavily influenced by his principal advisor, Waleran de Beaumont, the twin brother of Robert of Leicester. [78] Events in England meant that Stephen was unable to travel to Normandy himself, so Waleran de Beaumont, appointed by Stephen as the lieutenant of Normandy, and Theobald led the efforts to defend the duchy. Common until the late 18th century. 65, 6971; Carpenter, p. 124. In 1153, the Empress's son Henry invaded England and built an alliance of powerful regional barons to support his claim for the throne. [161] Just before Christmas, the Empress left the castle unobserved, crossed the icy river on foot and made her escape to Wallingford. The King tried to convince the Church to agree to crown Eustace to reinforce his claim; Pope Eugene III refused, and Stephen found himself in a sequence of increasingly bitter arguments with his senior clergy. [146], Once news of Stephen's capture reached him, Geoffrey of Anjou invaded Normandy again and, in the absence of Waleran of Beaumont, who was still fighting in England, Geoffrey took all the duchy south of the river Seine and east of the river Risle. 164165; Crouch (1998), p. 258. 1038), Blood on Their Hands, and Sex on Their Minds. His reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda, whose son, Henry II, succeeded Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England. He's a devoted Christian and is very passionate about his beliefs while keeping an open mind. (eds) (2001), Rielly, Edward J. His prestige and power increased further when he unexpectedly married the attractive Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, the recently divorced wife of Louis VII, in 1152. [6] In the west lay the three counties of Maine, Anjou and Touraine, and to the north of Blois was the Duchy of Normandy, from which William the Conqueror had conquered England in 1066. The King tried to convince the Church to agree to crown Eustace to reinforce his claim; Pope Eugene III refused, and Stephen found himself in a sequence of increasingly bitter arguments with his senior clergy. (2002) "From Feudalism to Bastard Feudalism," in, Gillingham, John. David Carpenter and R. Davis, however, observe that Stephen had ended up breaking his promises to the Church, was forced to appear before a church court, and damaged his relationship with Henry of Blois, which would have grave implications in 1141. Some historians, including David Crouch and Helmerichs, argue that Theobald and Stephen had probably already made a private deal to seize the throne when Henry died. The name, in both the forms Stephen and Steven, is often shortened to Steve or Stevie. Modern historians have extensively debated the extent to which his personality, external events, or the weaknesses in the Norman state contributed to this prolonged period of civil war. 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