The Anarchy: The Darkest Days of Medieval England

When the mighty Henry I died in December 1135, leaving no legitimate son, who was to replace him on the throne of England?

Would it be Stephen, nephew to the king and showered with favours that maybe gave him ideas above his station? Or could it be a woman, Henry’s own choice, his daughter Matilda, who had been sent away when eight years old to marry the Holy Roman Emperor, widowed, then forced into a hated second marriage for political reasons? Stephen was the first to act, seizing the th...