Stephen of Blois
| Stephen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| King of England (more...) | |
| Reign | 22 December 1135 – 25 October 1154 |
| Coronation | 22 December 1135 |
| Predecessor | Henry I or Matilda (disputed) |
| Successor | Henry II |
| Born |
c. 1092 or 1096 Blois, France |
| Died | 25 October 1154 Dover, Kent, England |
| Burial | Faversham Abbey, Kent, England |
| Consort | Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne |
| Issue |
|
| House | Blois |
| Father | Stephen, Count of Blois |
| Mother | Adela of Normandy |
Stephen (c. 1092/6 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois (in French, he was known as Étienne de Blois, then Étienne d'Angleterre), was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne in right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda. He was succeeded by Matilda's son, Henry II, the first of the Angevin kings.
Stephen was born in the County of Blois in middle France; his father, Count Stephen-Henry, died while Stephen was still young, and he was brought up by his mother, Adela. Placed into the court of his uncle, Henry I of England, Stephen rose in prominence and was granted extensive lands. He married Matilda of Boulogne, inheriting additional estates in Kent and Boulogne that made the couple one of the wealthiest in England. 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. When Henry I died in 1135, Stephen quickly crossed the English Channel and with the help of his brother Henry of Blois, a powerful ecclesiastic, took the throne, arguing that the preservation of order across the kingdom took priority over his earlier oaths to support the claim of Henry I's daughter, the Empress Matilda.
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