In 1127, Stephen of Blois swore an oath that when Henry I, King of England, died, Stephen would support Henry’s daughter (and Stephen’s cousin), Empress Maud, as queen ruler of England. But in 1135, when Henry died, Stephen hightailed it to London and grabbed the throne. In this episode, we discuss the civil war that followed, and several interesting bits of it — Empress Maud escapes from Oxford by walking over the iced river in a blizzard; Queen Matilda, Stephen’s wife, manages to get the citizens of London to throw Matilda out, by playing the girl card; Stephen pays the wages of the mercenaries that Henry, Maud’s son, hired when he invaded Stephen’s kingdom; William of Blois, Stephen’s son, signs away the throne of England because really he has more sense than most of his family. Also, if that rapey song in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers bothers you — as well it might, even if the brothers do come to understand that just grabbing women is not the way to create marriages with them — Michelle has fixed this for you by writing a verse which is all about the awesomeness of Norman women. Which she sings. Life is good.
Hi, great episode. It made me recalled a similar historical event in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. I know you have a lot of ideas for episodes, but maybe I can offer an episode about the murder of Kęstutis, ruler of medieval Lithuania, by his nephew Jogaila, who latter became king of Poland.
Thank you! That was not on our list, and we will add it.
I’m really interested in people who choose not to press claims to the throne. Edgar Aetheling seems to have thought about taking on William the Conqueror, but thought better of it. (At least that’s how I understand the story—I could be wrong, but I sure hope that’s how it went down.😂) I didn’t know much about the Anarchy, but I’m starting to see now how long reaching its effects were. From what I can tell, most of the people later on who choose not to press claims are women like Margaret Beaufort, Elizabeth of York, and Frances Brandon. It’s a sad indicator that they didn’t think a ruling queen was possible even hundreds of years later…
It’s a sad story, really, in so many ways.
This podcast has been the best accidental find on spotify. I don’t know if other listeners have made suggestions, but I’d love if the Defenestrations of Prague were explored. The Defenestration of Prague in 1618 was a factoid that I’ve remembered since AP Euro and to then discover its been done three times starting in the 1400s, blows my mind.
We do not have that on the list! Thank you!