Research Catalog
The anarchy of King Stephen's reign
- Title
- The anarchy of King Stephen's reign / edited by Edmund King.
- Publication
- Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.
Items in the Library & Off-site
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1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book/Text | Use in library | DA198.5 .A7 1994 | Off-site |
Details
- Additional Authors
- King, Edmund.
- Description
- xxii, 332 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 23 cm
- Summary
- The reign of King Stephen (1135-54) is famous as a period of weak government, as Stephen and his rival the Empress Matilda contended for power. A contemporary chronicler described it as 'nineteen long winters in which Christ and his saints were asleep'. Historians today refer to it simply as 'The Anarchy'. This is a study of medieval kingship at its most vulnerable. It also shows how individuals and institutions enabled the monarchy to survive. The weakness of government was the result of a disputed succession. Stephen lost control over Normandy, the Welsh marches, and much of the North. Contemporaries noted as signs of weakness the tyranny of the lords of castles, and the break-down of coinage. Stephen remained king for his lifetime, but leading churchmen and laymen negotiated a settlement whereby the crown passed to the Empress's son, the future Henry II. This volume by leading scholars gives an original and up-to-date analysis of these major themes, and explains how the English monarchy was able to survive the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign.
- Subject
- Genre/Form
- History.
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Contents
- Introduction / Edmund King -- 1. The Aristocracy / C. Warren Hollister -- 2. The Castles of the Anarchy / Charles Coulson -- 3. Normandy / Majorie Chibnall -- 4. Continuity in Government / Graeme White -- 5. Coinage and Currency / Mark Blackburn -- 6. The Church / Christopher Holdsworth -- 7. The Scots and the North of England / G.W.S. Barrow -- 8. The March and the Welsh Kings / David Crouch -- 9. 1153: The Treaty of Winchester / J.C. Holt.
- ISBN
- 0198203640
- 9780198203643
- 9781280766992
- 1280766999
- LCCN
- 94005443
- OCLC
- ocm29791852
- 29791852
- SCSB-14039735
- Owning Institutions
- Princeton University Library