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The Anarchy: The Darkest Days of Medieval England
A period of England’s history when Fortune changed sides frequently and dramatically, and with a cast of vivid characters. This became known as "the Cousins' War" for the crown of England. The causes of the conflict will be examined; the loss of the heir of King Henry I in the White Ship and the king's efforts to secure the succession for his remaining child. The backgrounds of both major Stephen, nephew to the mighty Henry, showered with favors at court with ideas above his and Matilda, daughter of the king, sent away aged 8 to marry the Holy Roman Emperor, widowed, then forced into a hated second marriage. The book will chart the conflict that followed Stephen’s seizure of the crown from the woman to whom it had been promised. Lasting some 18 years, and involving not only most of England but Scotland and Normandy besides, the story covers all the conflict's twists and turns.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 4, 2019
Great book; balanced view of the civil war between Matilda and Stephen. In depth research and well written. Enjoyable.
June 12, 2023
A good account of the Anarchy in England during the reign of Stephen (or Matilda, depending which side you’re on!). This book didn’t go into too much analysis but did pose some interesting questions in the conclusion, such as whether ‘anarchy’ is indeed an apt term to describe this turbulent period.
September 16, 2024
The Anarchy: The Darkest Days of Medieval England by Teresa Cole.
Following the death of King Henry I of England in 1135, the country was plunged into a succession crisis. With the lack of a legitimate male heir, there were many who were concerned over who would take up the throne. To the modern world, the natural conclusion would have been Empress Matilda, the king's lawful daughter, the widow of the Holy Roman Emperor and King Henry's own choice to rule in his place before he died. However, she was a woman, and as such no woman had ruled as sole sovereign before, often deemed as the lesser sex.
Instead, many turned to her cousin, Stephen of Blois. Showered with favours from an early age, Stephen had grown accustomed to power and ambition, and thus acted quickly, grasping a throne which was intended for someone else. However, Stephen would find retaining the throne much more difficult than he had in capturing it, leading to a long drawn out struggle between blood and kinship that has come to be known as "The Anarchy".
You would be mistaken to think that perhaps Teresa Cole is selective in what to cover in the 19 years of feuding and wartime within this book, considering others have been written and have been much more larger in size. However, Cole is methodical in her research, examining each and every element of the events, both in England and in Normandy, making each sentence matter.
The sources are handled with expert precision, crafting a balanced view of the personalities and motives of the main players involved, most notably that of Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois themselves. I found that the author's narrative naturally posed some interesting questions for the reader and readily kept me engaged throughout.
A studious, organised account of a turbulent time in history, this has been a vastly enjoyable experience in understanding one of the most complex periods of English history.
Following the death of King Henry I of England in 1135, the country was plunged into a succession crisis. With the lack of a legitimate male heir, there were many who were concerned over who would take up the throne. To the modern world, the natural conclusion would have been Empress Matilda, the king's lawful daughter, the widow of the Holy Roman Emperor and King Henry's own choice to rule in his place before he died. However, she was a woman, and as such no woman had ruled as sole sovereign before, often deemed as the lesser sex.
Instead, many turned to her cousin, Stephen of Blois. Showered with favours from an early age, Stephen had grown accustomed to power and ambition, and thus acted quickly, grasping a throne which was intended for someone else. However, Stephen would find retaining the throne much more difficult than he had in capturing it, leading to a long drawn out struggle between blood and kinship that has come to be known as "The Anarchy".
You would be mistaken to think that perhaps Teresa Cole is selective in what to cover in the 19 years of feuding and wartime within this book, considering others have been written and have been much more larger in size. However, Cole is methodical in her research, examining each and every element of the events, both in England and in Normandy, making each sentence matter.
The sources are handled with expert precision, crafting a balanced view of the personalities and motives of the main players involved, most notably that of Empress Matilda and Stephen of Blois themselves. I found that the author's narrative naturally posed some interesting questions for the reader and readily kept me engaged throughout.
A studious, organised account of a turbulent time in history, this has been a vastly enjoyable experience in understanding one of the most complex periods of English history.
June 14, 2023
The Anarchy - The Darkest Days Of Medieval England,
By Teresa Cole
Published by Amberley.
Anyone who knows me, knows that anywhere before the 14th Century is not particularly my strong point; I'm all about the Wars of the Roses & the Tudors - so, I thought I would go for something completely out of my comfort zone with this book.
I have a basic knowledge & understanding of the Anarchy but really wanted to get stuck into a good historical work on the period.
I found the book extremely well researched in great depth & found that Cole gave a balanced, unbiased view on the civil war on both camps.
I did find it an intimidating read from the get go as its rammed with facts, dates, politics, alliances, places both in Britain as well as Normandy, France & regions all across Europe etc.
There were many names I was not familiar with, all of the Norman descent so I had trouble with wondering what the pronunciation would be, finding it easy to forget who was who or muddling them up.
A lot of the book focuses on Normandy & its politics as of course it would; I felt I was back on solid ground once the narrative moved back to England, alongside Stephen & Matilda, I then found myself more invested.
It may not be an inclusive read for someone who has no knowledge at all of the period or events, as I struggled myself at times.
I was surprised the battles that raged on for 20 odd years often ended in stale mate scenario's, or one side letting the other walk away unharmed, I thought it would of been a bit more impressive - fighting to the death rather than just besieging castles, playing tit for tat etc, I expected more decisive battles & major victories, a bit monotonous reading the same battle sequences over through out for the main part.
To summarise - it was a detailed & in depth narrative of the civil war & I came away with a much deeper understanding of the background of the events which ultimately led to Stephen being able to take the throne for himself, I was also introduced to many new & important key political players & influencers of both sides whom I was not previously aware of.
It took a lot of digesting, hence the late review.
⭐⭐⭐/5
By Teresa Cole
Published by Amberley.
Anyone who knows me, knows that anywhere before the 14th Century is not particularly my strong point; I'm all about the Wars of the Roses & the Tudors - so, I thought I would go for something completely out of my comfort zone with this book.
I have a basic knowledge & understanding of the Anarchy but really wanted to get stuck into a good historical work on the period.
I found the book extremely well researched in great depth & found that Cole gave a balanced, unbiased view on the civil war on both camps.
I did find it an intimidating read from the get go as its rammed with facts, dates, politics, alliances, places both in Britain as well as Normandy, France & regions all across Europe etc.
There were many names I was not familiar with, all of the Norman descent so I had trouble with wondering what the pronunciation would be, finding it easy to forget who was who or muddling them up.
A lot of the book focuses on Normandy & its politics as of course it would; I felt I was back on solid ground once the narrative moved back to England, alongside Stephen & Matilda, I then found myself more invested.
It may not be an inclusive read for someone who has no knowledge at all of the period or events, as I struggled myself at times.
I was surprised the battles that raged on for 20 odd years often ended in stale mate scenario's, or one side letting the other walk away unharmed, I thought it would of been a bit more impressive - fighting to the death rather than just besieging castles, playing tit for tat etc, I expected more decisive battles & major victories, a bit monotonous reading the same battle sequences over through out for the main part.
To summarise - it was a detailed & in depth narrative of the civil war & I came away with a much deeper understanding of the background of the events which ultimately led to Stephen being able to take the throne for himself, I was also introduced to many new & important key political players & influencers of both sides whom I was not previously aware of.
It took a lot of digesting, hence the late review.
⭐⭐⭐/5
August 20, 2020
An excellent account of an interesting period on English history. Well ordered and easy to follow.
December 2, 2024
Though the topic is deeply interesting, this book feels like it never really gets going. It was a time when ”God and his saints slept” but Cole doesn’t get in to much more detail than this in describing the supposedly unusual levels of criminality.
There was some pillaging going on, the usual chevauchee, as the rivalling factions rode around the country… but what I was hoping for was a much more detailed account than this. The analysis in the last chapter goes some way in remedying this, but it feels like too little, too late.
Why was this seen as such a horrendous time in English history, compared to events of earlier centuries?
This question sadly is left unanswered by this rather unanalytical book.
There was some pillaging going on, the usual chevauchee, as the rivalling factions rode around the country… but what I was hoping for was a much more detailed account than this. The analysis in the last chapter goes some way in remedying this, but it feels like too little, too late.
Why was this seen as such a horrendous time in English history, compared to events of earlier centuries?
This question sadly is left unanswered by this rather unanalytical book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews