In 1135, Stephen of Blois usurped the throne, stealing it from his cousin Empress Matilda and sparking a 19-year civil war that would become known as the Anarchy, one of the bloodiest periods in English history. On the one side is Empress Matilda. The sole surviving legitimate child of Henry I, she is fighting for […]
The Anarchy: a true cousins’ war
The 19 years of civil war between Henry I’s daughter, Matilda, and her cousin, Stephen of Blois, were so destructive they came to be known as the Anarchy. Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of a new book about the women of the Anarchy, explains how the conflict began and why it could be called a true […]