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Matthew Lewis

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Stephen and Matilda's Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy Kindle Edition

by Matthew Lewis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 91 ratings

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The story of the twelfth-century rivalry for the throne between the daughter and the nephew of Henry I—a battle that tore England apart for over a decade.

The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings.

When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, his barons had sworn to recognize his daughter Matilda, widow of the Holy Roman Emperor, as his heir, and remarried her to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. But when she was slow to move to England upon her father’s death, Henry’s favorite nephew, Stephen of Blois, rushed to have himself crowned, much as Henry himself had done on the death of his brother William Rufus.

Supported by his brother Henry, Bishop of Winchester, Stephen made a promising start, but Matilda would not give up her birthright and tried to hold the English barons to their oaths. The result was more than a decade of civil war that saw England split apart. Empress Matilda is often remembered as aloof and high-handed, Stephen as ineffective and indecisive. By following both sides of the dispute and seeking to understand their actions and motivations, Matthew Lewis aims to reach a more rounded understanding of this crucial period of English history—and ask to what extent there really was anarchy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I enjoyed the book very much and compliment the author on his work."
The UK Historian

About the Author

Matthew Lewis trained in law and is now a full time author of historical fiction and non-fiction. He also blogs on his website, Matt’s History Blog, and can be found on Twitter as @mattlewisauthor. His main interest is medieval history and he has a number of books on that topic, including The Wars of the Roses: The Key Players in the Struggle for Supremacy and Richard, Duke of York: King by Right.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Z8BWHW7
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pen & Sword History (January 19, 2020)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 19, 2020
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 31611 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 387 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #121,569 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #13 in 1066-1485 History of UK
- #86 in Biographies of Royalty (Kindle Store)
- #113 in Historical British Biographies

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4.4 91 ratings

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Matthew Lewis

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Matthew Lewis was born and grew up in the West Midlands. Having obtained a law degree, he currently lives in the beautiful Shropshire countryside with his wife and children. History and writing have always been a passion of Matthew's, with particular interest in the Wars of the Roses period. His first novel, Loyalty, was born of the joining of those passions.

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4.4 out of 5

91 global ratings

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David Lee

Solid description of a complex piece of history

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021

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The civil war between the English King Stephen and the Empress Matilda possesses many different interpretations depending on the historians. To this day it is impossible to determine who had the most valid claim to the throne. A singular example of what poor succession planning can cause.

3 people found this helpful

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Anonymous XYZ

The Anarchy - a tale of two sides and the case for Stephen

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2022

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This is a review of the Kindle edition of Stephen and Matilda's civil war: Cousins of anarchy.
The anarchy was England's first great civil war from 1135 to 1154. Now, that's a great name for a civil war but wouldn't the country have fallen apart if the war really had been that bad over that length of time. Matthew Lewis presents a new look at the Anarchy starting from the White ship and ending with the accession of Henry II.
The story is told in pairs of chapters Stephen's side and Matilda's side. The format is a litle jarring when first encountered but actually helps makes sense of a conflict that lasted so long and involved England, Scotland, Normandy and France. The detailed history makes the point that Stephen can't have been that bad a king to not only win but stay in power even if he eventually had to agree to the making Henry Fitzempress his heir.
It is inevitable that such a history will fall into quoting dates but this i s minimized due to the format chosen. Matthew Lewis also makes the point that the religious writers who chronicled most of this period were in the parts of the country where the most conflict was. It was the Victorians who coined the term "The Anarchy" though. As someone who an amateur interest in medieval history I found this very useful in clarifying my understanding of the transition between the Norman and Plantagenet dynasties. This is not a narrative history per se but it is a good read about a fascinating conflict.

5 people found this helpful

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Lynn A Baumann

Great portrayal of the Anarchy

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2021

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The author gave a great detailed explanation of how the conflict between Stephen and Matilda started and how it evolved during 20 years. The resolution was described carefully. I gained a broader understanding of personalities and events through the best facts available for the time and beyond. A great read. Thank you. More p!ease.

5 people found this helpful

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Josef

Thumping Good Read

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021

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I find the Anarchy and early Plantagenets to be utterly fascinating and this volume certainly lays the groundwork for that period.

7 people found this helpful

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Litercurious

Medieval War at it's bloodiest.

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2020

AUTHOR
Matthew Lewis was born in England. He obtained a law degree, but history has always been his passion. He has authored numerous historical books, both fiction and non-fiction.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?
This book is best suited for historians, students of medieval history or anyone who enjoys learning about the English ancient ruling class.

SYNOPSIS
Stephen and Matilda’s Civil War is the tale of two cousins fight over the throne of England. King Henry I died in 1135 and had no legitimate male heir. His only legitimate son, William Adelin, drowned in the “White Ship” disaster in 1120. His only other legitimate child was Empress Matilda, a female. No female had ever ruled England at this time, but Henry I wanted her to reign after him. Unfortunately for Matilda she was in Anjou at the time of her father’s death. Her first cousin Stephen of Blois rushed in and usurped the crown in her absence. This led to The Anarchy (civil-war) that endured nearly two decades.

Matthew Lewis composes a compelling tale of a tumultuous time in English history. His research and writing ability are evident throughout the book. He delves into the chaos of the time and brings to light the suffering of all those involved. The war ebbs and flows back and forth with no one really seeming to get the upper hand. The external and internal conflicts surrounding this event in history are too numerous to comprehend, but Matthew does an excellent job. He uses personal accounts, quotes, and even a few images to help the reader try to understand the complexities of the times.

CONCLUSION
Stephen and Matilda’s Civil War is an exceptionally researched historic look at The Anarchy. The author is able to describe in detail the look and feel of the era, as if you were standing there observing it in real time. The battles, both political and literal are played out across the pages of this manuscript. A great read for anyone who is interested in medieval England.

20 people found this helpful

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Lucinda

Convoluted sentences, unclear references ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2024

Be sure to read the sample before you decide whether to buy this book.

I couldn't tell who "he" was in several cases.

4 people found this helpful

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