57. Stephen of Blois Breaks His Oath, London England, December 1135

True Crime Medieval

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.