The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign Edmund King 1st Edition 1994 Hardback Just J

The Anarchy of King Stephen's ReignAuthor(s): Edmund King\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Oxford University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Clarendon Press\nISBN-13: 9780198203643, 978-0198203643\nSynopsis\nThe reign of King Stephen [tel] is famous as a period of weak government, as Stephen and his rival the Empress Matilda contended for power. This is a study of medieval kingship at its most vulnerable. It also shows how individuals and institutions enabled the monarchy to survive.\n\nA contemporary chronicler described the reign as \""nineteen long winters in which Christ and his saints were asleep\"". Historians today refer to it simply as 'the Anarchy'.\n\nThe 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 nego.