Daily Medieval

The fifth son of Malcolm III and Margaret of Wessex , Alexander got to be king of Scotland after Malcolm's death only after his uncle ...

As I mentioned yesterday, Robert de Bethune was allowed to attend the Council of Reims called by Pope Eugene III , even though King Stephen...

King Henry I of England changed a lot of the political atmosphere that had been damaged by his brother, William Rufus . One of his changes ...

As mentioned  here , the relationship between Archbishop of Canterbury Anselm and King Henry I of England was not completely adversarial. He...

I have written before of how William II of England died  unexpectedly, and how his younger brother Henry quickly assumed control of England...

...are the hands of a healer." This line from The Lord of the Rings  sounds fantastical, but as a first-rate historian and medievalist,...

When Pope Honorius II died in 1130, two popes were elected by rival factions, first Innocent II by a small contingent of cardinals, and then...

Why was the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (pictured to the left on his knees and mentioned here ) the second  1st Earl of Shrewsbury? That is becau...

The Angevin Empire begun by King Henry II of England started to crumble after Henry's son and successor, Richard the Lionheart , died i...

When King Stephen I of England died in 1154, the terms of the Treaty of Wallingford meant his rival's son would inherit the throne. Hen...

The previous post discussed how Stephen of Blois seized the throne of England in 1135 upon the death of King Henry I, despite having sworn ...

Stephen of Blois (c.1096 - 25 October 1154) was a nephew of King Henry I of England. His mother was (Saint) Adela, a daughter of William the...

After the death of his first wife, Matilda of Scotland, King Henry I of England needed a second wife. Well, mostly he needed an heir, becaus...

The first royal wedding too take place at Windsor Castle was that of King Henry I and Adeliza of Louvain.  Henry (c.1068 - 1135) was a young...

"High above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground" William of Normandy built a motte-and-bailey structure fro...