Daily Medieval

Alberic started in Beauvais in France but went everywhere once he became a papal legate. Born in 1080, he entered Cluny and became a Benedic...

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 David's rule over Scotland was entwined with his relationship with England. When England experienced the constitutional crisis and ...

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 ...

Hang on, this can get complicated. Here's the backstory: Henry I of England had two legitimate children by his first wife, William and M...

Probably the easiest way to sum up the medieval view of hostages is a line from Adam Costa's Hostages in the Middle Ages : In medieval E...

Every once in awhile, I decide to throw in bits and pieces that come my way but don't fit into a regular post. I did one here for the d...

Let's sum up: when the White Ship sank , taking the heir of King Henry I with it, he finally settled on Empress Matilda (Henry's ...

Before we conclude our three-part journey through the 20 years of civil war between Stephen of Blois (a usurper whom history calls king) a...

In 1135, upon the death of Henry I of England, his nephew Stephen of Blois (c.1192-1154) assumed the throne. All well and good, except tha...

When the White Ship sank in 1120, drowning King Henry I's son and heir, William Adelin, England was in crisis. Henry decided that his d...