Book description
Civil war and the battle for the English Crown dominated the reign
of King Stephen, and this popular account is the only complete account
of the complex and fascinating military situation. The war is examined
in detail throughout the various campaigns, battles and sieges of the
period, including the two major battles at the Standard and Lincoln,
showing that Stephen always held more ground than his opponents and
was mostly on the offensive. The nature of the warfare and the reasons
for its outcome are examined, along with comment on the strategy,
tactics, technology in arms and armour, and the important improvements
in fortifications. Full use has been made of the numerous detailed
chronicle sources which give some indication of the horrors of
twelfth-century war, the depredations which affected the ordinary
people of the land, and the atrocities which sometimes accompanied it.
Full of colourful characters - the likeable king, the domineering
Matlida, the young and vital Henry of Anjou (later Henry II), his
intelligent and effective father Geoffrey Count of Anjou, the powerful
barons from Geoffrey de Mandeville to Ranulf of Chester - and
illustrated with photographs, maps and manuscript illustrations, this
is a fascinating story of rivalry for the English throne which throws
new light on a much-neglected aspect of Stephen's reign.
