Editing The Anarchy (section)

===''White Ship''===
[[File:BL Royal 20 A. ii, f. 6v. Henry I & White Ship.jpg|thumb|alt=Picture of Henry I and a sinking ship|Early 14th-century depiction of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] and the sinking of the ''[[White Ship]]'' off [[Barfleur]] in Normandy in 1120. [[British Library]], London.]]

The origins of the Anarchy lay in a succession crisis involving England and Normandy. In the 11th and 12th centuries, north-west France was controlled by a number of dukes and counts, frequently in conflict with one another for valuable territory.<ref>Barlow, p.111; Koziol, p.17; Thompson, p.3.</ref> In 1066 one of these men, Duke [[William II of Normandy]], mounted an [[Norman conquest of England|invasion to conquer]] the rich [[Anglo-Saxon]] kingdom of England, pushing on into south Wales and northern England in the ensuing years. The division and control of these lands after William's death proved problematic and his children fought multiple wars over the spoils.<ref>Carpenter, p.137.</ref> William's son [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] seized power after the death of his elder brother [[William Rufus]] and subsequently invaded and captured the Duchy of Normandy, controlled by his eldest brother [[Robert Curthose]], defeating Robert's army at the [[Battle of Tinchebray]].<ref>Huscroft, p.69.</ref> Henry intended for his lands to be inherited by his only legitimate son, seventeen-year-old [[William Adelin]].<ref>Carpenter, pp.142–143.</ref>

In 1120, the political landscape changed dramatically when the ''[[White Ship]]'' sank en route from [[Barfleur]] in Normandy to England; around three hundred passengers died, including Adelin.<ref>Bradbury, pp.1–3.</ref>{{#tag:ref|There has been extensive speculation as to the cause of the sinking of the ''White Ship''. Some theories centre on overcrowding, while others blame excessive drinking by the ship's master and crew.<ref>Bradbury, p.2.</ref>|group="nb"}} With Adelin dead, the inheritance to the English throne was thrown into doubt. Rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, male [[primogeniture]], in which the eldest son would inherit all titles, was becoming more popular.<ref name=BarlowP162>Barlow, p.162.</ref> In other parts of Europe, including Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided up, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands – usually considered to be the most valuable – and younger sons being given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates.<ref name=BarlowP162/> The problem was further complicated by the sequence of unstable Anglo-Norman successions over the previous sixty years: there had been no peaceful, uncontested successions.<ref>Huscroft, pp.65, 69–71; Carpenter, p.125.</ref>

With William Adelin dead, Henry had only one other legitimate child, [[Empress Matilda|Matilda]], but female rights of inheritance were unclear during this period.<ref>Bradbury, p.3; Chibnall, p.64.</ref> Despite Henry taking a second wife, [[Adeliza of Louvain]], it became increasingly unlikely that Henry would have another legitimate son and instead he looked to Matilda as his intended heir.<ref>Bradbury, pp.6–7.</ref> Matilda had been married to [[Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor]], from which she later claimed the title of empress. Her husband died in 1125 and she was remarried in 1128 to [[Geoffrey V of Anjou]], whose county bordered the Duchy of Normandy.<ref>Barlow, p.160; Chibnall, p.33.</ref> Geoffrey was unpopular with the Anglo-Norman elite: as an [[County of Anjou|Angevin]] ruler, he was a traditional enemy of the Normans.<ref name="Barlow">Barlow, p.161.</ref> At the same time, tensions continued to grow as a result of Henry's domestic policies, in particular the high level of revenue he was raising to pay for his various wars.<ref>Carpenter, p.160.</ref> Conflict was curtailed by the power of the king's personality and reputation.<ref>Carpenter, p.161; Stringer, p.8.</ref>

Henry attempted to build up a base of political support for Matilda in both England and Normandy, demanding that his court take [[oath]]s first in 1127, and then again in 1128 and 1131, to recognise Matilda as his immediate successor and recognise her descendants as the rightful ruler after her.<ref>Bradbury, p.9; Barlow, p.161.</ref> Stephen was among those who took this oath in 1127.<ref>King (2010), pp.30–31; Barlow, p.161.</ref> Nonetheless, relations between Henry, Matilda and Geoffrey became increasingly strained towards the end of the king's life. Matilda and Geoffrey suspected that they lacked genuine support in England, and proposed to Henry in 1135 that the king should hand over the royal castles in Normandy to Matilda while he was still alive and insist on the Norman nobility swearing immediate allegiance to her, thereby giving the couple a much more powerful position after Henry's death.<ref>King (2010), pp.38–39.</ref> Henry angrily declined to do so, probably out of a concern that Geoffrey would try to seize power in Normandy somewhat earlier than intended.<ref>King (2010), p.38; Crouch (2008a), p.162.</ref> A fresh rebellion broke out in southern Normandy, and Geoffrey and Matilda intervened militarily on behalf of the rebels.<ref name=BarlowP162/> In the middle of this confrontation, Henry unexpectedly fell ill and died near [[Lyons-la-Foret]].<ref name="Barlow" />