The Devil’s Brood: Part I-The Anarchy

The Devil's Brood examines the Angevin Dynasty, otherwise known as the Plantagenets, which ruled over England and the greater part of France until John lost most of the family lands in Europe. Henry II was the first Angevin king of England, but Part I will present the Anarchy, the struggle for the English throne between Henry's mother Empress Matilda and her cousin Stephen.

Image Credit:
King Henry II and his chlidren (left to right: William, Henry the young King, Richard Lionheart, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleonor, Joan, John Lackland) By Anonymus - http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminat..., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Cast of Characters:
Henry I-king of England, duke of Normandy, fourth son of William the Conqueror
William Aetheling-only son of Henry, died in the sinking of the white Ship in 1120
Empress Matilda-Henry's official heir, claimant to the English throne, widow of German Emperor Henry V
Stephen-rival claimant to the English throne, count of Boulogne, Henry's nephew
Geoffrey Plantagenet-Count of Anjou, Maine and Touraine, later duke of Normandy, Matilda's husband
Robert Fitzroy-Earl of Gloucester, illegitimate son of Henry
William Clito-claimant to the English throne, count of Flanders, Henry's nephew
Theobald II-count of Champagne, most powerful vassal of the King of France, Henry's nephew
Hugh Bigod-Earl of Norfolk, former steward of King Henry I of England, supporter of King Stephen, leading noble in East Anglia
Robert de Beaumont-earl of Leicester, key supporter of Stephen
Waleran de beaumont-count of Meulan, Robert's twin brother
Ranulf-earl of Chester, powerful lord in the Welsh border region
Henry FitzEmpress-eldest son of Matilda and Geoffrey

Sources:
The Plantagenets: the Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England-Dan Jones
The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones-Thomas Asbridge
Tales from the Long Twelfth Century: The Rise and Fall of the Angevin Empire-Richard Huscroft
King Stephen-Edmund King
The Empress Matilda, Queen Consort, Queen Mother and Lady of the English-Marjorie Chibnall
Henry II-W.L. Warren
Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel, Victim, A 900-Year-Old Story Retold-John Guy