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HistoryExtra podcast

The Anarchy: everything you wanted to know

HistoryExtra podcast

HistoryExtra

History

4.3 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2021

⏱️ 60 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Anarchy – a 12th-century civil war for the English crown that pitted Empress Matilda against Stephen of Blois – is remembered as one of the most turbulent episodes of the Middle Ages. It was said to be a time when “Christ and his saints slept”. Medieval historian Matt Lewis answers your questions on this 18-year struggle for the throne – from the sexism that impeded Matilda’s bid for the throne, to the war’s impact on the power of England’s barons.   (Ad) Matt Lewis is the author of Stephen and Matilda’s Civil War: Cousins of Anarchy (Pen & Sword, 2019). Buy it now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Matildas-Civil-War-Cousins/dp/1526718332/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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excludes plug-in hybrids, Delantis Financial Services. Hello and welcome to the History Extra podcast from BBC History Magazine, Britain's best-selling history magazine.

0:50.4

I'm Ellie Cawthorne.

0:56.7

For the latest episode in our Everything You Wanted to Know series, our production editor, Spencer Mizzin, was joined by the medieval historian Matt Lewis to talk about the anarchy, a bitter 12th century struggle for the Crown of England, which was

1:12.3

contested by Stephen and Matilda following the death of Henry I. As always, without everything

1:18.0

you wanted to know series, the questions are a mixture of popular internet search queries and ones

1:23.8

that you've submitted on our various social media platforms.

1:29.7

Matt, we're here to talk about the anarchy.

1:35.6

The 18-year civil war contested by two claimants for the English crown,

1:42.4

Empress Matilda, who was daughter of Henry I, and her great rival, Stephen of Blois.

1:47.7

Now, the anarchy was fought between 1135 and 1153,

1:54.8

but I wanted to begin the interview with a question about an incident that occurred in the English Channel 15 years before the Civil War erupted.

1:58.5

And that was the sinking of the white ship, which unfortunately resulted

2:03.2

in the drowning of the era parents of the English throne. Now, Hannah Laura Ridgley, writing on

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