King Stephen de Blois of England 
Stephen was born about 1096 in Blois, France. Stephen's father was Comte Stephen Henry de Blois II and his mother was Adela de Normandie Plantagenet. His paternal grandparents were Comte Thibaud de Blois III and Gersende de Maine; his maternal grandparents were King William I “the Conqueror” Plantagenet, of England and Matilda of Flanders. He had a brother named the Great. He was the younger of the two children. He died on October 25th, 1154 in Dover Castle, Kent, England. He was buried in Faversham Abbey, Faversham, Kent, England.General Notes
Reigned 1135-1154. He became king after the death of his uncle Henry I. After Stephen's death, Henry II became king.
The rightful heiress to the crown of England was Henry I's daughter Matilda but at the time of Henry's death she was with her husband in Anjou and Stephen was the first to reach London and successfully claim the throne. Matilda or Maud, as she was also known, disputed Stephen's claim. Matilda's illegitimate half brother the 1st Earl of Gloucester rebelled, and civil war broke out in 1139 when Matilda invaded. In April 1141 hostile troops seized Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln but in November exchanged him for Gloucester who had been imprisoned by Stephen's supporters. Stephen then regained much lost power and in 1148 Matilda left England. Upon Maud's death, her son Henry Fitz-Empress continued the challenge. While the dispute continued, Henry married the divorced wife of the French King. This gave him great power as his wife was, in her own right, a reigning Princess. Stephen had married Matilda of Boulogne and hoped that their son Eustace would succeed him, however Eustace died and in 1153 at Winchester, Stephen reluctantly declared Henry Fitz-Empress as his heir. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.
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Ancestor Pedigree Chart
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*There are earlier generations for the ancestor(s) indicated. See their page(s) for details (click name)
- d.1037
- b.~ 1019 d.~ 1089
- d.0993
- b.~ 0962 d.> 1035
- b.~ 1045 d.19 May 1102
- d.~ 1010
- b.~ 1096 in Blois, France d.25 Oct 1154 in Dover Castle, Kent, England
- b.28 Aug 0933 in Normandy, France d.20 Nov 0996 in Fecamp, Seine-Inferieure, France
- b.~ 0958 in Normandy, France d.28 Aug 1026 in Fecamp, Seine-Inferieure, France
- b.~ 0940 d.~ 1031
- b.~ 1008 in Normandy, France d.22 Jul 1035 in Nicea, Bithynia, Turkey
- b.0950 in Bretagne, Rennes, France d.29 Jun 0992
- b.~ 0982 in Bretagne, Rennes, France d.16 Jun 1017 in Normandy, France
- b.~ 0952 in Anjou, France d.27 Jun 0992
- b.14 Oct 1024 in Falaise, Calvados, France d.09 Sep 1087 in Hermenbraville, France
- b.~ 0987 in Falaise, Calvados, France
- b.~ 1003 in Falaise, Calvados, France d.~ 1050
- b.~ 0980 in Falaise, Calvados, France
- b.~ 1062 d.08 Mar 1137 in Marcigny-sur-Loire, France
- b.~ 0961 d.30 Mar 0987
- b.~ 0980 d.30 May 1035
- b.~ 0945 d.23 Jan 1003
- b.~ 1013 d.01 Sep 1067 in Lille, France
- b.~ 0965 d.06 Oct 1019
- b.~ 0995 d.21 Feb 1030
- b.< 0975
- b.1031 in Flanders, France d.02 Nov 1083 in Caen, Calvados, France
- b.0941 d.24 Oct 0996
- b.~ 0972 in Orleans, France d.20 Jul 1031 in Meulan, France
- b.~ 1009 d.~ 1063
- b.~ 0947 d.Sep 1037
- b.0974 in Toulouse, France d.25 Jul 1032 in Melun, Normandy, France
- b.< 0960 d.< 0990
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