When David Crouch's study of Stephen was released in 2000, it marked a significant milestone.

It was the first major work dedicated to his reign since Ralph Davis's biography had been published over three decades earlier.

During that intervening time, the continuous scholarship on the period had cast doubt on some of the conclusions and suppositions that Davis's book was founded upon.

Although Keith Stringer had addressed this in his commendable short study of Stephen's reign, the nature of his work - a concise study intended as a targeted introduction to the subject - prevented the more extensive reexamination that Crouch offers in this present work.

For the remainder of my review, simply click on the link:

https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2022/...

Stephen's reign was marred by misfortunes, but what truly damaged his posthumous reputation was being the first victim of modern scientific history. He was the successor of Henry I and the predecessor of Henry II, both favored by Anglo-American constitutionalist and administrative historians. Through their lenses, Stephen seemed a disappointment, though they acknowledged his effectiveness as a warrior. His reign was seen as a blip between Henry I and Henry II. For historiographical reasons dating back to the 18th century, this blip became an 'anarchy' and Stephen the villain. However, as we've seen, he was trying to rule a kingdom.

Stephen was not a failure in England, but in Wales and Normandy. There, he proved inadequate, but who could have done better except the greatest of kings? Instead of comparing his record to Henry I's success, we should compare it to Louis VII of France. Louis VII had military successes, but they were not decisive. He also attempted to rule two realms and lost one. He could only contain his rivals in key provinces and ultimately lost ground. Yet, he is not considered such a failure, perhaps because his predecessor and successor's reigns were not markedly different. It is for the next generation of historians to look at Stephen and his reign more objectively and judge them accordingly.