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The Troubled Reign of King Stephen 1135-1154
The Troubled Reign of King Stephen
219 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
About the author
John T. Appleby
8 books1 followerArkansas native John Tate (Jack) Appleby was a biographer of English kings of the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries and a long-time associate editor of the American Historical Review. He is best remembered in the Borough of St. Edmundsbury in southeastern England, where he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during the final months of World War II and traveled by bicycle then and just after the war. Appleby’s memoir of those times, Suffolk Summer, has remained in print since its publication in 1948.
Appleby received his AB degree in English, cum laude, from Harvard College in 1928. He then went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne while working as a reporter for the Paris Times. He moved to Washington DC, where he wrote a column, “Post Impressions,” and book reviews for the Washington Post. During the final months of World War II, he served as a trainer in celestial navigation for pilots in the Eighth Air Force, stationed on two bases in Suffolk. He never married or had children.
After the war, Appleby returned to Fayetteville to operate one of his family’s apple orchards and to write. His first work, Suffolk Summer, published by East Anglian Magazine, Ltd. in 1948, was an affectionate record of the months he had spent bicycling around East Anglia, enjoying the working landscapes of the region and the friends he met there. With its completion, Appleby began the first of several scholarly biographies of English kings. In 1953, this project took him back to Washington DC, where he deciphered and translated the Latin text of the Close and Patent Rolls, the private letters and public announcements of King John’s seventeen-year reign (1199–1216), which became the basis of his book. In 1959, the year of publication of this first history, John, King of England, Appleby became membership secretary of the American Historical Association; he soon began to work primarily on the American Historical Review (AHR), the association’s journal, and served in its Washington DC office as its associate editor until his death, while continuing his own scholarly writing with books about the reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I.
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net...
Appleby received his AB degree in English, cum laude, from Harvard College in 1928. He then went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne while working as a reporter for the Paris Times. He moved to Washington DC, where he wrote a column, “Post Impressions,” and book reviews for the Washington Post. During the final months of World War II, he served as a trainer in celestial navigation for pilots in the Eighth Air Force, stationed on two bases in Suffolk. He never married or had children.
After the war, Appleby returned to Fayetteville to operate one of his family’s apple orchards and to write. His first work, Suffolk Summer, published by East Anglian Magazine, Ltd. in 1948, was an affectionate record of the months he had spent bicycling around East Anglia, enjoying the working landscapes of the region and the friends he met there. With its completion, Appleby began the first of several scholarly biographies of English kings. In 1953, this project took him back to Washington DC, where he deciphered and translated the Latin text of the Close and Patent Rolls, the private letters and public announcements of King John’s seventeen-year reign (1199–1216), which became the basis of his book. In 1959, the year of publication of this first history, John, King of England, Appleby became membership secretary of the American Historical Association; he soon began to work primarily on the American Historical Review (AHR), the association’s journal, and served in its Washington DC office as its associate editor until his death, while continuing his own scholarly writing with books about the reigns of Stephen, Henry II, and Richard I.
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 12, 2010
This is, no surprise, one of the core books of my research into 12th century England for my novels.
As a detailed narrative of what happened and who was involved, according to the various chroniclers of the period, it's a wonderful and valuable compendium. Where I have problems with it is Appleby's mostly uncritical acceptance of what those chroniclers say. Chroniclers of this time, who were almost invariably clergy/monks, have to be read with certain basic realizations in mind: they were often far removed from the actual events they were reporting and so relied on gossip and rumor, which they nonetheless report as though it's gospel truth. Being clergy, and isolated from the everyday world, they also tend to hold said world to a far higher standard of behavior and morality than was reasonable or right (and yes, there's probably some suppressed hypocrisy at work here, but we can't really ever know the truth). There is also an intense, demonstrable bias and hatred toward the feminine that has to be factored in.
So....yes, if you're researching 12th century England and the reign of King Stephen, you must include this book in your sources. But....don't stop here, keep reading.
As a detailed narrative of what happened and who was involved, according to the various chroniclers of the period, it's a wonderful and valuable compendium. Where I have problems with it is Appleby's mostly uncritical acceptance of what those chroniclers say. Chroniclers of this time, who were almost invariably clergy/monks, have to be read with certain basic realizations in mind: they were often far removed from the actual events they were reporting and so relied on gossip and rumor, which they nonetheless report as though it's gospel truth. Being clergy, and isolated from the everyday world, they also tend to hold said world to a far higher standard of behavior and morality than was reasonable or right (and yes, there's probably some suppressed hypocrisy at work here, but we can't really ever know the truth). There is also an intense, demonstrable bias and hatred toward the feminine that has to be factored in.
So....yes, if you're researching 12th century England and the reign of King Stephen, you must include this book in your sources. But....don't stop here, keep reading.
August 18, 2017
King Stephen is probably one of the least known kings of England by most people and those who do know him think of him as a bad king. why is that? Well, hence me reading this book.
Well there are a lot of reasons first of all he did make a lot of mistakes he was lenient when he should have been harsh, harsh when he should have been lenient, made bad military decisions, and pushed the church when he shouldn't have.
On the other hand he had major challenges to the throne through out his reign from revolts from people like Matilda and later Henry to just random nobles who appear to be revolting all the time.
This book makes the point is that he was a kindly old man who wasn't the great king England really needed to hold peace, but was still able to hold England together for almost 20 years.
The points I found most interesting was that it was hard to take castles but was easy to raid the country side. it was easy to run away as small groups of the most important could often run easily to well defended areas or to France and be out of the reach. And the capturing and ransoming and escaping of prisoners happened often. This all meant that it was too easy for wars of this type to carry on without end.
Stephen was at the very least unlucky with the time of his reign, but he also made mistakes that made things worse.
Well there are a lot of reasons first of all he did make a lot of mistakes he was lenient when he should have been harsh, harsh when he should have been lenient, made bad military decisions, and pushed the church when he shouldn't have.
On the other hand he had major challenges to the throne through out his reign from revolts from people like Matilda and later Henry to just random nobles who appear to be revolting all the time.
This book makes the point is that he was a kindly old man who wasn't the great king England really needed to hold peace, but was still able to hold England together for almost 20 years.
The points I found most interesting was that it was hard to take castles but was easy to raid the country side. it was easy to run away as small groups of the most important could often run easily to well defended areas or to France and be out of the reach. And the capturing and ransoming and escaping of prisoners happened often. This all meant that it was too easy for wars of this type to carry on without end.
Stephen was at the very least unlucky with the time of his reign, but he also made mistakes that made things worse.
March 3, 2024
A good telling of the reign of King Stephen; very heavy on details, names, and places. Properly sourced from primary and closely-related secondary material. Author does seem to heavily discount the role of women in medieval leadership, echoing the misogyny of the sources (he DEFINITELY does not care for Empress Matilda).
Recommended for those interested in medieval history or English history (and will not be thrown by volume of detail); also for those who have read PILLARS OF THE EARTH and want more information around its time period / inspiration.
Recommended for those interested in medieval history or English history (and will not be thrown by volume of detail); also for those who have read PILLARS OF THE EARTH and want more information around its time period / inspiration.
February 5, 2018
Appleby thoroughly covers the key events of Stephen's reign. In addition, the style is readable. However, this study is weakened by the author's open distaste for key figures such as the Empress, Henry Bishop of Winchester, and Ranulf of Chester; yet Stephen's virtues are trumpeted. All in all, I would hesitate to recommend this biography since more nuanced histories are available.
September 16, 2012
Very useful book chronicles the events of the anarchy of Stephen's reign nicely. There is less analysis than a true biography, and the events are unfolded in a clear, fairly detached manner that allows the readers to draw many of their own conclusions.
February 29, 2012
Read this one for a term paper.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews