The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream
The sinking of the White Ship on the night of November 25, 1120, completely shattered Henry I’s dream of leaving a peaceful and united Anglo-Norman kingdom at his death. Known as the fastest ship afloat, it counted among its nearly 300 passengers prominent members of the clergy, high-ranking Anglo-Norman nobility, knights, a relative of the Holy Roman Emperor, and three of the king’s children, including his only legitimate son and heir, William Atheling.
Most of the passengers and crew were intoxicated from wine-soaked revels onboard, and when the ship struck Quilleboeuf rock one mile out of Barfleur, all were drowned in the freezing water save one. The grief-stricken Henry, after realizing his second wife would provide him no heir, attempted to salvage his ruined plans for his kingdom’s future by appointing his strong-minded daughter, Matilda, to be his successor. However, after Henry’s death in 1135, anarchy occurred, as Henry’s nephew Stephen of Blois challenged Matilda’s claim, and many of the barons sided with him. Civil war erupted with violence and treachery that lasted years, tore apart families, laid waste to all England and Normandy, and involved not only English and Norman barons, but Welsh princes and the Scottish and French kings, all vying for power.
Spencer has sifted through available sources and provided a very readable, factual, and concise overview of the Norman Conquest, the shipwreck, the tragedy’s brutal aftermath and its profound consequences upon England’s history. As William of Malmesbury wrote: “No ship that ever sailed brought England such disaster…” Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, and maps are included. A family chart or character list would have helped in keeping the players straight. Recommended for general readers.
