John Yowan
Mr. Bruner
World History Cultures Hour 2
9 October 2002
Maud: Maud is the daughter of King Henry the first
of England and granddaughter of William the first of England. Maud is in love
with her cousin Stephen of Blois near the beginning of the book. Maud was
married to the Holy Roman Emperor until his death and then married Geoffrey of
Anjou. Maud is well educated and never gives up once she starts something.
Stephen
of Blois: Stephen is the son of Adela, grandson of William the First of England
and Maud's cousin. Stephen is in love with Maud but he is also her enemy
because they both want to rule over England. Stephen took over England after
Henry's death by trickery and force since his uncle would not let him have it.
Later on Maud's son Henry took the Kingdom back.
Henry:
Henry the 1st is the King of England, Duke of Normandy. Henry is the
youngest son of William the First of England and father of Maud. He is
determined to make his daughter Maud the next Ruler on England.
The
book starts in the year 1111 with Maud a nine-year-old princess daughter of
Henry the 1st, King of England and Duke of Normandy getting ready to
go to Germany to marry the Holy Roman Emperor. King Henry wants Maud to marry
Heinrich to make peace with Germany. Maud did not want to leave England, but
she has no choice but to leave in March to marry against her wishes. Maud
arrived in Germany in May of that year, Heinrich got there the day after and later
they got married.
Nine
years later Maud was eighteen and well educated. The Emperor had taken charge
of her learning and taught her German, math, politics and to play chess, a very
important game at that time. The Emperor had also let Maud help in the affairs
of state helping her learn how to rule.
Five
years later in the year 1125 the Emperor died. When this happened a cousin of
the emperor took over because Maud had not had any children from her marriage
to inherit the throne. Everyone in Germany wanted Maud to stay, but her father
makes her come back to Normandy. King Henry wanted her to come back so he could
use her for a new alliance later. After some time Maud met her cousin Stephen
of Blois and it was like love at first sight. King Henry decides to after much
thought to have Maud declared as heir to the throne. Henry talks to the Bishop
Henry who is Stephen's brother about making Maud queen after he dies, since he
had no living legitimate sons. King Henry does have a son named Robert, but he
was born out of wedlock so cannot become King. Bishop Henry does not agree with
the idea of Maud as queen. He thinks Stephen should be the next King of
England. Then later in the year of 1125 everyone went back to England.
The
King then plans a proclamation to tell all of nobles of England and Normandy
that Maud will inherit the throne of England when he dies, only if he does not
produce any living legitimate sons. King David of Scotland is also invited to
attend the proclamation. Later Stephen invites Maud to his home because his
wife Matilda wants to meet Maude and become friends with her. Maud goes to meet
Matilda but does not really want to because she is in love with Stephen. While
she was there Stephen and Maud kissed and two guards saw them kissing. Because
of this Maude leaves the next morning.
Three
months later King Henry has the proclamation on Christmas Eve. All of the
nobles arrived and King David of Scotland. The King told everyone if he has no
sons Maud would become the Queen of England when he dies. Because of this
Stephen got mad because he thought that he would become the next King of
England. Then a few days later the King makes all the nobles including Stephen
and the King of Scotland swear loyalty to Maud. If someone refused to swear
loyalty King Henry would take away all of that persons power, so everyone
agreed and swore loyalty to Maud. Stephen early on had made a plan on how to
become the next King of England with his brother Bishops Henry's help.
The
day after the proclamation King Henry tells Maud that she is to marry Geoffrey
a fourteen-year-old boy who is the Count of Anjou. Maud does want to marry
Geoffrey because he is too young. Since Maud refused to marry Geoffrey, King
Henry locks her in a castle since he does not want anyone to know about the
marriage and is afraid Maud will tell people. While Maud is locked away in the
castle Stephen came to visit her dressed as a priest. The guards let Stephen in
to visit Maud and she tells him what is going on and why she is locked away.
After talking for a while their passion for each other becomes known to each
and they make love. When Stephen was leaving the guards capture him and hold
him until they see it really is Stephen and they let him go. Maud did not know
they let him go and was unable to sleep she was so worried. Later she found out
that Stephen was safe and soon after she talked to her father. Maud still did
not want to marry Geoffrey, but King Henry made her go to Anjou anyway. She
left England in 1126 to meet Geoffrey and she did not like him that much. They
did get married although Maud was not happy about it.
Maud
and Geoffrey moved to Angers where they would live. Maud and Geoffrey tried to
consummate the marriage, but Geoffrey acted like he could not and this led to a
fight. One day Maud caught Geoffrey having sex with another girl much younger
than Maud, so Maud knew he able to do his duty in producing an heir to the
throne. Maud and Geoffrey got in a fight over this and she was forced to leave.
Maud sent a letter to her father King Henry and told him what had happened to
her. Henry got very upset and shortly after he became ill. Maud went to
Normandy hoping she can go home to England and King Henry lets her come back.
King Henry held a special court for her homecoming in the year 1129. Shortly
after Maud's return Stephen and she get together in a house in the woods that
was prepared by a friend of Stephens. Maud and Stephen tried to make love but
Stephen was not able to.
One
year later Maud was going to Winchester and Stephen was her escort. On their
first night together and over a period of the next few days they made love
several times. In July the court moved to Normandy and Maud realizes that she
is pregnant. Maud wanted to tell Stephen but decided to go back to Geoffrey in
Anjou so that he would think the baby was his. Stephen was upset with Maud for
going back to Geoffrey because he loved her. Geoffrey is nineteen when Maud
returns to him and they consummate the marriage.
Maud
gave birth to a son eight months later in 1131 and named him Henry after her
father. Maud took the baby to her father for a visit and remained in Normandy.
Again Maud found herself to be pregnant this time by Geoffrey and she went back
to Anjou. She gave birth in 1135 to her second son and they named him Geoffrey.
Not long after the birth of Geoffrey, King Henry got sick while on a hunting
trip after eating to many lampreys. King Henry became very ill and all the
people with him including Stephen were very worried. The Kings physician told
them that the King was dying and that he needed the Bishop of Rouen for last
rites. Stephen said he would go get the Bishop and left. He found the Bishop
and told him he was needed to give the King last rites and the Bishop
immediately left. Stephen then ran into Hugh Bigod the Kings seneschal and told
him what was going on. Stephen had made the decision to take the throne of
England from Maud and got Hugh Bigod to go to King Henry before he died and
pretend that on his deathbed he had whispered to Hugh that he wanted Stephen to
be King of England not Maud. Hugh finally agreed after Stephen had promised the
Earldom of Norfolk with titles and lands to him. Stephen then quickly left for
England to take over the throne. When he got to England he sent a message to
his brother Henry Bishop of Winchester on the events that had taken place in
Rouen and that King Henry was dead. Stephen then went on to Dover Castle held
by Maud's brother, Robert of Gloucester's men. He wanted to enter the castle
and told them that the King was mortally ill and had already surely died. They
told him that if the King was dead then Maud was the queen and that Robert
would have already sent a message to them, and turned Stephen away. Stephen
then rides to Canterbury to get support there but forgot that Robert's men also
held Canterbury castle and they already had a message from Dover not to let him
in.
Stephen
had no choice but to go on to London were he found support for him to take the
throne, as most of the people did not want a woman ruling England. Soon Hugh
Bigod showed up and told the people and the Archbishop's that King Henry had
renounced Maud with his dying words.
Maud had found out about the death of her father in Angers and that
Stephen had taken over the throne. At first she was very upset that Stephen
would do something like that to her. But soon she became mad and she, her
brother Robert of Gloucester and her husband Geoffrey decide to fight for the
throne knowing that Stephen had lied.
The
one person on the isle of England that did not support Stephen was Maud's uncle
David the King of Scotland. King David believes that Maud should still be Queen
of England and crosses the border into England with a troop of Highlanders and
captures Newcastle. Stephen raises a large army and marches to Newcastle to
fight King David, but David knows his army is not big enough to beat Stephen so
he sues for a truce and peace. King Stephen and King David agree on a truce,
but David will not swear fealty to King Stephen. Stephen also makes his brother
Archbishop of Winchester mad by not naming him Archbishop of Canterbury, a more
important position. So Stephen has begun to make some enemies that keep quiet
about their unhappiness with Stephen.
Robert
of Gloucester returns to England and pretends that he backs Stephen as king.
Secretly he is working with Maud and Geoffrey to make Maud the queen. In the
year 1134 Maud comes to England to try to get people to support her with
Robert's help. Stephen has a battle with the Norman army sent to support Maud
that he loses. Stephen is captured and put in prison at a castle. Henry,
Stephen's brother had joined forces with Maud but decides to leave and not
support her anymore. Robert of Gloucester goes to see Archbishop Henry to see
if he can get him back but Henry will not join him. Maud and her army go to the
castle where Henry is and finds that Matilda, Stephen's wife is protecting
Henry. Maltida's army out numbers Maud's so Maud retreats. Robert is captured
while he stays behind to help Maud get away.
Maud
is upset that Robert is a prisoner and to free him she agrees to let Stephen go
to get Robert back. Robert goes to Normandy to get arms and men for Maud and
while he is there he convinces Geoffrey to let Maud and Geoffrey's young son
Henry to go back to England with him. Maud under siege in Oxford and running
low on food escapes and goes to Wallingford. While at Wallingford she and young
Henry are reunited. Stephen at this time is again King of England.
In
1145 Stephen decides he wants his son Eustace to be crowned in his lifetime so
he will be the next King. By the year 1147 Maud's son Henry has his own army
and plans to use it against Stephen. Later that year Robert of Gloucester dies
and within the year King David of Scotland knights Henry. In 1151 Henry and his
father Geoffrey go to France to pay homage to King Louis. Henry and King Louis
wife Eleanor fall in love and she leaves the King for Henry. Henry is now Duke
of Normandy after his father dies from a fever. Henry goes to England to fight for the throne. In 1155 a treaty
is signed between Henry and Stephen making Henry the King of England and he
becomes known as King Henry the 2nd.
9.Ten
new words.
·
Page 127 Legitimate: Rightful, Lawful.
·
Page 127 Illustrious: Very famous, great,
renowned.
·
Page 203 Crimson: Red.
·
Page 258 Flux: Constant change/ in this case
menstrual period.
·
Page 275 Flaccid: Limp.
·
Page 275 Quiescent: Quiet and motionless.
·
Page 309 Lampreys: Marine and freshwater
vertebrate animals with bodies like an eel, no jaws and a large mouth.
·
Page 309 Ambrosia: Something especially pleasing
to taste or smell.
·
Page 451 Ebb: Decline, to grow less or weaker.
·
Page 524 Enamored: Very much in love.