Summary of Thomas B. Costain's The Conquering Family

By IRB Media

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#1 The Angevin country began between Normandy and Brittany and extended down through Maine and Anjou. It was during the reign of the Angevins that the English family gained its reputation for violence and wickedness. But the English were so proud of them that they often forgave their wickednesses and peccadilloes.

#2 The Counts of Anjou removed themselves to England to reign there as the Plantagenets, and the sturdy peasants found their land torn by family strife and the march of conquering armies.

#3 Henry I, the youngest son of William the Conqueror, became a sad man when his only son was drowned in the wreck of La Blanche Nef off the Norman coast. He had no appetite, he sat alone and stared at nothing, and his temper was so fitful that the people of the court tried to keep out of his way.

#4 Henry, the old Lion of Justice, lived for fifteen years after he married the Fair Maid of Brabant. He became less active and developed a liking for the mild pleasure of processionals about his domain. His radiantly lovely wife was always by his side, but the royal countenance remained as unsmiling as in the days following the death of his son and the end of all his hopes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Aug 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822582651

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Insights on Thomas B. Costain's The Conquering Family

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Angevin country began between Normandy and Brittany and extended down through Maine and Anjou. It was during the reign of the Angevins that the English family gained its reputation for violence and wickedness. But the English were so proud of them that they often forgave their wickednesses and peccadilloes.

#2

The Counts of Anjou removed themselves to England to reign there as the Plantagenets, and the sturdy peasants found their land torn by family strife and the march of conquering armies.

#3

Henry I, the youngest son of William the Conqueror, became a sad man when his only son was drowned in the wreck of La Blanche Nef off the Norman coast. He had no appetite, he sat alone and stared at nothing, and his temper was so fitful that the people of the court tried to keep out of his way.

#4

Henry, the old Lion of Justice, lived for fifteen years after he married the Fair Maid of Brabant. He became less active and developed a liking for the mild pleasure of processionals about his domain. His radiantly lovely wife was always by his side, but the royal countenance remained as unsmiling as in the days following the death of his son and the end of all his hopes.

#5

Matilda brought back three things from Germany: the richly jeweled crown she had worn, the sword of Tristan, and the most imperious temper that ever plunged a nation into conflict. She met at White-Hall, of course, and for the first time, Stephen of Blois.

#6

The ex-Empress, Matilda, had returned to England and was refusing to agree to marry Geoffrey of Anjou. She had many good reasons for objecting to the match, and it was difficult to find two natures more different than the Empress and Geoffrey.

#7

The marriage between Henry and Adelicia was a mistake, as was evident from the start. The arrival of an heir made it certain that one day a scion of the Angevin family would sit on the throne. There could not have been any rejoicing in London, where English opinion was cradled.

#8

Stephen made a night crossing from Wissant, and it was dawn when he landed near Dover. The warders at Dover had been expecting arrivals of this kind, and they refused to allow Stephen and his small party of knights inside the gates. Stephen knew only too well his great need for haste, so he did not linger to dispute the matter.

#9

The reign of Stephen is important for the fact that a truly revolutionary precedent had been set. Common men had chosen a king. The Empress had made no move, as she was shackled by the incompetence of her husband, who was ruling their dominions poorly.

#10

Stephen, the king, was a poor administrator. He was prone to smile and say yes to suggestions that should have been met with a frown and an emphatic no. He threw his nobles and bishops into prison on the most insufficient of pretexts.

#11

The situation in England was such that it brought out the real character of the main participants. Stephen was brave and chivalrous, but he was also an insufficient opportunist. The Empress was to throw away a kingdom through sheer arrogance and an uncontrollable desire for revenge.

#12

The war that now broke over England with full force fell into a certain pattern. The west was for the Empress, while London and the eastern counties remained loyal to Stephen.