Stephen, King of England (c. 1094 – 1154), ruled from 1135 until his death. Born in the County of Blois in central France, he was brought up by his mother, Adela, daughter of William the Conqueror. Placed into the court of his uncle, Henry I of England, Stephen rose in prominence and was granted extensive lands. When Henry died in 1135, Stephen crossed the English Channel and took the throne in spite of his earlier oaths to support the claim of Henry's daughter, the Empress Matilda. In 1138 the Empress's half-brother Robert of Gloucester rebelled against Stephen, and in 1139 the Empress and Robert invaded England. The revolt took hold in the south-west, and Stephen was captured at the battle of Lincoln in 1141. He was abandoned by many of his followers and lost control of Normandy. He was freed after Robert was captured at the Rout of Winchester, but the civil war dragged on for many years. Upon his death, he was succeeded by the Empress's son, Henry II, the first of the Angevin kings.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen,_King_of_England
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1689:
Beaver Wars: Aggravated by increased French incursions into their territory, a large force of Mohawk warriors substantially destroyed the settlement of Lachine, New France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachine_massacre
1772:
Russia, Prussia and Habsburg Austria began the First Partition of Poland to help restore the regional balance of power in Eastern Europe among those three countries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Partition_of_Poland
1864:
American Civil War: Rear Admiral David Farragut successfully led the Union fleet through a mine field to victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mobile_Bay
1949:
A magnitude 6.8 ML earthquake struck near Ambato, Ecuador, killing 5,050 people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949_Ambato_earthquake
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
side-eye: (transitive) To look at out of the corner of one's eye, particularly with animosity, or in a judgmental or suspicious manner. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/side-eye
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am the one who passed unnoticed before you, Invisible, in a cloud of secret pain. --Conrad Aiken https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Conrad_Aiken