King Stephen (el. knyga) | knygos.lt

Aprašymas

Publication of the recent collection of the charters of Stephen's reign has led to a reconsideration of the conclusions of past historians, and makes possible a reinterpretation of the evidence and the chronology. In contrast to the view of many historians, the author sees Stephen, not as a mild man, but as vain and shifty. He shows that the combination of these qualities was one of the causes of Stephen's undoing.

It now appears that one of the most interesting aspects of the reign is the light which the events of the rivalry between Stephen and Matilda throw on feudal society. A general acceptance of the hereditary system, both for the crown and for the baronage, which was transforming itself into a landed nobility, seems to have been developing. This theory has been tested throughout the work by applying it systematically to a chronological narrative.