As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Home / Historical Periods / High Medieval / The Anarchy

Phase

The Anarchy

1135–1154 CE

The Anarchy began after Henry I’s death created a contested succession between Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda. England and Normandy were drawn into years of castle warfare, shifting loyalties, local lordship, and political breakdown. The conflict ended with a settlement that allowed Stephen to reign but recognised Matilda’s son Henry as heir.

The period matters because it exposed the dangers of contested legitimacy in a feudal kingdom. Noble power, castle control, church mediation, and dynastic marriage all shaped the struggle. It also prepared the way for the Angevin and Plantagenet monarchy under Henry II.

Ellis Peters’s Cadfael mysteries are closely tied to the disorder of The Anarchy, using the civil war as the background for monastic crime stories. Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth also uses this period for cathedral building, ambition, violence, and local power. It is one of the strongest high medieval settings for combining political chaos with intimate community stories.

Related people for The Anarchy

Cadwaladr ap Gruffuddc. 12th century–1172 David I of Scotland1084–1153 Eleanor of Aquitaine1124–1204 Empress Matilda1102–1167 Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex1092–1144 Gerald de Windsor1070–1136 Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd1097–1136 Henry II of England1133–1189 Henry I of England1068–1135 Henry of Blois1096–1171 John Marshal1105–1165 Josce de Dinan1116–1167 Nest ferch Rhys1085–1136 Owain Gwynedd1100–1170 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester1090–1147 Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester1104–1168 Robert Pennantdied 1168 Roger de Clintonc. 11th century–1148 Stephen, King of England1095–1154 William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry1105–1160 William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke1146–1219

Series

Series about The Anarchy (2 series)

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael in Order

by Ellis Peters 19 books 4.5

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael follow a former soldier and crusader who has become the herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey. Between 1137 and 1145, Cadfael investigates deaths, disappearances and disputed identities while working within the rhythms of Benedictine life and the law of medieval England. The twenty novels unfold…

The Anarchy Series in Order

by Griff Hosker 20 books 4.4

The Anarchy Series follows families, knights and warlords through the civil war between Stephen and Empress Matilda and into the Angevin settlement under Henry II. The sequence expands from northern England and Normandy to crusading, Wales, Ireland and the politics around Thomas Becket and Henry’s sons. It is…

Books

30 Best Novels About the Anarchy

Bestselling authors first, then star rating.