When Christ and His Saints Slept

Name: When Christ and His Saints Slept
Rating: 4.4 (2650 reviews)

by Sharon Kay Penman Book 1 in the Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine series.

First published 1994

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4.4(2,650)

England, 1120–1154. The loss of Henry I’s only legitimate son in the White Ship disaster leaves the succession dependent on his daughter, Empress Matilda. After Henry’s death, her cousin Stephen takes the crown, dividing the nobility and beginning the civil war later called the Anarchy.

The narrative follows Matilda, Stephen, Robert of Gloucester and their families through shifting alliances, sieges, captivity and famine. As neither claimant can secure a decisive victory, the struggle passes to a younger generation and ends with an agreement recognising Matilda’s son Henry as Stephen’s heir, preparing the way for the Angevin dynasty.

Historical Periods

The Anarchy1135–1154 CE Angevin Empire1154–1214 CE

Historical people

Eleanor of Aquitaine1124–1204 Henry II of England1133–1189 Stephen, King of England1095–1154 Empress Matilda1102–1167 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester1090–1147