The White Ship: Unraveling Henry's Dream of Conquest and Anarchy

R. Perry: I love Royal English history and had heard about The White Ship disaster but wasn't exactly sure what it was all about. Charles Spencer (Diana's brother) is an excellent writer and story teller. He gives the history of how we get to the White Ship and what happens afterward. It is much more gripping than I could have imagined. I so enjoyed it that I am planning to read his book To Catch a King.

United States on Oct 04, 2023

T Tennyson: After reading Ken Follet's majestic 'The Pillars of the Earth' I realised how little I knew about the period of time following the White Ship disaster and "The Anarchy" that followed. I'd enjoyed Earl Spencer's books based on events around the later Civil War so decided to read this, his latest, book.

The book is split into three sections, loosely covering the time from the Norman Conquest (including a vivid account of the Conqueror's appalling funeral!), the disaster itself, and finally the period of civil war fought between supporters of King Stephen and Empress Matilda. The pages covering the actual disaster are only a small part of the book, though Spencer writes a compelling account of that tragic night. The context from the surrounding chapters is vital to see just how pivotal the sudden loss of William Aetheling was and the book is easy to read but full of detail. The conclusion maybe feels quite light, but this is a minor criticism of what is an excellent history book.

United Kingdom on Aug 27, 2023

Syd Lemon: A great book about an early drink and drive incident where the history of the UK was changed when Henry 1 heir died when the white ship was run aground. As a result England suffered 20 years of turmoil. Entertaining as well as informative. Recommended

Australia on Jul 24, 2023

Edward W. Lewis: Very detailed in persons involved. What a catastrophe.
Well written.

United States on Jun 17, 2023

Hank Norville Carter: I hoped a book would be published that dealt with the White Ship disaster, and the events that came from it, ever since reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. In the thirty years since Pillars I've read concise explanations of the disaster in dozens of history books concerning Henry I, Matilda, Stephen, Henry II, and even in a book about the Capetian Kings of France. Eleven years after the unexpected death of the seventeen year old heir to the English throne, the fifteen year old heir to France (and co-king) died in an even more shocking surprise after being thrown from his horse in a Paris street, after it was startled by a foraging pig. I felt that I'd gathered together a fairly good understanding of the 1120 disaster but I felt there was a gap before a book examining things from the perspective of the actual disaster was released. Spencer finally filled that gap.
I knew Spencer could write and was even one of the better narrative history authors, my concern was that his previous works dealt with the mid-seventeenth century. Here he was jumping back in time more than 500 years to take on a very different time and place. Usually I'm not a fan of history writers who...

United Kingdom on Jun 15, 2023

D. Eppenstein: If you are entertained by the darker side of life and are criticized for having a sick sense of humor then British history will certainly be your cup of tea. The British are probably the most arrogant, hypocritical, and amoral race on the planet and their history overflows with examples of these characteristics to an excess. Needless to say British history is one of my favorite areas of history to read and this book is another fine example of life or death as a member of British nobility.

The author presents us with a finely detailed slice of British history that is primarily a biography of King Henry I, son of William the Conquer and grandfather of Henry II and first of the Plantagenet kings of England. Henry was the youngest child of William and one of three sons of the Conquerer. Through a series of unexpected events Henry is able to grab the throne and out maneuver his older brother following the sudden death of William's favored son, Rufus. The expected protests and battles by the older brother soon follow but Henry has a more popular following and manages to hang on to the throne though his grasp is frequently challenged. To solidify his hold on the throne Henry needs...

United States on Jun 14, 2023

7huskie6: Great read on the subject. As others have stated the lineage was at times more confusing than helpful. Highly recommended none the less.

United States on May 24, 2023

Mrs_Schofield: This is a really good introduction to the period of history around the Norman Conquest. I mostly liked the writing style and the focus on the Norman kings was done well. There are a lot of people with the same name though, so it got a bit of a muddle to keep track of all the Henrys, Matildas and Williams!
The chapters on the White Ship, and the ones about how medieval people viewed the sea, were the most interesting. I never learnt much about the Norman kings in school, but they seem like a bit of a crazy bunch! So much partying, drinking, sex, cheating, torture, violence.
I know this is non-fiction, so the focus is on facts, but I wish there had been a bit more about the "What If" aspect of the story of The White Ship. We see how things went when it sank, but what if it hadn't? Or what if Aetheling had survived?
The book dipped in interest for me in the later sections about the Anarchy and Stephen's reign in general, but that could have been because I already knew a bit about Henry II's rise to the throne.
Overall, an interesting read if you like your Medieval history.

United Kingdom on Mar 13, 2023

Sotto voce: A history deep-divers delight! Spencer's excellent narrative raised to the power of Kindle-enabled search made the read a two-week real-time history lesson. It's super value for money. Spencer's scholarship and references are the highlights. Loved it!

I plan biz itineraries around historical time slices. I've frankly mostly missed this period in my walkabouts. One reason is that so few landmarks and references exist. For me, one glaring example was referenced here, Rhuddlan Castle. I had a biz reason to be in Rhyl, Wales. As I understood, the castle is attributed as a 'second-class' construct in Edward I castle terms. I'm Edward I castle era toured out. So, I skipped the Rhuddlan Castle visit. Spencer reveals my mistake. It was a stronghold player in the Angevin era and was "rebuilt" by Edward I. Another 'for instance', Westminster palace is wholly gone. The White Tower, which most believe survives from the Conqueror, was extensively modified over the ages. Only the chapel remains original. The Roman walls on which it was built a thousand years before seem more extraordinary.

The Kindle searching rabbit trails drive deeper into Angevin Europe. Definitely a fresh spin...

United States on Dec 02, 2022

CathyR: Like many other reviewers, I confess that I didn't even know about the White Ship incident, let alone its significance in plunging England into a devastating civil war that lasted two decades. Even more tragic is that this conflict tore apart a kingdom that had experienced 35 years of hard won stability under the reign of Henry I, who often gets overlooked between his more famous father, William the Conqueror, and his volatile grandson, Henry II.
There is a great deal to like - and even more to learn - from this excellent book. Charles Spencer has researched his subject matter well, and although his forte is the Stuart era, he is comfortable with the subject matter, particularly that of the devastation wreaked on a kingdom by civil war. He's clearly impressed by Henry I's stabilisation of the Norman dynasty after chaotic rule of William Rufus, and he makes a persuasive case for Henry's achievements on many fronts.
The reason I haven't given this a 5 star rating is mainly editorial. It's interesting that Spencer specifically references challenges with structuring the book in his acknowledgements, and I am not convinced that the editor he thanks for helping him resolve this...

United Kingdom on May 10, 2022