GAME OF THRONES
IN THE FAMILY: King Stephen (left) fought for his son to inherit the crown, but it passed instead to his cousin’s son, Henry (right)
One night in the November of 1120, a ship sailed from Barfleur on the coast of Normandy carrying William Adelin, the son and heir of Henry I of England. The ship struck a submerged rock and – as panic-stricken voices cried out in the frosty air – she went down with almost all hands, Prince William among them. The sinking was a tragedy for the King, who collapsed in grief when the news was finally broken to him, but it also set in motion a political crisis. Henry had no other legitimate male off spring, and — as soon became plain — even married to a new young wife, Adeliza of Louvain, would be unable to father any more. So, in an unprecedented step, he looked to his daughter, Matilda, to be his successor.