Coronation of King Stephen

On 22nd December 1135 King Stephen I England (age 41) was crowned King of England by Archibishop of Canterbury William de Corbeil (age 65).

The date of his coronation described differently by many Chroniclers:

Florence of Worcester: "on the thirteenth of the calends of January" i.e. 20th December 1135.

Orderic Vitalis: "on the eighteenth of the calends of January" i.e. 15th December 1135; the editor provided a note suggesting this date is incorrect and the correct date is the 26th December 1135.

The Annals of Winchester: "on the 22nd day after the death of his uncle, on the 1st of January." We should note that if King Henry died on the 1st December this date would refer to the 22nd or 23rd of December.

Roger of Wendover's Flowers of History: "on the day of the proto-martyr St. Stephen" i.e. 26th December 1135.

Chronicle of Richard Baker: "and so upon St. Stephen's day, in Anno 1135" i.e. 26th December 1135.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: "on midwinter day" i.e. probably 20th or 21st of December but possibly the 25th.

Matthew Paris Chronica Majora: "on the Feast of Saint Stephen" i.e. 26th December 1135.

The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy by Orderic Vitalis. 15th December 1135. As soon as Stephen, count of Boulogne (age 41), heard of his uncle's death¹ he immediately crossed over to England, and being well received by William, archbishop of Canterbury, and the other bishops and temporal lords, ascended the throne, and was crowned on the eighteenth of the calends of January [15th December], being the fourth king of the Norman race who reigned in England.

Note 1. Stephen was probably at Boulogne when he heard of his uncle's death, and he lost not a moment in taking a swift vessel and crossing over to England. The auguries were unfavourable, for, on the morning of his embarkation, although it was in the depth of winter, there was a violent thunder-storm, and the peals were so loud, that people thought, we are told, that the end of the world was come.

Note 2. The coronation took place not on the 15th, but, according to most of the chroniclers, on the 26th of December, the feast of his patron saint, The ceremony was performed by William de Curboil, archbishop of Canterbury, with such carelessness, that he let the consecrated host fall on the ground. Perhaps his conscience was troubled by his perjury; of which all present were guilty, commencing with the archbishop himself, of whom it was predicted, that he would not outlive the year, in punishment of his treason; and this actually happened. It must be recollected, that Henry had caused all the great men of the realm to take the oath of fealty to his daughter, as his successor, twice at least; once at the council of Northampton, before she left England to be confined at Mans, the other ceremony dated back to a period anterior to Matilda's second marriage, probably in the winter or early spring-time of 1127. On this occasion, it was very solemn. The archbishop was the first of the ecclesiastics who took the oath, and after him followed all the bishops and abbots. Then came the king of Scots, Stephen count de Mortain, and the earl of Gloucester; and there was a great discussion among them as to which of them should swear first, It appears that there was a third oath of fealty after the birth of Prince Henry; but several of the great men who had taken the first, and among others Roger, bishop of Salisbury, pretended to be released from their obligation, the king having married his daughter to a foreigner without consulting them.

Deeds of King Stephen. [22nd December 1135] Thus, being persuaded by such arguments, and by certain others, which I pass over for brevity, the archbishop consecrated and anointed him king of England and Normandy, in the presence of the bishops and the large company of clergy who were there assembled. When this at last became known, and the report was spread widely and openly through England, nearly all the chief men of the whole realm gladly and reverently received him; and, being enriched by him with many gifts and enlarged with lands, they, with solemn oaths and after doing homage, wholly devoted themselves to his service.

Talibus itaque sed et aliis nonnullis ratiociniis, quæ breviandi causa prætereo, impulsus archiepiscopus, regem eum in Angliam et Normanniam, cum episcopis frequentique, qui intererat, clericatu, sacravit et inunxit. Quibus tandem cognitis, celebrique sermone per Anglian divulgatis, omnes fere primi totius regni læte eum et veneranter recepere, plurimisque ab eo muneribus donati, sed et terris amplificati, liberali cum jurejurando, præmisso hominio, ejus sese servitio ex toto manciparunt.

Note 1. Gervase, i. 94, says that a great noble swore that he heard Henry release his subjects from the oath. Hugh Bigod was the man: "When, therefore, there was held there a quick and earnest discussion between Stephen and the higher nobles of England, in the presence of William, Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the succession to the kingdom, the said William, archbishop and primate of England, hesitated to place the crown upon anyone, because of the oath that had been sworn to King Henry’s daughter. But then there stood forth one of the most powerful men of England, swearing and declaring that he himself had been present when King Henry, of his own free will and in good faith, had released that oath."

Note 2. William of Malmesbury: "Stephen, therefore, was crowned king of England on Sunday the eleventh before the kalends of January [22nd December 1135], the twenty-second day after the decease of his uncle, anno Domini 1135, in the presence of three bishops, that is, the archbishop, and those of Winchester and Salisbury; but there were no abbats, and scarcely any of the nobility." The Chronicle of Battle Abbey gives the same date: "In the year of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 1135, not long after the death of the noble King Henry, Stephen, count of Boulogne, his nephew, succeeded to the kingdom of England — his claims having the support of some of the chief men of the realm. He was anointed and crowned at Westminster, on the 11th of the calends of January, by William, archbishop of Canterbury." Other writers state that Stephen's coronation took place on the 26th of December. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says on Midwinter Day:

Affuit et inter alios Robertus comes Glaorniæ, filius regis Henrici, sed nothus, vir probati ingenii, laudabilisque prudentiæ. Qui cum de regni susceptione, patre defuncto, ut fama erat, admoneretur, saniori præventus consilio nullatenus adquievit; dicens æquius esse filio sororis suæ, cui justius competebat, regnum cedere, quam præsumptive sibi usurpare. Hic itaque cum regiis mandatis et scriptis sæpius ad se venire commonitus tandem affuisset, gratiose et excellenter susceptus, quæcumque postulavit, exhibito regi hominio, fuit ad votum assecutus; ipsoque postremo pacificato, totum pæne Angliæ regnum fuit regem secutum.

Note 1. He came after Easter [22nd March 1136], William of Malmesbury, 705: "In the same year, after Easter, Robert earl of Gloucester, of whose prudence Stephen chiefly stood in awe, came to England."

Note 2. His itinerary seems to have been Reading (W. of M., 705: "and, in the presence of his successor in the kingdom, was buried at the monastery of Reading"; Hunt., 258: "At last, the royal remains were brought over to England, and interred, within twelve days of Christmas, in the abbey at Reading, which King Henry had founded and richly endowed. There, King Stephen, after holding his court at London during Christmas, came to meet the body of his uncle, and William, archbishop of Canterbury, with many earls and great men, buried King Henry with the honours due to so great a prince."); Oxford (Hunt., 258: "From thence the king went to Oxford, where he recorded and ratified the solemn promises which he had made to God and the people, and to holy church, on the day of his coronation."); Durham, Feb. 4 or 5 (R. Hex.; W. of M., 705; Hunt., 259); York (R. Hexham, and charter in Monasti. con, v., p. 372 ); London, March 22 (R. Hex.; Hunt., 259); Oxford, after Easter (W. of M., 707; R. Hex.). 4 A festina, D.