The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream

When most people think of the British monarchy, they tend to think of the modern day monarchy of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and the other royals. But for a long time the British kings were ruthless warriors, bent on making sure their legitimate children would secure the throne, especially after William the Conqueror became king of England in 1066, and his children killed themselves and others to secure the throne. This book tells the little known story in the United States of how one disaster during the reign of Henry I changed the line of English kings for the next three-hundred plus years. While the disaster of the White Ship itself only takes up a small portion of the book, the author spends time detailing how Henry I came to power by possibly killing his brother William Rufus, and how Henry I longed to secure the throne for his children until the tragic death of his only heir. The book then covers the chaos and civil war that broke out until Henry II, a relation of Henry I, was old enough to claim the throne from Stephen. It is good until it gets crowded with names and titles.