Thomas FitzStephen (; died 1120) was captain of the ill-fated '' White Ship'' (), which sank off Barfleur, Normandy, on 25 November 1120.

Life

FitzStephen was the son of Stephen FitzAirard (), the captain of the '' Mora'', the ship which brought

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

over from

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

during his invasion of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1066. FitzStephen owned and captained the '' White Ship'', which at that time was docked at Barfleur harbour.J.A. Guiles, ''William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England'' (London: George Bell and Sons, 1904), p. 455 When Thomas FitzStephen presented himself to the king he said: Henry had already made other arrangements, but gave permission for his sons

William Adelin William Ætheling (, ; 5 August 1103 – 25 November 1120), commonly called Adelin (sometimes ''Adelinus'', ''Adelingus'', ''A(u)delin'' or other Latinised Norman-French variants of '' Ætheling''), was the son of Henry I of England by his wif ...

and Richard, as well as the young nobles in William's entourage, to travel on it instead.Judith A. Green, ''Henry I: King of England and Duke of Normandy'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. 165 According to Orderic Vitalis, the nobles as well as the crew were drinking. By the time the ship was ready to leave there were about 300 people on board although some had disembarked before the ship sailed due to the excessive drinking.William M. Aird, ''Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy c. 1050–1134'' (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008), p. 269 FitzStephen and his crew were challenged by the revelers to overtake the king's ship which had already sailed. The ''White Ship'' was fast, of the best construction and had recently been fitted with new materials, which made the captain and crew confident they could reach England first. However, when the ship set off in the dark, its port side struck a submerged rock and the ship quickly capsized and sank. The loss of life was devastating – according to

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis (; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England.Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 6 Working out of ...

only one survived, by clinging to the rock all night: a butcher from Rouen.Ordericus Vitalis, ''The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy'', Trans. Thomas Forester, Vol IV (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1856), p. 35 Orderic also claims that FitzStephen let himself drown rather than face the wrath of King Henry I, as Henry's son

had been among those drowned.

Stephen of Blois Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 un ...

, the king's nephew by his sister Adela, was among the entourage and had boarded the ship but had disembarked just before it sailed due to illness. The death of William Adelin in the ''White Ship'' caused a succession crisis leading to

The Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Duchy of Normandy, Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adel ...

and ultimately to Stephen becoming King of England.Ordericus Vitalis, ''The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy'', Trans. Thomas Forester, Vol IV (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1856), p. 36

Notes

References

External links

* Britannia.co
The Wreck of the White Ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzstephen, Thomas 1120 deaths Deaths on the White Ship Captains who went down with the ship Year of birth unknown