Count of Boulogne and Prince of England
Eldest surviving son and heir to King Stephen of England and Countess Matilda of Boulogne. Grandson of Count Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, the daughter of William the Conqueror, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, and Mary, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He was born circa 1129.
Eustace married Constance, the daughter of Louis IV ad Adelaide of Maurienne, sister to King Louis VII of France. Constance was the widow of Count Raymond V of Toulouse who died in 1194.
Eustace had an older brother who died in 1135, making Eustace the new heir. He was knighted in 1147, putting his birth from 1129 to 1194. He inherited Boulogne in 1152 when his mother died. His father tried to establish Eustace as the future king, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec led other bishops in a decision to decline the crowing ceremony. Eustace was also used by the King of France for claims on Anjou to no avail.
Eustace was known to be less than amicable, and well known for his threats, raids and lack of mercy in his territories. When he died suddenly in August of 1153 plundering and destroying church lands near Bury St Edmunds, it was said he had been struck down by the wrath of God for his actions.
His younger brother, William, became the Count of Boulogne, passed over for the position of King. His father's fighting heart died with Eustace, which allowed Stephen to concede the kingdom to Empress Mathilda and her son, Henry, bringing an end of their warring.
According to William of Newburgh, King Stephen was "grieved beyond measure by the death of the son who he hoped would succeed him; he pursued warlike preparations less vigorously, and listened more patiently than usual to the voices of those urging peace."
The Peterborough Chronicle gives Eustace a bad character. "He was an evil man and did more harm than good wherever he went; he spoiled the lands and laid thereon heavy taxes."
Eustace was buried in the church founded by his parents, Faversham Abbey in Kent, alongside both his mother and father. The Abbey was included in the Dissolution, and all three tombs have been lost.
Eldest surviving son and heir to King Stephen of England and Countess Matilda of Boulogne. Grandson of Count Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, the daughter of William the Conqueror, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, and Mary, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He was born circa 1129.
Eustace married Constance, the daughter of Louis IV ad Adelaide of Maurienne, sister to King Louis VII of France. Constance was the widow of Count Raymond V of Toulouse who died in 1194.
Eustace had an older brother who died in 1135, making Eustace the new heir. He was knighted in 1147, putting his birth from 1129 to 1194. He inherited Boulogne in 1152 when his mother died. His father tried to establish Eustace as the future king, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec led other bishops in a decision to decline the crowing ceremony. Eustace was also used by the King of France for claims on Anjou to no avail.
Eustace was known to be less than amicable, and well known for his threats, raids and lack of mercy in his territories. When he died suddenly in August of 1153 plundering and destroying church lands near Bury St Edmunds, it was said he had been struck down by the wrath of God for his actions.
His younger brother, William, became the Count of Boulogne, passed over for the position of King. His father's fighting heart died with Eustace, which allowed Stephen to concede the kingdom to Empress Mathilda and her son, Henry, bringing an end of their warring.
According to William of Newburgh, King Stephen was "grieved beyond measure by the death of the son who he hoped would succeed him; he pursued warlike preparations less vigorously, and listened more patiently than usual to the voices of those urging peace."
The Peterborough Chronicle gives Eustace a bad character. "He was an evil man and did more harm than good wherever he went; he spoiled the lands and laid thereon heavy taxes."
Eustace was buried in the church founded by his parents, Faversham Abbey in Kent, alongside both his mother and father. The Abbey was included in the Dissolution, and all three tombs have been lost.
Count of Boulogne and Prince of England
Eldest surviving son and heir to King Stephen of England and Countess Matilda of Boulogne. Grandson of Count Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, the daughter of William the Conqueror, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, and Mary, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He was born circa 1129.
Eustace married Constance, the daughter of Louis IV ad Adelaide of Maurienne, sister to King Louis VII of France. Constance was the widow of Count Raymond V of Toulouse who died in 1194.
Eustace had an older brother who died in 1135, making Eustace the new heir. He was knighted in 1147, putting his birth from 1129 to 1194. He inherited Boulogne in 1152 when his mother died. His father tried to establish Eustace as the future king, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec led other bishops in a decision to decline the crowing ceremony. Eustace was also used by the King of France for claims on Anjou to no avail.
Eustace was known to be less than amicable, and well known for his threats, raids and lack of mercy in his territories. When he died suddenly in August of 1153 plundering and destroying church lands near Bury St Edmunds, it was said he had been struck down by the wrath of God for his actions.
His younger brother, William, became the Count of Boulogne, passed over for the position of King. His father's fighting heart died with Eustace, which allowed Stephen to concede the kingdom to Empress Mathilda and her son, Henry, bringing an end of their warring.
According to William of Newburgh, King Stephen was "grieved beyond measure by the death of the son who he hoped would succeed him; he pursued warlike preparations less vigorously, and listened more patiently than usual to the voices of those urging peace."
The Peterborough Chronicle gives Eustace a bad character. "He was an evil man and did more harm than good wherever he went; he spoiled the lands and laid thereon heavy taxes."
Eustace was buried in the church founded by his parents, Faversham Abbey in Kent, alongside both his mother and father. The Abbey was included in the Dissolution, and all three tombs have been lost.
Eldest surviving son and heir to King Stephen of England and Countess Matilda of Boulogne. Grandson of Count Stephen of Blois and Adela of Normandy, the daughter of William the Conqueror, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, and Mary, the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He was born circa 1129.
Eustace married Constance, the daughter of Louis IV ad Adelaide of Maurienne, sister to King Louis VII of France. Constance was the widow of Count Raymond V of Toulouse who died in 1194.
Eustace had an older brother who died in 1135, making Eustace the new heir. He was knighted in 1147, putting his birth from 1129 to 1194. He inherited Boulogne in 1152 when his mother died. His father tried to establish Eustace as the future king, but the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec led other bishops in a decision to decline the crowing ceremony. Eustace was also used by the King of France for claims on Anjou to no avail.
Eustace was known to be less than amicable, and well known for his threats, raids and lack of mercy in his territories. When he died suddenly in August of 1153 plundering and destroying church lands near Bury St Edmunds, it was said he had been struck down by the wrath of God for his actions.
His younger brother, William, became the Count of Boulogne, passed over for the position of King. His father's fighting heart died with Eustace, which allowed Stephen to concede the kingdom to Empress Mathilda and her son, Henry, bringing an end of their warring.
According to William of Newburgh, King Stephen was "grieved beyond measure by the death of the son who he hoped would succeed him; he pursued warlike preparations less vigorously, and listened more patiently than usual to the voices of those urging peace."
The Peterborough Chronicle gives Eustace a bad character. "He was an evil man and did more harm than good wherever he went; he spoiled the lands and laid thereon heavy taxes."
Eustace was buried in the church founded by his parents, Faversham Abbey in Kent, alongside both his mother and father. The Abbey was included in the Dissolution, and all three tombs have been lost.
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