Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/384

 372 STEPHEN STEPHENS came a favorite of Henry I., his maternal un- cle, who knighted him in his youth, and gave him the earldom of Mortagne in Normandy and several valuable estates in England. Hen- ry procured his marriage to Matilda, heiress to the count of Boulogne, as early as 1114, by which Stephen became possessed of that title and property. When, in 1120, William, the heir of Henry I., and so many other members of the king's family and household, were lost by the foundering of the White ship, Stephen had been saved from the same fate by leaving the vessel on finding that she was too crowded for safety. Stephen with other nobles took the oath to support Henry's daughter the em- press Matilda as queen of England and duchess of Normandy, should her father die without issue male ; but her subsequent marriage with Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, in vio- lation of the king's assurance, was thought to have cancelled the obligation. Theobald, count of Blois, Stephen's eldest brother, was regard- ed by many Normans as the proper person to succeed Henry ; but while they were delib- erating, Stephen hastened to England, and was crowned in December, 1135. Ho confirmed to the English the immunities and laws of Hen- ry I., and also the laws and customs of Ed- ward the Confessor. He secured peace with Scotland by making cessions to King David, from whom he obtained acknowledgment and homage. At a meeting of barons and prelates at Oxford, he produced a letter from the pope approving his election to the throne. A char- ter was framed, by which the old privileges of all classes were confirmed, and certain abuses of the preceding reign were removed. The reign of Stephen was a period of constant war and tumult. He was involved in contests with the Welsh, who inflicted defeat and loss on the English. In the war that was renewed with Scotland in 1138, the English gained the great battle of the standard, Aug. 22. Revolts broke out, at different times, in various parts of the country. The cause of the empress Matilda was early taken up by a party in England, headed by her natural brother Robert, earl of Gloucester; and on Sept. 30, 1139, Matilda landed in England. Stephen was defeated and made prisoner, Feb. 2, 1141, at the battle of Lincoln. The greater portion of the coun- try submitted to the victors; but Matilda's arrogance was so offensive that a reaction speedily took place. Her brother was defeat- ed and captured in September, 1141, and was exchanged for Stephen. At the battle of Wil- ton, July 1, 1143, Gloucester was victorious, and the king preserved his freedom only by flight. The war raged for years, and the con- dition of England was made most deplorable. In 1153 Henry, son of Matilda, arrived in England at the head of a considerable force, and defeated Stephen at Malmesbury; but leading men on both sides now interposed to bring about a peace, which was facilitated by the sudden death of the king's eldest son, Eus- tace. By the treaty of Winchester, Nov. 7, 1153, it was settled that Stephen should re- main king of England for life, and that he should be succeeded by Henry ; and that Ste- phen's son William should retain all his pos- sessions acquired by marriage or otherwise, and all those which his father had held in Normandy, England, and elsewhere, before he became king. Stephen did not survive the making of this treaty quite one year. His reign was the most miserable time ever known in England. The country was covered with castles, many hundreds of which were erected at this period; and it was devastated by the foreign soldiery, the king himself employing numerous mercenaries, principally from Flan- ders and Brittany. The throne passed on his death to the house of Plantagenet in the per- son of Henry II. STEPHEN L, Saint, king of Hungary. See HUNGARY, vol. ix., p. 55. STEPHEN, king of Poland. See BATHOPJ, and POLAND, vol. xiii., p. 646. STEPHEN. I. Sir James, an English states- man, born in London, Jan. 3, 1789, died in Coblentz, Sept. 15, 1859. He graduated at Cambridge in 1812, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn. He was appointed coun- sel in the colonial department of the public service, and in 1824 counsel to the board of trade. In 1834 he was made assistant and sub- sequently permanent under-secretary, and re- tired from office in 1847, when he was knight- ed. From 1849 till his death he was regius professor of modern history in the university of Cambridge. He published " Essays in Ec- clesiastical Biography and other Subjects" (2 vols. 8vo, London, 1849; 4th ed., with a bio- graphical notice by his son, 1860), and "Lec- tures on the History of France " (2 vols. 8vo, 1851). II. James Fitzjames, an English jurist, son of the preceding, born in March, 1829. He graduated at Cambridge in 1852, was called to the bar in 1854, and was legal adviser to the government in India from December, 1869, to April, 1872, when he returned to London. He has published " General View of the Crim- inal Law of England " (8vo, 1863) ; " Defini- tion of Murder Considered " (1866) ; and " Lib- erty, Equality, Fraternity" (1873). "Essays by a Barrister," reprinted from the "Satur- day Review " in 1862, is attributed to him. STEPHENS, an unorganized N. W. county of Texas, intersected in the north by the Clear fork of Brazos river; area, 900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 330, of whom 24 were colored. The surface is diversified with hills and valleys, creeks and springs. Stock raising is the chief occupation. The bottom lands of Hubbard's creek are rich. STEPHENS, or Stephanos (Fr. Estienne or Btienne), the name of a French family of print- ers who flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries. HENRY, the founder of the family (born about 1465, died about 1520), established a printing house in Paris in 1502. lie pub- lished mathematical and theological works,