Wreck of the White Ship (la Blanche-Nef) 1120

The shipwreck that changed the course of Medieval England, the White Ship sank off the coast of Barfleur in the English Channel on 25 November 1120, taking with it the heir to the English throne and over 150 members of the leading families of Norman England.

As historian Robert Lacey describes it in "Great Tales from English History":

"The White Ship was the Titanic of the Middle Ages, a much-vaunted high-tech vessel on its maiden voyage, wrecked against a foreseeable natural obstacle in the reckless pursuit of speed. The passenger list constituted the cream of high society, cast into the chilly waters."

The death on the White Ship of William Ætheling, heir to the throne of Henry I, led England into a chaotic period called The Anarchy after the death of Henry I in 1135. This was in effect a civil war between followers of Empress Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I, whom he had named as heir to his throne, and her cousin Stephen of Blois who challenged her for the throne.

This project will link to those persons who died upon the White Ship.