WHAT WAS THE WHITE SHIP DISASTER OF 1120? Death of the heir to the throne | William Aetheling

It was one of the GREATEST ROYAL TRAGEDIES to ever hit England, but what was the White Ship disaster and how did it cause the death of the heir to the throne, as well as the demise of some illegitimate royal children and much of the youth of the English aristocracy? On 25 November 1120, the 17 year old William Aetheling (also known as William Adelinus and William Adelingus), who was the son of Henry I of England and Matilda of Scotland, boarded a ship in France which was meant to take him back to England. Virtually everyone onboard got raving drunk however and the crew and passengers couldn’t properly control the boat. In the middle of the cold November night, they crashed it onto a huge rock in Barfleur Harbour and almost everyone onboard drowned. In this English royal history documentary from History Calling we look back at this this group of deaths that changed history, including how the sinking happened, the lucky (or was unlucky?) escape of William’s cousin, Stephen of Blois, later King Stephen of England, how frightened nobles back in England broke the news to the King and the far reaching results of the White Ship disaster. The most notable of these was the first attempt to place a Queen regnant on the throne, for with no son to follow him Henry I had to name his daughter, Empress Matilda, as his heiress and have his lords swear fealty to her. After his death however and when the English wouldn’t accept her as their Queen, a civil war broke out known as the Anarchy, with Matilda’s supporters on one side and those of Stephen of Blois, on the other. Instagram:   / historycalling   Patreon:   / historycalling   SUBSCRIBE for new videos every Friday. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: THE WARS OF THE ROSES PLAYLIST    • Wars of the Roses   TUDOR MONARCHS PLAYLIST    • Tudor monarchs   SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST    • Six wives of Henry VIII   TREASURE PLAYLIST:    • Treasure!   TUDOR FERTILITY PROBLEMS    • TUDOR ROYAL FERTILITY PROBLEMS. Royal chil...   GEAR USED Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): https://amzn.to/3S6IoRK DJI Drone: https://amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK) Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: https://amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK) GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): https://amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK) Memory Card: https://amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK) Microphone: https://amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK) READ MORE: Charles Spencer, The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream (2021). Available at https://amzn.to/3EmAoby [FREE] Article about the supposed discovery of the wreck in 2021 https://divernet.com/scuba-news/diver... NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay. THUMBNAIL: Detail of the wreck of the White Ship, British Library, Cotton Claudius D. ii, f. 45v. Creative Commons licenses used see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Open Street Map copyright information: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright