His mother Matilda, a descendant of the House of Anjou (awn­ZHU), had the strongest claim to the British throne when the death of Henry
His mother Matilda, a descendant of the House of Anjou (awn­ZHU), had the strongest claim to the British throne when the death of Henry I ended the Norman Dynasty, but the nobles refused her on account of her impetuous temper and gave the crown instead to Stephen of Blois (BLWAH). Since Stephen twiddled his thumbs for 19 years, this king's coronation in 1154 sparked a military fervor that instigated victories over King Malcolm IV  of Scotland and an invasion of Ireland. His reign was marked, however, by a singularly ignominious end, brought about in 1189 due to a revolution led by his own queen, Eleanor of Acquitaine. For ten points identify this first Plantagenet ruler of England, father of Richard the Lionheart.
His mother Matilda, a descendant of the House of Anjou (awn­ZHU), had the strongest claim to the British throne when the death of Henry
Henry II