Editing Gesta Stephani (section)

== Background and authorship ==

The ''Gesta Stephani'' was written in two books and historian R.H.C. Davis believes that the first twelve years of Stephen's reign—which comprise book I—were written in about 1148, while the subsequent account, taken up to the accession of Henry II, was written after 1153.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xx-xxi</ref> Davis examined the places named in the texts and found that most of them were in the South-West of England; unusually detailed descriptions of [[Bristol]] and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], as well as scornful comments about the former, suggest that the author may have been writing in or near Bath. This contrasts with an earlier statement by K.R. Potter that there is "no clear indication of any local attachment". However, Davis points out that comparisons with the chronicles of other writers based elsewhere in the country reveal considerable south-west bias in the ''Gesta'', which had been overlooked by historians who compared it only with the account of [[William of Malmesbury]], who was also writing in the south-west.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xxi-xxiv</ref>

The authorship of the ''Gesta ''is not known.<ref>Davis "The Authorship of the ''Gesta Stephani''" ''English Historical Review'' 33 p. 209</ref><ref>Howlett ''Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I'', p. viii</ref><ref>Hushcroft ''Ruling England'' p. 200</ref> According to Richard Howlett, writing in 1886, the author was not from a monastery,<ref>Howlett ''Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I'' p. ix</ref> and Davis agreed with this in his analysis of the author, because, while he does show a local bias, his knowledge of [[Exeter]], [[London]], [[Pevensey]] and [[Bedford]] all show that he was a man who travelled.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani ''p. xxvi</ref> Nonetheless, he was not an itinerant, and his writing reveals little knowledge of the north or East of England or the leading baronial families in those parts of the kingdom, while he placed too much emphasis on the exploits of relatively minor barons associated with the south west, including the de Tracy family.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xxvii-xxviii</ref> The writer appears to have been a scholar, and his work omits dates and extraneous detail for the sake of literary effect, while employing classical terms to offices and positions rather than their [[Mediaeval Latin]] equivalents.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xxix-xxxi</ref> Scholars agree that he was a supporter of Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' p. xxxii</ref><ref>Howlett ''Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I'' pp. ix-x</ref> However, historians differ over their exact relationship: Howlett suggested the author was Henry's chaplain,<ref>Howlett ''Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I'' pp. x-xi</ref> but Davis believes that the criticism he gave to Henry in the ''Gesta'' makes this unlikely.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xxxii-xxxiii</ref> Davis instead suggests that he was a bishop, based on his style of writing, his perspectives on the events he writes about and the places he visited; he goes further to speculate that it may have been Robert of Lewes, Bishop of Bath, who was the author.<ref>Potter "Introduction&nbsp;— Authorship" ''Gesta Stephani'' pp. xxxiv-xxxviii</ref> Robert Bartlett states that he was "perhaps" the author<ref>Bartlett ''England under the Norman and Angevin Kings'' p. 99</ref> and Hushcroft writes that it was written either by him "or someone close to him".<ref name="Huscroft200"/>