Stephen, King of England brought up by his mother, Adela, daughter of William the Conqueror. Placed into the court of his uncle, Henry I of England, Stephen rose in prominence and was granted extensive lands. He married Matilda of Boulogne, inheriting additional estates in Kent and Boulogne that made the couple one of the wealthiest in England. Stephen narrowly escaped drowning with Henry I's son, William Adelin, in the sinking of the "White Ship" in 1120; William's death left the succession of the English throne open to challenge. When Henry I died in 1135, Stephen quickly crossed the English Channel and with the help
Simon I, Count of Saarbrücken Simon I, Count of Saarbrücken Simon I of Saarbrücken (died after 1183) was a German nobleman. He was the second ruling Count of Saarbrücken , in office 1135 - 1183. Simon was a son of Frederick, Count of Saarbrücken (d. 1135) and his wife Gisela of Lorraine (b.c. 1100), daughter of Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine. He succeeded his father as Count of Saarbrücken in 1135. His younger brother Adalbert II became Archbishop of Mainz in 1138. After his death, the county was divided. His eldest son, Simon II inherited a smaller County of Saarbrücken; his younger son Henry I