Stephen, King of England over the kingdom and the duchy, and was certainly preferable to Matilda. Theobald met with the Norman barons and Robert of Gloucester at Lisieux on 21 December, but their discussions were interrupted by the sudden news from England that Stephen's coronation was to occur the next day. Theobald then agreed to the Normans' proposal that he be made king, only to find that his former support immediately ebbed away: the barons were not prepared to support the division of England and Normandy by opposing Stephen, who subsequently financially compensated Theobald, who in return remained in Blois and supported his brother's
The History of the Norman Conquest of England periods aimed at a popular readership: "Old English History for Children", a work he had had in mind since before he began the "History of the Norman Conquest", was published in 1869; "A Short History of the Norman Conquest" in 1880; and "William the Conqueror" in 1888. In 1974 J. W. Burrow produced an abridged edition of the "History of the Norman Conquest of England". Freeman was a man of deeply held convictions, which he expounded in the "History of the Norman Conquest" and other works with vigour and enthusiasm. These included the belief, common to many thinkers of his