ABSTRACT
Stephen's parents are thought to have married c. 1081. They had eight children (five sons and three daughters), of whom Stephen was the third surviving son. His mother, Adela, was the daughter of William the Conqueror and by all accounts a very remarkable woman. Her husband was Stephen Count of Blois and Chartres. He was not Norman but French, his uncle being Count of Champagne. He set out in September 1096 with Adela's brother, Robert Duke of Normandy and Eustace Count of Boulogne. It turned out to be four months before the crusaders reached Antioch, and it held them up for another eight. On 3 June the crusaders took the city of Antioch, only to be besieged in it themselves until they made their successful sortie and defeated the army of Karbogha decisively on 28 June. It was the turning point of the whole crusade, but Stephen was not there. He had fled.
