The captain of the White Ship, Thomas FitzStephen, offered Henry I his ship. Henry refused, but he let many in his retinue take the ship, including his son and heir William Adelin. The White Ship struck a rock as it set off in the dark and capsized, killing most of its passengers and crew, including William.

But let's say Henry had taken the White Ship instead of his son, and the same shipwreck happened, drowning the king. What consequences would this have?
 
Didn't the wreck only happen because Adelin and friends got drunk and yelled at the captain to go really fast? That might not happen with different people on board.

Additionally, Adelin actually got away on a dinghy, and only died because he went back to try and save his sister. So even if the wreck occurs and Henry finds himself in the same position as Adelin, he could still survive if he's hard-hearted enough to not turn the dinghy back.

If Henry took the ship instead of his son, and the wreck still happened, and he died, then I guess we've got a 17 year old King William III.

I don't think Stephen of Blois would try anything with an undisputed male heir taking the throne, but Clito will presumably still cause some trouble and the French can be expected to try and take advantage of William's inexperience.
 
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