5 Random Things About 5 Random Guys Named Stephen

I go by Tamahome Jenkins because I have this Mark Twain/George Orwell nom de plume thing going on. When I was born, though, my parents gave me the name Steven, which of course is a derivative of the name Stephen. However, I’ve lived my entire life thinking about how there’s never been a President named Steve, and how most people named Steve are associated with silliness. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize that Steve is a pretty awesome name, and I hope my mom was thinking of one of these guys, and not Steve Martin from The Jerk when she named me.

1. 

   Saint Stephen

   Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr in history. Stephen was put on trial for blasphemy, and in his final words he accused Jewish priests of murdering Jesus and other prophets that the Jews considered heretical (the term Christianity had not yet entered the vernacular). In response, a mob led by Saul (who would become St. Paul, the most prolific Bible author) stoned Stephen to death. The feast day of St. Stephen is December 26, hence Good King Wenceslas going to town “on the feast of Stephen” in the famous Christmas carol.

2. 

   King Stephen of England

   Stephen of England is the only English king in history, named Stephen. He was the grandson of William the Conqueror, and the last Norman king of England. Unfortunately, his predecessor, Henry I, only had one surviving legitimate child, Matilda, and she wasn’t very popular. However, Henry wished for her to become queen so he made the nobles swear allegiance to her. Stephen was the first noble to do so. However, when Henry died, Stephen quickly assumed the throne, claiming Henry changed his mind on his deathbed. Sadly, the rest of Stephen’s reign was mired by civil war because of his rivalry with Matilda. Before he died, Stephen made peace with Matilda so that the throne would pass to her son, Henry II, upon Stephen’s death. However, Stephen is an ancestor of every English/British King since Richard II of Bordeaux. How? Richard’s father, Edward III, married Philippa of Hainault. Philippa was the great-great-granddaughter of Matilde of Brabant, who was the great-great-granddaughter of Stephen. So, despite not having a direct heir to throne, and no other English monarch willing to take his name, Stephen’s place in British royal history is cemented because he’s related to every monarch since 1377.

3. Stephen Foster is considered by many, to be the Father of American music, and why not, since he was born on July 4th. His works include “My Old Kentucky Home” (the state song of Kentucky), “Old Folks at Home” aka “Swanee River” (the state song of Florida),  “Camptown Races”, “Oh! Susanna” and many more. Foster was instrumental in shifting American music away from the popular minstrel shows (blackface) of the day, as he found them distasteful and offensive. Foster attempted to capitalize on these successes, but due to the limited scope of copyright law at the time, he was unable to do so. He died at the age of 37, coincidentally, with only 37 cents to his name.
4. 

   Stephen Crane

   Stephen Crane is considered to be one of the most innovative American writers of the late 19th century. He wrote The Red Badge of Courage at the age of 24, despite never having been in battle (he was born six years after the Civil War ended). A brilliant writer, Crane eschewed the values of a traditional education, in favor of gaining real experience, so he worked as a journalist for most of his adult life. However, writing was not a lucrative career at the time, and he died of tuberculosis, badly in debt, at the age of 28. The realism portrayed in Crane’s works, though, would live on, and he was very influential to later writers, such as Ernest Hemingway.

5. 

   Stephen F. Austin

   Stephen F. Austin, known as the Father of Texas, was instrumental in colonizing Texas. Though not as well known outside the state as his contemporary Sam Houston, Austin played a pivotal role as a politician in the 1820s. Austin strived to work with the Mexican government to create a peaceful colony, which was ultimately undermined by the Texas Revolution. Once the Republic of Texas gained its independence, Austin ran for president, but Sam Houston won in a landslide. Stephen Austin would be named secretary of state of the new republic, but he would only survive for two months before dying of pneumonia at the age of 43. The state capital of Texas is named in is honor.

Bonus: There have been nine popes named Stephen, and one pope-elect, who didn’t survive to reach ordination. However, there hasn’t been a pope named Stephen in almost 1,000 years.

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