Claim: Empress Matilda was the daughter of the king of England.

The White Ship -LRB- Candida nauis , la Blanche-Nef -RRB- was a vessel that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur , on 25 November 1120 . Only one of those aboard survived . Those who drowned included William Adelin , the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England , his half-sister Matilda , and his half-brother Richard . William Adelin 's death led to a succession crisis and a period of civil war in England known as the Anarchy .