The Angevins’ failure to hold Normandy
The Angevins’ failure to hold Normandy For the moment Stephen had outstripped his rival. The Angevin sagacity was for once at fault: steeped in continental ideas, Geoffrey and Mat…
The Norman barons invite Theobald and then submit
The Norman barons invite Theobald and then submit The Norman barons now met at Neubourg and decided to invite Count Theobald of Blois to take possession of the duchy.…
Scottish invasion and its settlement
Scottish invasion and its settlement In England Stephen was carrying all before him. His first public act as king was the burial of his predecessor at Reading on the feast of the…
Robert of Gloucester’s submission to Stephen
Robert of Gloucester’s submission to Stephen Shortly after Easter, Earl Robert of Gloucester came in—the most important figure yet, influential on both sides of the sea by rank, w…
The baronial revolt and its suppression
The baronial revolt and its suppression Suddenly, a few weeks later, a rumour went forth that the king was dead, and the barons at once broke into revolt.…
CAPÍTULO V.
CHAPTER V. examines the early disappointments of Stephen’s reign, the influx of foreign mercenaries, and culminates in the Scottish invasion of 1138 and the famous Battle of the Standard near Northallerton.…
Stephen Disappoints His Supporters
Those who had hoped Stephen would prove “such another king as Henry” were doomed to disappointment, as betrayed by his early breaking of popular pledges.
Forest Laws and Foreign Mercenaries
Stephen broke his most popular charter pledge by holding a forest assize at Brampton in 1136 after defeating Baldwin of Redvers, a poor omen for his reign.…
Stephen in Normandy
Stephen’s chief counsellor, William of Ypres, a Flemish soldier of fortune, drew the wrath of English and Norman barons alike through his dangerous influence.
Peace in England During Stephen’s Absence
In 1137 England remained peaceful under Bishop Roger of Salisbury and his nephews while Stephen, accompanied by William of Ypres, spent the year in Normandy.
Scottish Invasion Threatened
In Normandy, Stephen arranged an alliance with his brother Theobald, obtained French royal sanction for his ducal tenure, and sought to secure the duchy against internal treason a…
David Demands Northumberland
A threatened Scottish invasion after Easter was averted when Archbishop Thurstan of York persuaded King David to accept a truce until Advent, when Stephen was expected to return.
First Scottish Invasion and Ravaging
No sooner had Stephen returned than David demanded the earldom of Northumberland for his son Henry, allegedly half-promised the year before.
Stephen’s Counter-Ravaging
On Stephen’s refusal, David led an army into England in early January 1138, besieging Carham (Wark) and then harrying the land from Tweed to Tyne with unprecedented savagery, thou…
David Returns with Eustace Fitz-John
Stephen marched north in early February, forcing David to abandon Carham and retreat to an inaccessible swamp near Roxburgh, where he laid a trap for the English through feigned S…
The North Organizes Resistance
Stephen discovered the trap—possibly through treason among his own barons—and crossed the Tweed, but instead of attacking Roxburgh he turned southwest to ravage David’s territorie…
Archbishop Thurstan’s Leadership
When Stephen had gone, David re-entered Northumberland and ravaged along the eastern coast until a mutiny forced his retreat; he then sent William Fitz-Duncan to ravage Craven whi…
The Battle of the Standard
Meanwhile the Empress Matilda urged David to support her cause through her father-in-chief’s old minister Eustace Fitz-John, lord of Bamborough, Knaresborough, Malton, and Alnwick…
The Standard Itself
David gathered all Scotland’s forces and joined Eustace in an unsuccessful attempt to retake Bamborough; the combined host then burned through the thrice-wasted Patrimony of St.…
The Scottish Divisions
The north could expect no help from Stephen, who was fully occupied suppressing revolt in the south and west, so the barons organized resistance under Archbishop Thurstan of York,…
The English Array
Thurstan inspired a crusading spirit at York, where the diocesan forces gathered after three days of fasting, almsgiving, and penance, followed by solemn absolution; though he wis…
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