Matilda’s Landing at Arundel
On the last day of September 1139, Matilda sailed from the continent in company with her half-brother Robert of Gloucester and a retinue of about 140 knights.…
The Siege of Arundel and Stephen’s Safe-Conduct
Stephen threw his energies into the siege of Arundel until his brother Henry of Blois, bishop of Winchester, persuaded him to abandon it.…
The Breakdown of Law and Order
The next seven years were such as England had never seen before or since. Properly speaking they were not years of war but of lawless raids, and the authority of the Crown, whethe…
The Nineteen Winters of Anarchy
The collapse of Henry I’s system revealed its fundamental weakness: it rested in the last resort on the personal strength of the king himself.…
Military Positions by 1140
The military history of the early years is a dreary tale of raid and counter-raid, useless marches and unfinished sieges.…
The Earldom of Chester and Its Ruler Ralf
Of all the great nobles, the one both parties were most eager to win was the earl of Chester.…
The Seizure of Lincoln Castle
No sooner had Stephen’s back turned than Ralf and William, helped by their wives, planned a trick to gain Lincoln Castle.…
Stephen’s March on Lincoln
The news reached Stephen as he was keeping Christmas in London. The peaceful court gathering turned at once into a muster of an armed host that marched to Lincoln, where, actively…
Robert of Gloucester’s Relief Force
Earl Robert, even setting aside that his own daughter was among the besieged, was not the man to miss such a chance.…
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