STEPHEN and MATILDA ~ 1141 BATTLE FOR LINCOLN CASTLE

Empress Maud and King Stephen

(9) During these wars, on the whole, the immediate sufferers were generally the men doing battle, nevertheless, on occasions, the citizens’ were the ones that suffered immensely. The rich town of Nottingham, which had been spared from harm in every preceding civil strife since the Conquest, was at the suggestion of Ralf Paganel, attacked and plundered by the Earl of Gloucester, the inhabitants fleeing to the churches for refuge from the slaughter. One of the wealthiest inhabitants was seized and led strongly bound to his dwelling, where he was compelled to hand over his treasures. Leading the plunderers into a vault, in which his wealth was deposited, he withdrew sharply, closing all the doors and then set fire to the dwelling. More than thirty people are said to have perished in the vault, it was even asserted that the fire spread from that house to every other house and soon the whole town was a burning inferno. The people who had not made it to the churches were soon rounded up and carried away as prisoners, those who had sought shelter within the sacred structures, men, women, and children, perished in the fires that had swept through the town.

The sense of feeling among the people, against Matilda, was growing, her followers showing no consideration as they plundered and burnt down the towns. They turned to their King, but to no avail, Stephen had problems of his own.

CAPTURING MATILDA

MAJOR CASTLES BEING HELD AGAINST STEPHEN

(8) The King stood alone, unshaken amid all the wars and dissensions in which he was involved. Without a moment to lose, he gathered together a body of veterans and headed for Arundel. On arrival, Stephen received intelligence from his scouts that the Earl, along with his followers, had fled in the dead of night and was heading to Bristol. The Earl was to place himself at the head of ten thousand Welsh and other adversaries of the King. Matilda on the other hand was still in the castle, along with her Angevin followers. Stephen left part of his army guarding the castle, to prevent Matilda from escaping and directed his efforts to the capture of Earl Robert. However, Stephen soon became frustrated, as Robert, avoiding the beaten road, had followed a more devious course across the country and soon reached Bristol safely. Stephen returned to the castle of Arundel and resumed the siege.

STEPHEN and MATILDA ~ 1139 - 1140 THE ARRIVAL OF MATILDA

Empress Maud

(7) Matilda’s campaign for the English throne was starting to pick up speed, now that her brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester had joined her cause. Many of the barons who were supporting Stephen, were also plotting against him, paving the way for Matilda’s return to England.

Roger, Bishop of Salisbury was in secret correspondence with Matilda, on the expectation of her arrival in England, he never went abroad or attended court. As Henry’s chancellor, he had accumulated vast riches and although enjoying some of the highest offices bestowed on him, under King Stephen, he nevertheless supplied the castles of Devizes, Sherborne, Malmesbury, and Salisbury, with provisions, weapons, and ammunition, for the service of Matilda. His nephew Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln; and Nigel, Bishop of Ely followed the example of their uncle and never attended court without a body of armed men by their side. This dazzling display on the part of the three Bishops seriously angered the Count of Meulan and other friends of the King. They accused the Bishops of:

‘Enjoying their pre-eminence in the realm, their wealth and power for their own vain, glory and gratification, not for the honour of the sovereign, of raising splendid castles and towers, not to secure the kingdom to the king, but to deprive him of his royal dignity.’

They advised the King to order the arrest of the Bishops and compel them to surrender their castles. If the King would agree to deliver them into custody, as violators of his peace, he would himself be more secure and the realm more tranquil.

KING DAVID I of SCOTLAND - BATTLE OF THE STANDARD

KING DAVID I OF SCOTLAND

Our gallant stand by all congest,

Be this the Standard's fight,

Where death or victory the test,

That proved the warriors' might.

From the Chronicle of Richard of Hexham

(6)  In 1127 it is said in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles that King Henry I, held his court at Christmas, in Windsor. There was David King of the Scots and all the headmen that were in England, learned and lewd. There, he engaged the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and all the thegns (Norman Knights and free men) that were there to swear England and Normandy, after his death, into the hands of his daughter Matilda.

By 1135, Henry I had died. The chronicles talk about the anarchy that followed the death of King Henry between his nephew Stephen, Count of Blois, and Matilda's supporters. The English throne had been seized by Stephen, under the willingness of the barons, while Matilda was in Normandy, pregnant with her third child. King David, who had sworn an oath to support Matilda's claim, now prepared to wage war on England, in the name of his niece Matilda.

ANARCHY AT THE BORDER

David Canmore was the last of the four sons of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Queen Margaret. At the tender age of nine, he and his sister Matilda were sent to the Norman-English court of William II. They spent over 30 years in England, David being raised as a Norman Knight and Matilda later marrying Henry I of England.

STEPHEN and MATILDA - A Cruel Civil War 1135-1138 KING STEPHEN

(5) In 1127 it is said in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles that King Henry I, held his court at Christmas, in Windsor. There was David King of the Scots and all the headmen that were in England, learned and lewd. There, he engaged the archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, and all the thegns (Norman Knights and free men) that were there to swear England and Normandy, after his death, into the hands of his daughter Matilda (Athelicia).

Afterward, Matilda, who was formerly the wife of the Emperor of Saxony, was sent by Henry, to Normandy. With her went, her brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and Brian, son of the Earl, Alan Fergan. Henry had arranged for her to wed the son of the Earl of Anjou, named Geoffrey Martel. All the French and English however, disapproved of this, but the King needed to forge an alliance with the Earl of Anjou, in order to have help, against his nephew, William Clito, who was the son of his brother Robert, the former Earl of Normandy.

After the tragedy of the White Ship in 1120, which took the life of Henry's son, the obvious male heir to England and Normandy was now, William Clito. Henry had been successful in writing his brother out of the succession, so he was not about to hand over the 'keys to the kingdom', to his brother's son. Henry needed to secure the throne and his only option was his daughter. But a woman on the throne of England. . .? Nevertheless, the barons swore an oath to recognize Henry's daughter, Matilda, as heir to her father's kingdom.

THE GREAT KING HENRY I

(4) Henry Beauclerc, youngest son of William the Conqueror, seized the throne of England just three days after the death of his brother, William Rufus, who had been killed whilst out hunting in the New Forest on 2nd August 1100.

On the day of William's death, Henry arrived at Winchester before the body of his brother arrived.  Winchester was where the Royal Treasure was kept.  He demanded the keys for the Royal Treasure from the guards, but the guards refused to hand them over, saying that Henry's eldest brother, Robert, was the rightful heir.  Henry drew his sword and demanded that no one shall stand between him and his father's sceptre. Resistance soon collapsed and when the peasants arrived with Rufus on a cart, the Lords were already electing Henry as the new King.  The first elected King since Harold Godwinson.  Henry's brother, Robert, was fighting abroad in the First Crusade.  With no time to waste, Henry was crowned King at Westminster Abbey on the 5th of August 1100.

WILLIAM RUFUS - THE RED KING

 

WILLIAM II KING OF ENGLAND

(3) The year is now 1087 and England is on its 2nd Norman king. William II was crowned King on the 9th of September 1087 and ruled until his death in 1100. William was the 3rd son of William I. He was a cruel and selfish king who scorned the English and their culture. He was nicknamed 'The Red King' because of his reddish complexion and rosy cheeks.

William had powers over Normandy and influences in Scotland but was not so successful in controlling Wales.

William the Conqueror, on his deathbed, had split the lands into two parts, he gave England to William Rufus and gave Normandy to his other son Robert Curthose. This proved to be a dilemma for the nobles who owned land on both sides of the Channel.

William and his brother Robert were arch-rivals which worried the nobles, they could not please both of their lords and ran the risk of offending one or the other. There was only one solution and that was to unite England and Normandy again, under one rule. This led the nobles to revolt against William, in favour of Robert, in the rebellion of 1088, under the leadership of the powerful Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. William won the backing of the English by promising them silver and a better government. In 1091 William invaded Normandy and crushed Robert's army, forcing Robert to cede a portion of his lands. The two brothers eventually put their differences aside and William agreed to help Robert recover lands lost to France. This plan was later squashed, but William continued with his pursuit of France until his death in 1100.