HISTORY
On the podcast
Restless Times in History

25th November 1120:     

PRELUDE
William Adelin, the only legitimate son of King Henry I,

and heir to the English crown, drowns aboard the

White Ship, together with 300 other young knights and

lords of England

His cousin, the ambitious Stephen of Blois,

disembarks from the White Ship at the very

last moment, thereby surviving the tragedy

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January 1121:     

King Henry I marries Adeliza of Louvain in hope of

fathering a son to name his heir

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January 1127:     

Henry I, still without a son, declares his daughter,

Matilda, as his heir - and the lords and barons of

England and Normandy swear to uphold his

command when he dies. The barons and lords

are made to repeat their oath in 1131, though many

are by now reluctant, and some are casting their

eyes on other candidates for the throne - like

Stephen of Blois, who is not unwilling to receive

their attentions 

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17th June 1128:     

Matilda marries the Count of Anjou, which

sparks mistrust in the English barons, as Anjou

is traditionally an enemy of Normandy

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1st December 1135:

Henry I, King of England and Normandy dies in Rouen,

France. His body is transported to England by his 

favoured illegitimate son, Robert of Gloucester, 

and buried in Reading Abbey one month later

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8th-26th December 1135

Stephen of Blois, King Henry I's nephew, rushes from

France to England at the news of the king's death, and 

with the support of the church, convinces the lords of 

the land to renege on their oath to the late king and 

declare for him. On 26th December, Stephen is

crowned King of England, while Matilda is still in Anjou

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September 1139

Matilda lands at Arundel, and stays a few days at Arundel

Castle, until asked to leave. King Stephen grants her safe

passage to Bristol - a move that surprises his enemies, 

and confounds his allies. 

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2nd February 1141

FIRST PHASE OF THE ANARCHY
Battle of Lincoln: Stephen's army, besieging Lincoln

Castle is attacked by a force of Matilda's supporters.

Adviced to withdraw, Stephen instead chooses to fight,

though heavily outnumbered. Stephen remains on the

battlefield despite heavy losses, until he himself is over-

whelmed and taken prisoner by Robert of Gloucester,

Matilda's powerful half-brother

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March 1141

With Stephen imprisoned in Bristol Castle, the

South-West of England secured and with Northern allies

at the ready - Matilda is proclaimed Lady of England by

Henry of Winchester (Stephen's brother), who now

supports Matilda's bid for the crown. 

 

June 1141

Empress Matilda resides at the Palace of Westminster

ahead of her coronation - but has by this time alienated

Londoners with demands for money, and setting aside

important men for her own supporters.

On 24th June 1141, Londoners revolt and chase her out

of Westminster - Empress Matilda flees to Oxford, while

Queen Matilda, wife of Stephen enters London and wins

the city's support

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July-September 1141

Henry of Winchester switches his support back to

Stephen and partly in retaliation, Matilda captures

Henry's stronghold of Winchester. Fighting ensues 

between Stephen's and Matilda's forces, and at the

Rout of Winchester, Robert of Gloucester,

Matilda's powerful half-brother is captured

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1141-1142
With little gained on either side, Robert and Steohen are

exchanged to their respective allies

King Stephen gains the upper hand and besieges Oxford

Castle, Empress Matilda's temporary court in England.

With no way out - Empress Matilda escapes the castle, 

hiding in plain sight of Stephen's men, covered in a white 

sheet to blend in with the heavy snow. Lawlessness is rife 

in England in this period.

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1143-1149

Sporadic fighting occurs, but The Anarchy falls into

stalemate, with lords across the land making private

peace arrangements.

With the death of Robert of Gloucester in 2247, Empress

Matilda returns to Normandy and focuses on getting 

her son, Henry recognised as  King Stephen's heir (over 

Stephen's own 2 sons).

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1149-1155

Henry FitzEmpress, Empress Matilda's son sets sail for

England and has by autumn 1153 gathered strong support across

the kingdom, especially after the death of King Stephen's

eldest son and heir. 

Finally, in November 1153, the Treaty of Winchester is 

signed, recognising Henry as King Stephen's heir.

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King Stephen dies in 25th October 1154 - and Henry is 

crowned a few days later as King Henry II

Empress Matilda dies in Normandy in 1167 - having acted 

as a close adviser for her son for many years

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