But Stephen soon allowed her to join her brother, who had gone to the west country, where she had much support; after a stay at Bristol, she settled at Gloucester. Empress Matilda WebUpon hearing of the death of both her husband and her son, Queen Margaret died on 16 November. [72] Ranulf devised a plan for dealing with the problem by ambushing Henry whilst the prince was travelling back from Stephen's court to Scotland after Christmas. On landing on 8 December 1154, Henry quickly took oaths of loyalty from some of the barons and was then crowned alongside Eleanor at Westminster. [251] Peters paints Stephen as a tolerant man and a reasonable ruler, despite his execution of the Shrewsbury defenders after taking the town in 1138. Stephen, Matilda and their supporters feature in Ellis Peters' historical detective series about Brother Cadfael, set between 1137 and 1145. [139] Many of Stephen's supporters, including Waleron de Beaumont and William of Ypres, fled from the field at this point but Stephen fought on, defending himself first with his sword and then, when that broke, with a borrowed battle axe. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [197] Stephen marched rapidly north to York and the planned attack disintegrated, leaving Henry to return to Normandy, where he was declared Duke by his father. The north of England was now controlled by David and Prince Henry, Stephen had abandoned Wales, the fighting in Normandy had considerably destabilised the duchy, and an increasing number of barons felt that Stephen had given them neither the lands nor the titles they felt they deserved or were owed. [209], Stephen intensified the long-running siege of Wallingford Castle in a final attempt to take this major Angevin stronghold. Her well-known escape from Oxford Castle over the frozen River Thames took place in December 1142. Historian Helen Castor explores how Matilda, daughter of Henry I, came tantalisingly close to becoming England's first female king. So far was she, in fact, from being intractably arrogant that what turned out to be 19 long years of civil war were finally ended by Matildas acutely pragmatic realisation that she could achieve victory for her cause only by retiring from the fray, leaving the country in 1148. Empress Matilda , also known as the Empress Maude,[nb 1] was one of the claimants to the English The royal administration under Henry I had been headed by Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury, supported by Roger's nephews, Alexander and Nigel, the Bishops of Lincoln and Ely respectively, and Roger's son, Roger le Poer, who was the Lord Chancellor. The king of Scotland and local Welsh rulers had taken advantage of the long civil war in England to seize disputed lands; Henry set about reversing this trend. Although these square keeps later proved to have vulnerabilities, the ballistae and mangonels used in the 1140s were significantly less powerful than the later trebuchet designs, giving defenders a substantial advantage over attackers. Queens Regnant - Empress Matilda Despite having pledged themselves to Matilda, many of Henry's followers reneged on their pledge and followed Stephen, preferring a British male king to a female ruler with a foreign husband. [181] By this point in the war, Stephen was depending increasingly on his immediate royal household, such as William of Ypres and others, and lacked the support of the major barons who might have been able to provide him with significant additional forces; after the events of 1141, Stephen made little use of his network of earls. Lewis, Jone Johnson. After three long months, a wonderous escape plan was hatched. Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com, Published: September 10, 2020 at 11:30 am, Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I: a queen in a kings world, Henry I insisted that his daughter Matilda would be his heir. [208] Many of the details of their discussions are unclear, but it appears that the churchmen emphasised that while they supported Stephen as king, they sought a negotiated peace; Henry reaffirmed that he would avoid the English cathedrals and would not expect the bishops to attend his court. [241] All of the main chronicler accounts carry significant regional biases in how they portray the disparate events. [160] Matilda was using the royal castle in the city of Winchester as a base for her operations, but shortly afterwards Queen Matilda and William of Ypres then encircled the Angevin forces with their own army, reinforced with fresh troops from London. [155] Waleron's twin brother, Robert of Leicester, effectively withdrew from fighting in the conflict at the same time. Victorian historians coined the term "the Anarchy" because of the widespread chaos, although modern historians have questioned its accuracy and some contemporary accounts. [179], For a period, the situation continued to worsen. After all, if there was no precedent to say that she could, there was equally none to say that she couldnt. Matilda escaped across the Thames River to Devizes Castle, where she set up headquarters for several more years of war. [170] Once on the other side, the king and his men broke into the town, trapping the Empress in the castle. Through her father, Matilda was descended from the Norman conquerors of England, including her grandfather William I, Duke of Normandy and King of England, known as William the Conqueror. [87] The cost of warfare had risen considerably in the first part of the 12th century, and adequate supplies of ready cash were increasingly proving important in the success of campaigns. [66] In 1138, Robert renounced his fealty to Stephen and declared his support for Matilda, triggering a major regional rebellion in Kent and across the south-west of England, although Robert himself remained in Normandy. King (2010), pp.279280; Bradbury, p.187. However, Heinrich V died at Utrecht on 23 May 1125. [140][nb 13], Robert took Stephen back to Gloucester, where the king met with the Empress Matilda, and was then moved to Bristol Castle, traditionally used for holding high-status prisoners. [113] One of Matilda's most loyal followers was Brian Fitz Count, like Miles a marcher lord from Wales. [177] Stephen threatened to execute Geoffrey unless the baron handed over his various castles, including the Tower of London, Saffron Walden and Pleshey, all important fortifications because they were in, or close to, London. Corrections? The captive King Stephen is then exchanged for Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and civil war continues. David Carpenter and R. Davis observe that Stephen had ended up breaking his promises to the Church, was forced to appear before a church court, and damaged his relationship with Henry of Blois, which would have grave implications in 1141. [12] Geoffrey was unpopular with the Anglo-Norman elite: as an Angevin ruler, he was a traditional enemy of the Normans. [3] William's son Henry I seized power after the death of his elder brother William Rufus and subsequently invaded and captured the Duchy of Normandy, controlled by his eldest brother Robert Curthose, defeating Robert's army at the Battle of Tinchebray. [6][nb 1] With Adelin dead, the inheritance to the English throne was thrown into doubt. This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a Timed Quiz Game or as shown below. King (2010), p.38; Crouch (2008a), p.162. [50], Troubles continued across Stephen's new kingdom. [24] Nonetheless, Geoffrey and Matilda took the opportunity to march into southern Normandy and seize a number of key castles; there they stopped, unable to advance further. [14] Conflict was curtailed by the power of the king's personality and reputation. Matilda makes the long journey to the duchy of Lower Lorraine to meet her future husband, the Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich V (pictured right), whom she marries in January 1114. [30] On 15 December, Henry delivered an agreement under which Stephen would grant extensive freedoms and liberties to the church, in exchange for the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Papal Legate supporting his succession to the throne. [218] Stephen and Henry sealed the treaty with a kiss of peace in the cathedral. Empress Matilda [92] In the decades before the civil war, some newer, stone-built keeps had begun to be introduced. [84][nb 9] Both sides were now ready for war. Stephen's early reign saw fierce fighting with disloyal English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders, and Scottish invaders. Green, pp.110111, cited White (2008), p.132. Still no one tried to make the theoretical argument that a woman was incapable of ruling. Lewis, Jone Johnson. [nb 1] The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as a child when she married the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Omissions? [51] Owain Gwynedd and Gruffydd ap Rhys captured considerable territories, including Carmarthen Castle. Empress Matilda [145] Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury was unwilling to declare Matilda queen so rapidly, and a delegation of clergy and nobles, headed by Theobald, travelled to see Stephen in Bristol and consult about their moral dilemma: should they abandon their oaths of fealty to the king? [230] Certainly in many parts of the country, such as the South-West, the Thames Valley and East Anglia, the fighting and raiding had caused serious devastation. Stephen's own chosen successor, his son Eustace, died in 1153. [29] Henry of Blois delivered the support of the church to Stephen: Stephen was able to advance to Winchester, where Roger, who was both the Bishop of Salisbury and the Lord Chancellor, instructed the royal treasury to be handed over to Stephen. The two sides agreed to a prisoner exchange, swapping the captives Stephen and Robert. Empress Matilda's husband, Count Geoffrey V of Anjou, conquered Normandy in her name during 1143, but in England neither side could achieve victory. [13] At the same time, tensions continued to grow as a result of Henry's domestic policies, in particular the high level of revenue he was raising to pay for his various wars. It is hard to imagine quite what her father would have said to the suggestion that his counsellors should have the last word in his government or indeed what he would have had to do to be accused of insufferable arrogance. Matilda He left his father and returned home to Cambridge to gather more funds for a fresh campaign, where he fell ill and died the next month. [56] As part of this deal, Louis recognised Stephen's son Eustace as Duke of Normandy in exchange for Eustace giving fealty to the French king. Her husband died in 1125 and she was remarried in 1128 to Geoffrey V of Anjou, whose county bordered the Duchy of Normandy. [54] Events in England meant that Stephen was unable to travel to Normandy himself, so Waleran de Beaumont, appointed by Stephen as the lieutenant of Normandy, and Theobald led the efforts to defend the duchy. The Empress Matilda and Church Reform - Volume 38. [165] Henry held another church council, which reversed its previous decision and reaffirmed Stephen's legitimacy to rule, and a fresh coronation of Stephen and Matilda occurred at Christmas 1141. [128] Nigel hoped to seize East Anglia and established his base of operations in the Isle of Ely, then surrounded by protective fenland. This was at the Treaty of Wallingford in 1153. [58] Stephen formed an army to retake it, but the frictions between his Flemish mercenary forces led by William of Ypres and the local Norman barons resulted in a battle between the two halves of his army. Opinions vary over the degree to which Stephen's acquisition of power resembled a. Unlike the more traditional designs, these required expensive skilled labourers and could only be built slowly over many seasons. [246] William Stubbs, following in this "Whiggish" tradition, analysed the political aspects of the period in his 1874 volume the Constitutional History of England. [224] Stephen fell ill with a stomach disorder and died on 25 October. [178] With all of his other problems and with Hugh Bigod still in open revolt in Norfolk, Stephen lacked the resources to track Geoffrey down in the Fens and made do with building a screen of castles between Ely and London, including Burwell Castle. [108] Matilda was less popular with contemporary chroniclers than Stephen; in many ways she took after her father, being prepared to loudly demand compliance of her court, when necessary issuing threats and generally appearing arrogant. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/empress-matilda-biography-3528825. WebEmpress Matildas assistance was sought by Louis VII during a growing diplomatic row over the handling of Crusading funds. [90] Swords were common, along with lances for cavalry; crossbowmen had become more numerous, and longbows were occasionally used in battle alongside the older shortbow. Stephen then almost captured Matilda in 1142 during the siege of Oxford, but the Empress escaped from Oxford Castle across the frozen River Thames to safety. King Stephen & Empress Matilda Quiz Helen Castor is a historian of Medieval England, and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Some historians, including David Crouch and Helmerichs, argue that Theobald and Stephen had probably already made a private deal to seize the throne when Henry died. She then made preparations for her coronation in London. [13], After Henry's death, the English throne was taken not by his daughter Matilda, but by Stephen of Blois, ultimately resulting in civil war. [235][nb 15] Robert of Torigni recorded that 375 were destroyed, without giving the details behind the figure; recent studies of selected regions have suggested that fewer castles were probably destroyed than once thought and that many may simply have been abandoned at the end of the conflict. Matilda and Robert landed at Arundel in September 1139, and she was for a short while besieged in the castle. Hint She was the mother of Henry II White (1990), p.12, cited Bradbury, p.211. [64] Stephen was also rapidly running out of money: Henry's considerable treasury had been emptied by 1138 due to the costs of running Stephen's more lavish court, and the need to raise and maintain his mercenary armies fighting in England and Normandy. The events in Normandy are less well recorded than elsewhere, and the exact sequence of events less certain. [225] The royal court was gathered in April 1155, where the barons swore fealty to the king and his sons. Meanwhile, Matildas younger brother, William Adelin, died in the White Ship disaster of 1120, leaving England facing a potential succession crisis. [201] Stephen's preferred option was to have Eustace crowned while he himself was still alive, as was the custom in France, but this was not the normal practice in England, and Celestine II, during his brief tenure as pope between 1143 and 1144, had banned any change to this practice. [18] Henry angrily declined to do so, probably out of a concern that Geoffrey would try to seize power in Normandy somewhat earlier than intended.