Ktir-K: Studying Civ ...

Matilda was supported by her half-brothers, especially Robert of Gloucester, and her Uncle King David I of Scotland. The latter attacked the English lands from the north which obliged Stephan to march there and try to find an agreement between them. Stephen tried so hard to win the nobles’ acceptance so he was spending huge amounts of money on banquets and gifts. He couldn’t impose a stronghold on his court. Later that year, Pope Innocent II confirmed Stephen as lawful king.

        Welsh uprisings early in the year had been successful, which encouraged further rebellions across south Wales in 1137. Revolts occurred in south-west England too. Matilda and Geoffrey had not been quiet either; in early 1136, shortly after Stephen’s coronation, Geoffrey attacked Normandy, but Stephen had to stay in England to deal with issues there and could do little to prevent him. Stephen tried to retake land on the Normandy-Anjou border in 1137 which had been seized by Geoffrey in 1135, but his army ended up fighting itself and then his Norman forces deserted him.

        After losing Wales and Normandy, Stephen focused on alleviating England since the Barons started revolting wanting more lands and more rewards. Besides, the royal treasury was exhausted because of high expenses of the court and wars. The civil war started in 1138, when Robert of Gloucester supported his sister’s claim to the throne and started a rebellion helped by Norman barons who have lands cross channel in England. Robert was very powerful and persuasive and started a rebellion across the south-west of England. Meanwhile, Matilda and Geoffrey succeeded to have total control over Normandy, and David I once again invaded the north of England,” announcing his support for his niece’s claim”.

        He sent his wife, Queen Matilda, to Kent to deal with Robert’s rebels, whilst a small retinue was sent north to deal with the Scots. Stephen headed west to retake several rebelling counties, although he was unable to take Bristol. Stephen managed to once again negotiate peace with David, but this came at the expense of giving land in Carlisle and Cumberland to David, which greatly aggravated its current owner, the Earl of Chester.

       After taking control of Normandy, Matilda and Geoffrey started a coalition with Robert planning to reconquer England, so they started building castles on the northern borders and asked their supporters in England to prepare themselves in the southwest of England. Stephen started building castles and reinforcing his defense on the southern area.  Robert was the leader of his sister’s army since as a woman she wasn’t accepted to contribute to the war while her husband was in control of Normandy and Anjou.

        “In August 1139, Matilda’s initial invasion began. Some of her forces crossed the channel to Wareham to try and capture a port for Matilda’s forces to land, but they were repelled by Stephen’s forces and had to retreat to the south-west. However, in September, Matilda was invited by the Dowager Queen Adeliza (who had been the second wife of Matilda’s father, Henry I) to land in her lands at Arundel, West Sussex. At the end of September Matilda and her brother Robert landed with 140 knights. Robert marched north-west to raise support, and to meet up with the dispersed forces from the first landing attempt, whilst Matilda stayed at Arundel Castle. Stephen ignored the other troops and immediately besieged Arundel, trapping Matilda. Stephen agreed to a truce, and released Matilda from the siege to allow her and her knights to be escorted to the south-west where she was reunited with Robert. The reasons why Stephen allowed this are not quite known, although it could have come from a sense of chivalry, or because Arundel Castle was considered impregnable, or because he worried about keeping his army at Arundel whilst Robert roamed freely. In this, Matilda’s sex may have been to her advantage – it would have been frowned upon to include Matilda in warfare as a woman, and her male half-brother would probably have been viewed as far more of a threat.” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/house-of-Plantagenet)

         Stephen made a deadly mistake as Matilda established a supporting group in the south-west, and controlled territory from Devon and Cornwall, across Gloucester and Bristol, into the Welsh Marches, and even across to Oxford and Wallingford, threatening London. In 1140, The Bishop of Ely unsuccessfully rebelled in East Anglia; meanwhile, Earl of Chester seized Lincoln Castle and joined Matilda. The meanness of the Earl of Chester proved invaluable to Matilda. In 1141, Stephen and Chester took to battle on 2nd February. Stephen’s center was encircled by Robert and Chester’s cavalry while many of Stephen’s supporters fled. Stephen was captured and taken back to Matilda’s base in Gloucester. The two met, and then Stephen was transferred to Bristol castle.

         Matilda captured Stephen’s brother, Henry of Blois, and obliged him to declare church support for her, and he handed over control of the royal treasury to her, even going as far as to excommunicate many of Stephen’s supporters who refused to give Matilda their support. “Everything seemed set in Matilda’s favour: Stephen even released his subjects from their oath of fealty to him, which had placed many in a dilemma of whether they could morally abandon Stephen for Matilda. Just after Easter, 1141, the clergy gathered in Winchester and declared Matilda Lady of England and Normandy, prior to her coronation. Matilda then moved to London to begin preparations for her coronation in June”. (Thomson, 1997, p. 154)

           Although Matilda won the support of Earl of Chester, she wasn’t accepted by several lords in London just because of being a woman. Matilda suffered from sexism and that was the main problem she faced. This sexism, combined with the remnants of support for Stephen, meant that just days before Matilda’s planned coronation the City of London rebelled against her which obliged her to escape. However, she was still gaining support. Geoffrey was in control Normandy, while Robert and Matilda were in control of several lands in England; consequently, the Lords who had lands in both parts were concerned about their assets. This made the majority of them change loyalty to Matilda’s side.

           Queen Matilda, Stephen’s wife, didn’t give up on him and took advantage of London’s riot against Matilda to gather Stephen’s loyal men and succeeded to capture Robert and to exchange him for Stephen. “Stephen’s legitimacy as king was renewed by the church under his brother Henry, and Stephen and Matilda were re-coronated during Christmas 1141.” Robert returned to Normandy and Matilda stayed in Oxford Castle which made her an easy prey for Stephen. He under sieged the castle in winter desiring to weaken her by starving them. Hence, Matilda succeeded to escape incognito so her men would surrender the day after.