The death of a King brings with it a
temporary state of lawlessness. Only on an accession of a new King could order
be restored. Nobles would return to their manors, knights hurry to their
castles, and peasants hasten to their cottages, for fear of losing their most
prized possessions.
With Matilda’s arrival in 1139, civil
war seemed inevitable. In her company was her half illegitimate brother,
Robert, Earl of Gloucester. In a way, this civil war is also a family quarrel
on a large scale over inheritance. The entire country plunged into darkness.
Law and order no longer governed the affairs of men. Their fate would instead
be governed by what side they took, and the outcome of the war.
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Map of Southern England
Blue = area loyal to Empress Matilda
Red = area loyal to King Stephen |
Matilda was strong in the west, while
Stephen’s stronghold was located in the south-east. Local despots and tyrants
ruled the countryside. Their castles became strongholds for bandits and rogue
armed men preying on unwary folks. Wars were waged between various groups of
magnates under the pretence of loyalty to Stephen or Matilda in an attempt to
strengthen their power. Ambushes, raids, skirmishes, and sieges were carried
out by all the groups. Towns after towns, and villages after villages were
looted, ransacked and pillaged. Populace were taken prisoners. For the next 16
years, there would be an utter collapse of justice and total absence of peace. It
was like returning to the Dark Ages where men gave no second thought about
slaughtering their own kind. This state of utter disaster and hopelessness
stemmed only from a single unexpected yet fateful event; a simple but fatal
incautiousness leading to the sinking of the White Ship.
Matilda arrived in Arundel in 1139.
Determined to take her rightful inheritance, she set off with a handful of
mercenaries led by her half-brother Robert. Her husband was preoccupied with
wars of his own in Anjou. Fighting began to erupt sporadically in western
countries such as Somerset and Cornwall. Castles were taken, liberated, and
recaptured. Other regions which suffered from these sporadic fights included
Bristol and Isle of Ely. No decisive victory or defeat has been achieved. It
was as though both sides were fighting one another through pure
stamina, putting in all their effort until the other would run out of
resources, or more importantly, luck!
It was of no surprise that all the
great lords of the realm were confronted with a dilemma. Stephen, though he may
have snatched the crown from his cousin, enjoyed great popularity and was
regarded as the consecrated King. Matilda, on the other hand, did not have the
same backup as Stephen had. Nevertheless, despite his maneuverability and backup, Stephen’s
luck appeared to have run out when he was captured at Lincoln in February 1141,
and subsequently locked up in a dungeon in Bristol. Meanwhile, Matilda began all the
necessary preparations to have herself crowned as Queen in Stephen’s place.
Stephen’s brother Henry, who has now switched side (such treachery is common
throughout history as mortals are continuously swayed by chance and fortune),
summoned a council at Winchester before Easter in his capacity as Bishop of
Winchester to consider the clergy’s view in return for Matilda granting him
control over church business in the Kingdom. He then proceeded to excommunicate
many supporters of Stephen. For a moment, fortune seemed to have abandoned
Stephen. He, noticing the plight of his supporters if they were to break their
oaths to him and support Matilda, generously indicated his willingness to
release his subjects from their oath of fealty to him. A kind-hearted yet luckless King he indeed
was!
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Wolvesey Castle, a scene for the Rout of Winchester where the Angevin
forces were defeated |
Matilda was finally hailed in
Winchester as “Lady of England”. She was, however, never crowned, and her
status remained dubious. Confusion was generated all over the realm. Indeed,
the King was held to be appointed by God and thus possessed divine power. The
sacral role of the King meant that it was an act of sacrilege to imprison a
King in his own country. Fear of divine retribution spread across cities after
cities. Matilda’s position appeared more and more precarious as she advanced to
London to stage her coronation in June. Forces loyal to Stephen remained close
to the capital and citizens were unwilling to stage a welcome to the Empress
and their would-be Queen. Nor did it help her cause that she was becoming
ever more imperious in her triumph. Being used to the kind of treatment and
absolute divine power she enjoyed when she was the Holy Roman Empress, she was
expecting the same treatment here in England. She began to demand for money and
tribute, and effectively alienated the Londoners. A few days later, the city
could bear her presence for no longer and rose up against her. Amidst the sound
of the church bells, a mob descended on a banquet at Westminster where Matilda
was about to dine. Fearing for her safety, she immediately took flight and
retreated to the city of Oxford. Stephen’s cause was not entirely lost after
all. After a long struggle, it appeared that luck had pitiably slipped through
Matilda’s fingers as a result of her own folly (who’s to blame?).
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Queen Matilda of Boulogne, wife of
King Stephen; she must be distinguished from
her namesake, Empress Matilda,
Stephen's adversary and cousin |
Stephen’s wife, Queen Matilda (an
unfortunate name that is apt to create much confusion) played a major role in
maintaining the King’s cause in Stephen’s absence. She has generated sympathy
and support from Stephen’s loyal followers. Even Stephen’s brother Henry transferred
his allegiance to her after a falling out with the Empress Matilda. It was
indeed due to her tireless effort to keep her husband’s cause alive that the
tides of fortune were finally favouring Stephen. The two sides finally met at
the Rout of Winchester. Empress Matilda’s forces were encircled by the army of
Queen Matilda and subsequently defeated. Robert of Gloucester was taken
prisoner, while Empress Matilda once again made a narrow escape to her fortress
at Devizes in the guise of a corpse wrapped in linen corecloth and tied by
ropes to a bier! With both Stephen and
Robert taken prisoner, it made sense that both should now be freed in exchange
for the other. The exchange occurred in November. Bishop Henry held another
church council to reverse the previous decision and reaffirmed Stephen’s legitimacy
to rule. Such is the transience and fickleness of men’s loyalty. Stephen and his wife Matilda were once again
crowned at Christmas 1141, after which he immediately set out to destroy some of the
Angevic castles built recently including Cirencester, Bampton and Wareham.
Next blog, we will see what happened to Empress Matilda when she was besieged at Oxford Castle. Will she get away? Or will Stephen rid himself of
his adversary once and for all? Will Henry I's descendants be able to reclaim
the throne? Keep an eye out for our next blog.
To be continued in the next blog
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