Rout of Winchester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rout of Winchester |
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| Part of The Anarchy | |||||||
 West Gate, Winchester, Hampshire |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| House of Blois | Angevins | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Queen Matilda Henry of Blois William of Ypres |
Empress Matilda Robert of Gloucester (POW) Reginald of Cornwall |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Light | Main body destroyed, rear guard captured |
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The Rout of Winchester was a big battle that happened on September 14, 1141. It was part of a civil war in England called The Anarchy. This fight was between the army of King Stephen of England and the army of his cousin, Empress Matilda. King Stephen was in prison at the time.
King Stephen's army was led by his wife, Queen Matilda of Boulogne. She had help from Stephen's brother, Bishop Henry of Blois, and a soldier named William of Ypres. Empress Matilda's army was led by her half-brother, Earl Robert of Gloucester.
Empress Matilda's army tried to take a castle near Winchester. But then Queen Matilda's army arrived and trapped them inside the city. With no supplies, Empress Matilda's army had to retreat. As they left, they were attacked and badly beaten. Robert of Gloucester was captured. Later, he was traded for King Stephen, who then got his throne back. But the civil war kept going for many more years.
Contents
Background to the Conflict
How Stephen Became King
When King Henry I of England lost his only son, William, in a shipwreck, he had no male heirs. His only living child was his daughter, Empress Matilda. King Henry said Matilda would be the next ruler of England. The English nobles, including Stephen of Blois, promised to support her. Stephen was King Henry's nephew.
King Henry arranged for Matilda to marry Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. They later had a son named Henry Plantagenet. When King Henry I died, he again said Empress Matilda should be the queen. But Stephen quickly went to England. He was crowned king on Christmas Eve in 1135.
Empress Matilda could not do much at first. Her husband, Count Geoffrey, was busy with problems in his own land. Soon, King Stephen faced many enemies. A Scottish army invaded England but was defeated. Then, Empress Matilda and Robert of Gloucester, who was King Henry I's son, landed in England with a small group of soldiers.
The Start of the Civil War
Empress Matilda and her group went to Arundel Castle. King Henry's widow, Adeliza, welcomed them there. Robert of Gloucester rode to Bristol to gather more support for the empress. King Stephen quickly brought his army to Arundel Castle. He demanded that Empress Matilda be given to him.
Even though her castle was not very strong, Adeliza said she would fight. But then, King Stephen made a surprising choice. He let Empress Matilda leave safely and go to Bristol. Once she was safe, the civil war began in full force. London and the eastern parts of England stayed loyal to Stephen. But the western parts supported the empress.
Stephen hired soldiers from another country, which made many English people unhappy. The old system of justice broke down. Ordinary people suffered a lot because local nobles became very powerful.
In December 1140, Stephen began to attack Lincoln Castle. This castle was held by a rebel leader. The rebel leader escaped and contacted Robert of Gloucester. Robert and the rebel quickly gathered an army. They marched to Lincoln. King Stephen did not believe his enemies would attack in winter.
On February 2, 1141, King Stephen's army was defeated at the Battle of Lincoln. Stephen was captured. Empress Matilda entered London, but she was arrogant and rude. The people of London soon chased her out of the city. King Stephen's wife, Queen Matilda, then took control of London. Stephen's brother, Bishop Henry of Blois, had joined Empress Matilda earlier. But now he switched sides again to support Queen Matilda.
The Siege and Battle
Bishop Henry took his soldiers to Winchester. He began to attack the royal castle there, which was held by Empress Matilda's supporters. Winchester had two castles. One was the royal castle, and the other was a church castle. Only London and York had more than one castle at that time.
When Empress Matilda heard about the bishop's attack, she decided to fight back. She gathered her army and left her base in Oxford around July 28, 1141. She arrived at Winchester on July 31, which was a complete surprise. Bishop Henry quickly fled the city. His soldiers went into Wolvesey Castle, which was the church's castle.
Empress Matilda's army began to attack Wolvesey Castle. Empress Matilda set up her command post in the royal castle. Robert of Gloucester set up his near Winchester Cathedral. On August 2, the bishop's men set fire to Winchester. A large part of the city was destroyed. Wolvesey Castle was very strong. It was built in 1138 and was located in a corner of the city walls. This made it easy for the defenders to get help from outside. Still, Empress Matilda's army put a lot of pressure on the castle's defenders.
Queen Matilda quickly gathered her own army. It included soldiers hired by Bishop Henry, soldiers from her own lands, nearly 1,000 men from London, and William of Ypres' cavalry. This army set up camp on the east side of Winchester. They blocked Empress Matilda's forces inside the city. Queen Matilda's army had plenty of food. But Empress Matilda's soldiers soon started to run out of supplies.
To try and break the blockade, Robert of Gloucester tried to make Wherwell Abbey stronger. This abbey was six miles north of Winchester. But William of Ypres attacked and defeated Robert's men, causing many losses.
The lack of food made Robert of Gloucester decide they had to leave Winchester. He planned a careful retreat. Earl Reginald of Cornwall and Brian fitz Count led the first group of soldiers. Their job was to protect Empress Matilda. The main group guarded the supplies. Robert himself commanded the soldiers at the very back.
On September 14, Empress Matilda's army left Winchester from the west side. They took the road towards Salisbury. About 8.5 miles (13.7 km) ahead, the road crossed the River Test at Stockbridge.
As soon as Empress Matilda's army left the city, Queen Matilda's army attacked. They pushed past the rearguard to attack the main group. The first group of soldiers managed to escape. They took Empress Matilda safely to Gloucester. But Queen Matilda's army destroyed the main part of Empress Matilda's forces. Only a few soldiers managed to get away.
Robert of Gloucester's soldiers stayed together. But when they reached the River Test, they could not go any further. They were surrounded by Queen Matilda's troops. The bridge was full of panicked soldiers. Robert surrendered with his men.
What Happened Next
Queen Matilda offered to trade Robert of Gloucester for her husband, King Stephen. But Empress Matilda refused. She wanted to trade Robert for 12 earls and some gold, but not for the king. So, Queen Matilda secretly contacted Robert's wife, Amabel. Amabel was holding King Stephen prisoner.
Behind Empress Matilda's back, the two wives agreed to trade their husbands. Both King Stephen and Robert of Gloucester were set free.
The civil war continued, with neither side winning for a long time. Meanwhile, ordinary people suffered greatly. Local nobles took control and did what they wanted. People said that "God and all His saints were asleep" during these hard years.
Robert of Gloucester died on October 31, 1147. With her best leader gone, Empress Matilda went back to Anjou. The fighting slowed down for a while. Queen Matilda died on May 3, 1151.
In January 1153, Empress Matilda's son, Henry, landed in England. He began to seek a fight with King Stephen. At Wallingford, another battle was avoided. The two sides agreed that Stephen would remain king for his lifetime. But after he died, Henry Plantagenet would become the next king. Stephen died on October 25, 1154.
