Battle of Winchester

As a result of the battle of Lincoln on February 2, 1141 , the English king Stephen of Blois was captured by supporters of Queen Matilda and was imprisoned in the Bristol Fortress. This allowed Matilda to seize power in the country. April 8, 1141 in Winchester, she was elected Queen of England. In June, Matilda arrived in London . However, the Queen’s stay in London was short: the abolition of city privileges and an attempt to impose a tax on the property of citizens ( tali ) provoked a rebellion in London. Matilda was forced to flee to Oxford . At the same time, a new army of King Stephen’s supporters was formed in Kent . It was led by William of Ypresky and the wife of Stephen Matilda of Boulogne , who was very popular among the British. The royal troops entered London, where they were enthusiastically received by the townspeople. Through negotiations and new land awards, Matilda of Boulogne succeeded in attracting a significant part of the former associates of Queen Matilda . Of greatest importance was the transition to the side of King Henry of Blois , bishop of Winchester and the papal legate , who had a huge influence on the English clergy. Upon learning of this, Queen Matilda went to Winchester at the end of August 1141 , hoping to deter Heinrich Bloisch from joining the king’s camp. On August 31, Matilda’s troops entered the city without resistance and besieged the bishop’s castle of Wolvesy, but Henry Blois himself had already left Winchester by this time.

While Matilda’s army besieged Wolvesy, the main forces of Stephen’s supporters, led by Wilhelm Ypresky, moved to help the city. Probably, under the Winchester came the main forces of both warring parties. It is known that even London provided a detachment of about 1,000 soldiers to the royal army. Heinrich Bloisky, who finally sided with the king, organized the arson of Winchester, as a result of which most of the city, including the royal palace and the fortress, built by William the Conqueror , was destroyed.

After the approach of the army of William of Ypres, the troops of Matilda , besieging the bishop's castle, were themselves surrounded by superior enemy forces. The food shortage and the epidemic that broke out in the ranks of the Empress’s army forced Matilda and Robert of Gloucester to decide on September 14 to retreat. The withdrawing troops were immediately attacked by the royal army, as a result of which the retreat turned into a random flight. Matilda barely managed to escape ^[1] , and accompanied by Brian Fitz-County, she reached Gloucester . Soon Mil Gloucestersky arrived there too , forced to drop his weapons and armor on the battlefield and remained, according to his contemporary, “ half naked ” ^[2] . However, Robert of Gloucester , the Empress’s brother and leader of her party, who organized the cover for Matilda’s withdrawal, was surrounded at Stockbridge and taken prisoner.

The capture of Robert of Gloucester allowed the release of King Stephen . On November 1, 1141, in exchange for the release of Robert, Stefan Bloisky also received freedom. He was restored to the throne, and on Christmas Day 1141 he was re-crowned king of England. Thus, the advantage gained by Matilda after the Battle of Lincoln was nullified. Moreover, a number of prominent English barons and clergymen who sided with the king left the Matilda camp, and the territory under the control of Matilda was again reduced to several western counties . The civil war continued, but the advantage began to gradually lean towards King Stephen .

• Civil War in England 1135-1154
• Battle of Lincoln (1141)

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