Henry II (The Anarchy Book 13) Read online

  The Battle of the Standard happened largely the way I wrote it. The speech is attributed to a number of people but the words were of the period. I put them in for that reason. The Scots began the battle with 16,000 men. They lost 12,000. The English lost but one knight. The Galwegians were described as, "men agile, unclothed, remarkable for much baldness ; arming their left side with knives formidable to any armed men, having a hand most skilful at throwing spears and directing them from a distance; raising their long lance as a standard when they advance into battle". Fifty knights were captured and Prince Henry arrived back in Carlisle with one knight only. Only seventeen of the survivors had their hauberks as the rest had abandoned them. King David barely made it to Roxburgh. Prince Henry was the only one to emerge from the battle with any honour. He and his knights charged the rear of the English lines and drove off many of the horses before fleeing. The Earl Gospatric was slain by an arrow.

  The Earl of Chester changed sides on numerous occasions and might be seen as the human embodiment of 'anarchy'. He was put out that Prince Henry had been given his lands and tried to capture him. However Stephen's wife, Matildhe of Boulogne got wind of the plot and had her husband escort the Prince home. The capture of Lincoln Castle occurred almost exactly as described in the book. Maud, wife of the Earl of Chester and her sister in law gained entry to the castle on the pretext of visiting the constable's wife. The Earl and three knights with covered livery arrived to bring them home. Once inside they overpowered the guards, captured the weapons and the castle. A case where fact is stranger than fiction. The capture of the castle led to the Battle of Lincoln in 1141 and that was a pivotal moment in the Civil War.

  The Empress along with a hundred and forty of her knights was besieged by Stephen in Arundel Castle. It was a hard castle to take but Stephen's decision to allow her to leave and join her brother has never been fully explained. One theory was that it was an act of chivalry another that he knew he could never take the castle. I have given my own explanation- fictional of course! Brian Fitz Count held Wallingford as the castle closest to London. It was pivotal in the war for it gave the most forward of bases for the Empress. Sir Miles fitz Walter was a successful leader of knights and he was Sheriff of Gloucester. Unlikely as it is the Sheriff of Hereford, who fought alongside Sir Miles, was indeed called Sir Pain Fitzjohn. I have not made the name up! Sadly the name has gone out of favour although I do know some who might merit the name!

  Robert de Ferrers fought at the Battle of the Standard and was given the title of Earl of Derby as a reward. He died in 1139 and he held the manor of Stanford. His death at the hands of the warlord is fictional.

  Stephen did besiege Wallingford and attack Trowbridge but he was beaten back. Hereford was captured by Geoffrey Talbot and Sir Miles fitz Walter. It was the beginning of hatred between the people of Hereford and Gloucester. The men serving Sir Miles and Geoffrey Talbot were ruthless in their prosecution of the siege.

  'everywhere the townsmen were uttering cries of lamentation, either because the earth of their kinfolk's graveyard was being heaped up to form a rampart and they could see, a cruel sight, the bodies of parents and relations, some half-rotten, some quite lately buried, pitilessly dragged from the depths; or because at one time it was visible that catapults were being put up'

  Gesta Stephani (This was a history written at the time of the Anarchy)

  Geoffrey Rufus died in May 1141. William Cumin was the Bishop of Durham although he was never actually consecrated. His time as Bishop was not a happy one. A writer at the time noted: "incessantly making forages; whatever they could lay their hands on they plundered....wherever these men passed it became a wilderness. Their torments were of many and various kinds, difficult to describe and difficult to believe. Men were hung from the walls of their own howses....others...plunged into the bed of the river....everywhere throughout the town there were groanss and various kinds of deaths".

  I have delayed Archbishop's Thurstan's death by a few months- I believe that old hero deserved it! Besides I needed the delay to help my plot. Osbert and William Cumin were both knights in the service of Prince Henry and died before 1143. The Bishop of Ely did rise up in rebellion but it was quickly snuffed out by Stephen.

  The Earl of Chester changed sides so many times during the Civil War that I find it hard to believe that the Empress and King Stephen were taken in by him. His wife, in contrast, comes over as a truly brave and resourceful woman. All that I attribute to her actually happened. While her husband did indeed flee Lincoln after King Stephen took the town she defended the castle until her father could come. In many ways the Battle of Lincoln is her victory as much as anyone's.

  Sir Richard D'Oyly did switch sides in 1141 handing over his father's castle to the Empress. It gave her forces a strong base closer to London and, more importantly, Lincoln. His reasons are lost in the mists of time. This was his only contribution to history. He died not long after the Empress left the castle.

  The Battle of Lincoln occurred much as I wrote it save that it was William de Keynes who defeated King Stephen in single combat. The Welsh left was dispersed by William of Aumale and many of the power supporters of King Stephen fled early in the battle leaving Earls and knights to fight on. Stephen dismounted most of his knights due to a shortage of horses. He fought on until his axe was broken and he was forced to surrender.

  "Then might you have seen a dreadful aspect of battle, on every quarter around the king's troop fire flashing from the meeting of swords and helmets - a dreadful crash, a terrific clamour - at which the hills re-echoed, the city walls resounded. With horses spurred on, they charged the king's troop, slew some, wounded others, and dragging some away, made them prisoners.

  No rest, no breathing time was granted them, except in the quarter where stood that most valiant king, as the foe dreaded the incomparable force of his blows. The earl of Chester, on perceiving this, envying the king his glory, rushed upon him with all the weight of his armed men. Then was seen the might of the king, equal to a thunderbolt, slaying some with his immense battle-axe, and striking others down.

  Then arose the shouts afresh, all rushing against him and him against all. At length through the number of the blows, the king's battle-axe was broken asunder. Instantly, with his right hand, drawing his sword, well worthy of a king, he marvellously waged the combat, until the sword as well was broken asunder."- Roger de Hoveden (Written shortly after the battle)

  The battle was fought outside the city walls. As the castle was still held by Maud this was not a good position and even though they outnumbered the army of Robert of Gloucester, many of his leaders suggested he flee to London. Stephen was many things but he was not a coward and he stood his ground. Stephen and his men fought on foot. Initially he had some success and destroyed the Welsh infantry. Then the King was attacked by Robert of Gloucester. Many of Stephen's senior lords fled. He fought on, using his war axe. He killed many knights before he broke his own axe and was defeated and captured.

  The secret deal with Henry of Blois was true as was the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to Stephen. He did agree to allow his people to swear fealty to Matilda. The East conference confirmed her as Lady of England and Normandy as a precursor to her coronation. She was not crowned as London rose up and drove her out.

  The disastrous rout at Winchester took place when Matilda and her brother were besieging the Bishop of Winchester. The exchange of prisoners took place in November 1141. Stephen was crowned in December of that year. It was on the anniversary of his first coronation. The Earl went to Anjou in the summer of 1142 to help Geoffrey of Anjou capture the last of the castles held by Stephen's supporters. Henry Fitz Empress was in England at the time. My account of his experiences is pure fiction. There is no historical evidence to support it but he was learning to be a leader and in 1144 he returned to Anjou so that his father could teach him how to run the Duchy.

  King Stephen did swim the Isis to scale the town walls. He even built two mounds from which
he could use his mangonels but he did not use them. Instead he prepared to starve the garrison to death. The Empress escaped just as the food was about to run out. Robert D'Oyly died before the Empress escaped. I have made up the manner of his death. I just know he died and not the intimate details. The Empress' escape from Oxford castle is well known however a word of caution to any who use Wikipedia for research. The article about the Empress Matilda has her escaping in early 1143 or late 1142. I lean to late December 1142 however the Wikipedia article about Oxford castle has her escaping Stephen in December 1141- patently impossible as he was in London being crowned and did not besiege Oxford until the following year. For those interested I have put the links to three sites so that you can compare for yourself.

  http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Empress-Maud/

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Castle

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Matilda

  The Earl of Gloucester spent the summer and autumn of 1142 in Normandy helping Geoffrey to recapture more territory from Stephen's supporters. By 1143 the Norman campaign was over.

  Counter castles were built close to a castle under siege. A force besieging a castle would build one to mount their own war machines. There would be a palisade around it to prevent a sortie. The two at Oxford were called Jew's Mount and Mount Pelham. For some reason they were not used.

  There was an alleged invasion of England by young Henry in 1147. He apparently arrived with a small band of mercenaries. He was met by Stephen and deserted by his men because of lack of funds. In the legend Stephen was supposed to have paid the mercenaries and then paid for Henry to be taken back to Normandy. I found the story hard to believe. J.H. Round provided the evidence to disprove the invasion as a piece of propaganda. Henry was in Normandy from 1146 until 1149. He was not in England when his uncle died in 1147. The legend also says that he appealed to his mother for funds and she refused it. All my research shows that Matilda and Henry were very close; far closer than Geoffrey and Henry. I have ignored the flimsy evidence of this invasion. This is another reason to double check everything which appears in Wikipedia.

  The Earl of Gloucester did die peacefully in 1147 and his sister returned to Normandy soon after. Following her meeting with her husband and son she chose to live in the Notre Dame du Pré priory south of Rouen. Henry built her a palace and she ended her days there.

  Following 1147 and until Henry arrives in England in 1149 the war went into a quiet phase. Barons and earls consolidated what they had. The battles were smaller in nature. The Earl of Gloucester did die peacefully and the fates of her leaders are as I wrote.

  Ranulf Earl of Chester did escape captivity and joined the Empress once more. As far as I know there was no alliance with Hainaut but there were wars between Hainaut and Flanders. Henry was alleged to have invaded England in 1147. There is not a great deal of evidence for this. The story goes that he invaded with a few knights and he was defeated by Stephen who, according to the stories, paid off Henry's knights and paid for his passage back to Normandy. I do not believe this story. It has all the hall marks of some propaganda written by Stephen's biographers at the time. I have tried to make the invasion more plausible.

  Duke of Normandy

  The meeting with King David and Henry did take place. I have just brought it forward by a few months. The events leading to Eleanor’s marriage to Henry were almost exactly as I wrote them. The Pope granted an annulment and Geoffrey, Henry’s brother, tried to kidnap his brother’s future wife. He rebelled against Henry and joined forces with the French Kings. King Louis used the marriage of his ex-wife as an excuse to try to regain Normandy- he failed.

  Stephen made Eustace his heir and wanted him crowned immediately but the Pope forbade it. The events around the siege of Wallingford were similar to my story line and a truce, brokered by the Church, was agreed.

  I have fictionalised Eustace a little but he did ravage the land around Bury St. Edmunds which might have made his father doubt the wisdom of making him king. He died just before the meeting in Winchester but the details of the cause are vague. I have made them up. Stephen lived barely a year after his son and he died of a stomach disorder. The son of Eleanor and Henry, William, was born the day that Eustace died- wyrd!

  William Peverel, High Bigod, Roger of Hereford and Archbishop Theobald all existed and did much as I suggested in the book. The two counter castles at Wallingford existed. Henry did come to England with a tiny force of men and managed to outwit Stephen.

  The story of the Earl of Chester which has woven its way through this series is an incredible one. He changed sides more times than sportsman hunting a larger pay packet. His wife was every bit as brave as I portray her and Ranulf was poisoned by William Peverel. He was arrested by Henry and did not live long past the man he murdered.

  Henry was lucky in that most of his rivals died. William, Eustace’s brother died a couple of years into Henry’s reign. Henry’s younger brother also died soon after he attained the throne. Eleanor bore Henry a number of sons: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John as well as three daughters. Like his grandfather he had many illegitimate children too.

  The series will continue for William of Stockton is now a crusader! In addition Henry has both Ireland and Wales to conquer!

  Books used in the research:

  The Varangian Guard- 988-1453 Raffael D’Amato

  Saxon Viking and Norman- Terence Wise

  The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453-Stephen Turnbull

  Byzantine Armies- 886-1118- Ian Heath

  The Age of Charlemagne-David Nicolle

  The Normans- David Nicolle

  Norman Knight AD 950-1204- Christopher Gravett

  The Norman Conquest of the North- William A Kappelle

  The Knight in History- Francis Gies

  The Norman Achievement- Richard F Cassady

  Knights- Constance Brittain Bouchard

  Knight Templar 1120-1312 -Helen Nicholson

  Feudal England: Historical Studies on the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries- J. H. Round

  Armies of the Crusades-Helen Nicholson

  Knight of Outremer 1187- 1344 - David Nicholle

  Griff Hosker

  January 2017

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