Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Battle of Lincoln 1141
    The Battle of Lincoln 1141
    The Battle of Lincoln 1141
    Ebook88 pages56 minutes

    The Battle of Lincoln 1141

    By Rupert Matthews

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A book dedicated to the Battle of Lincoln that marked a turning point in the Wars of Anarchy during the reign of King Stephen in the 12th century.
    A civil war between King Stephen and his rival Empress Matilda broke out in 1136. By 1141 England had fallen in to anarchy with nobles using the unrest to pursue local feuds, slaughter rivals and pillage each other’s land. In 1141 Stephen moved to capture Lincoln Castle and put down one such recalcitrant nobleman. While there he was surprised and attacked by a larger army loyal to Matilda. The ensuing battle was complex and confused, but it ended with Stephen utterly defeated - for now.
    The reasons for and course of the war in question are outlined, then detailed analyses of weapons, tactics and strategies are given with particular reference to this battle. The course of the battle is then followed, short biographies of the commanders are also given. The aftermath of the battle, its effects and importance to the progress of the war are then described.
    The “Bretwalda Battles” series has been running with increasing success as ebooks for some time. Now the first books in the series are being published in print format.

    Contents
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 When God and his Angels slept
    Chapter 2 Leaders at Lincoln
    Chapter 3 Men, Weapons and Tactics
    Chapter 4 The Battle of Lincoln
    Chapter 5 Aftermath

    About the Author

    Rupert Matthews has written over 180 books, mostly on history or military subjects for a wide variety of publishers. He has made a particular study of English battlefields, having walked across dozens of them, handled replica weapons and studied dozens of contemporary accounts

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBretwalda Books
    Release dateMar 25, 2013
    ISBN9781909099623
    The Battle of Lincoln 1141
    Author

    Rupert Matthews

    Rupert Matthews has written over 150 books for different publishers, achieving significant sales in a variety of markets both in the UK and abroad. His works have been translated into 19 languages and have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Rupert has been a freelance writer for 20 years, working in-house at a major book publisher before going freelance.

    Read more from Rupert Matthews

    Related to The Battle of Lincoln 1141

    Titles in the series (21)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    European History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      America's Civil War

      Jun 1, 2021

      Michael A. Reinstein Chairman & Publisher David Steinhafel Publisher Alex Neill Editor in Chief Chris K. Howland Editor Jerry Morelock Senior Editor Sarah Richardson Senior Editor Nancy Tappan Senior Editor Dana B. Shoaf Consulting Editor Stephen Kam

      1 min read

    • Article

      The War Of St Sabas, 1256–1258

      Sep 7, 2021

      The War Of St Sabas, 1256–1258
      6 min read

    • Article

      Battle Famous : Turckheim

      Oct 31, 2019

      Battle Famous : Turckheim
      2 min read

    • Article

      What’s In A Name?

      Jun 29, 2021

      What’s In A Name?
      1 min read

    • Article

      On the Menu TUH’U

      Aug 15, 2019

      On the Menu TUH’U
      2 min read

    • Article

      Using Lion Rampant 2

      Jan 23, 2023

      Using Lion Rampant 2
      1 min read

    • Article

      In The Ranks

      Oct 31, 2019

      In The Ranks
      2 min read

    • Article

      Following The Ransverse Crest

      Jun 8, 2021

      Following The Ransverse Crest
      9 min read

    • Article

      In The Ranks

      Jan 22, 2018

      In The Ranks
      2 min read

    • Article

      Scouts On The Northern Frontier Areani Or Arcani

      Feb 16, 2024

      The 360s were a decade of unrest in Roman Britain, as the province came under repeated attack by its barbarian neighbours: Scotti and Attacotti from Ireland, Saxons from the Continent, and Picts from Caledonia. In AD 367, a high-ranking officer named

      8 min read

    • Article

      Philopoemen At Gythium

      Aug 3, 2021

      Philopoemen At Gythium
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Norman Knight

      May 19, 2021

      The Norman Knight
      2 min read

    • Article

      At Great Risk

      Jun 25, 2019

      At Great Risk
      4 min read

    • Article

      Desert Rats In Normandy

      Jul 11, 2019

      Desert Rats In Normandy
      11 min read

    • Article

      Unsustainable Loss

      Mar 21, 2022

      Unsustainable Loss
      8 min read

    • Article

      Ideas For Wargaming History's Earliest Conflicts Battles In Bronze

      Mar 15, 2024

      Mercenary troops can be just as loyal or more loyal than your own troops. When I defeated and captured the Sherden pirates, I took these veteran fighters and made them my personal bodyguards. During the Bronze Age, ancient peoples began to smelt copp

      5 min read

    • Article

      Another Round

      Jul 27, 2021

      Another Round
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Very Last “Desperta Ferro!”

      Jan 7, 2022

      The Very Last “Desperta Ferro!”
      4 min read

    • Article

      Hill 262

      Oct 3, 2019

      Hill 262
      13 min read

    • Article

      Messana: The Spark That Lit A Flame

      Jan 7, 2022

      Messana: The Spark That Lit A Flame
      6 min read

    • Article

      Hereward And The Siege Of Ely

      Sep 7, 2021

      Hereward And The Siege Of Ely
      9 min read

    • Article

      Errancies

      Feb 11, 2020

      Errancies
      3 min read

    • Article

      Four Hills At Gettysburg

      Nov 26, 2019

      Four Hills At Gettysburg
      7 min read

    • Article

      ‘True To Their Country’

      Aug 18, 2020

      ‘True To Their Country’
      15 min read

    • Article

      Spedizione Dei Mille

      Jan 7, 2022

      Spedizione Dei Mille
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Battle of Lincoln 1141

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Battle of Lincoln 1141 - Rupert Matthews

      Bretwalda Battles

      Medieval Wars

      The Battle of Lincoln 1141

      by Rupert Matthews

      *****************

      Published by Bretwalda Books at Smashwords

      Website : Facebook : Twitter : Blog

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      First Published 2013

      Copyright © Bretwalda Books 2013

      Oliver Hayes asserts his moral rights to be regarded as the author of this work.

      ISBN 978-1-909099-64-7

      *****************

      Contents

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 When God and his Angels slept

      Chapter 2 Leaders at Lincoln

      Chapter 3 Men, Weapons and Tactics

      Chapter 4 The Battle of Lincoln

      Chapter 5 Aftermath

      ************

      Introduction

      The Battle of Lincoln seemed to be a turning point in the civil war that had broken out in England in 1135. For more than a year the two main rival armies had been moving around England, both looking for a weakness in the other, but neither willing to strike. All that ended at Lincoln in February 1141 when Earl Robert of Gloucester caught King Stephen at a disadvantage and launched an assault that he hoped would end the war in a single blow.

      The battle that followed is one of the best recorded conflicts of its age. Unlike most medieval battles, the Battle of Lincoln was recorded by a chronicler who spoke to men who had been there and who were able to describe who had done what and why. The battle belies the usual image of medieval battles as a vicious free for all and instead shows just how subtle and sophisticated the tactics and strategems could be.

      With its violence, fury and drama, the Battle of Lincoln was one of the most decisive battles of medieval England. It is not often that a king is captured by his rival for the throne, still less is he wrestled to the ground while hacking at his enemies with a two-handed sword able to slice a man in half. The capture of King Stephen gave his rival Empress Matilda a crucial advantage when it came to securing the throne of England. That she was not able to do so was as much her own fault as it was anyone else’s.

      The battle was fought to the west of the old city walls, overlooking the Fossdyke and what is now the old racecourse. Part of the battlefield was built over in the 19th century, with roads such as Cambridge Avenue, York Avenue and Richmond Road covering the most likely site of King Stephen’s original position. But other parts of the battlefield, west of Rosebery Avenue are little different from how they were back in 1141 when a king came to Lincoln and nearly lost his crown.

      This book seeks to explain why the Battle of Lincoln was fought, how it was fought and what its results turned out to be. So read on and learn how history was made in Lincoln.

      ************

      Chapter 1

      When God and His Angels Slept

      From 1135 to 1153 England was torn apart by a savage civil war that saw the kingdom subjected to the most brutal horrors of medieval warfare. As central government control collapsed, nobles engaged in murderous feuds with each other and with the serfs and freemen they were supposed to protect. Civilians were raped, robbed and killed in large numbers as gangs of armed men roamed the country. Many of the most violent acts were carried out by men claiming to be supporters of one side or the other, but who were really just vicious bandits out to grab what they could while the anarchy prevailed.

      The civil war was the result of a shipwreck in 1120 when Adelin, son and heir of King Henry I of England, was drowned. That left Henry without a legitimate male heir not only for the Kingdom of England, but also for the Duchy of Normandy and County of Cotentin that he also ruled. His only legitimate child left - he had numerous illegitimate children - was his daughter Matilda. She had married Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and, after his death in 1125 she returned to England. Henry made all his nobles swear that they would accept Empress Matilda as their Queen after his death.

      The wreck of the White Ship off Barfleur, Normandy, on

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1