The Anarchy

The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153 which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin—the only legitimate son of King Henry I—who drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120. Henry sought to be succeeded by his daughter, Empress Matilda, but was only partially successful in convincing the nobility to support her. On Henry's death in 1135, his nephew Stephen of Blois seized the throne with the help of his brother Henry of Blois, who was the bishop of Winchester. King Stephen's early reign saw fierce fighting with disloyal English barons, rebellious Welsh leaders, and Scottish invaders. Following a major rebellion in the southwest of England, Matilda invaded in 1139 with the help of her half-brother Robert of Gloucester.

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1135 — 1154  Wikimedia, Wikidata
war of succession, Kingdom of England, civil war, 

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Location: 49, 0, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
11 places

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1135-01-01T00:00:00Z

1154-01-01T00:00:00Z

1135 — 1154 The Anarchy

0996-01-01T00:00:00Z

0996-01-01T00:00:00Z

996 Norman revolt of 996

1047-08-10T00:00:00Z

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1047 Battle of Val-ès-Dunes

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1944 Battle of Verrières Ridge

1944-08-09T00:00:00Z

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1944 Battle for Hill 140

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1944 Falaise Pocket

1944-08-18T00:00:00Z

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1944 Battle of Chambois

1944-08-19T00:00:00Z

1944-08-20T00:00:00Z

1944 Corridor of Death

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Frameless

• Gesta Stephani - book published in 1955, English, online
• Coinage and Currency - , 1994, online
• Siege Warfare in King Stephen's reign (1135-54) - scientific article published in December 2019, online
• The Reign of Stephen: Kingship, Warfare and Government in Twelfth Century England - book published in 1993, online
• Were the Midlands ‘wasted’ during Stephen's reign? - , 1985, online
• Continuity in Government - , 1994, online
• 1153: The Treaty of Winchester - , English, 1994, online
• King Stephen and the Anarchy: Civil War and Military Tactics in Twelfth-century Britain - book published in 2018, online
• Castle warfare in the Gesta Stephani - scientific article published in 2000, online
• The Aristocracy - chapter published in 1994, online
• Containing Wallingford Castle, 1146–1153 - article published in 1995, online
• Anarchy in England, 1135-54: The Theory of the Constitution - scientific article published in 1974, online
• Fieldwork in conflict landscapes: surveying the archaeology of 'the Anarchy' - scientific article published in 2015, online
• Introduction - , 1994, online
• The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign - article published in 1984, Q1860, online
• The Anarchy: War and Status in 12th-Century Landscapes of Conflict - book published in 2017, online
• Normandy - chapter published in 1994, online
• The archaeology of anarchy: investigating England's first civil war - article published in 2016
• The Scots and the North of England - , 1994
• Fortunes of War: Safe-Guarding Wallingford Castle and Honour 1135–60 - scientific article published in 2015, Q1860
• Ecclesiastical Reparations and the Soldiers of “The Anarchy” - scientific article published in 1978
• Coins of the Anarchy 1135-54 - book; published in 1988, English
• Coins of the Anarchy 1135-54 - book; published in 1988, English, 1989
• The Honour of Lancaster in Stephen's Reign - scientific article published in 1935
• cultural depictions of the Anarchy - , 1994
• The Castles of the Anarchy - scientific article published on 22 September 1994, English, 1892
• Geoffrey de Mandeville: a study of the Anarchy - book published in 1892, 2019
• The Anarchy: The Darkest Days of Medieval England - book published in 2019, 1976
• Regni et pacis inquietatrix : Zur Rolle der kaiserin Mathilde in der ‘anarchie’ - , Q1860, 2017
• Castles, Siegeworks and Settlements: Surveying the Archaeology of the Twelfth Century - book published in 2017, English, 1960
• Wallingford castle in the reign of King Stephen - article published in 1960, 2023
• Oxford Castle in King Stephen's reign (1135-54) - article published in 2023, Q1860, 1988
• Earl William of Gloucester and the end of the Anarchy: new evidence relating to the honor of Eudo Dapifer - scientific article published in 1988, 2000
• The Reign of King Stephen 1135-1154 - book published in 2000, 2012
• The Anarchy - episode of In Our Time, English, 1994
• The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign - book published in 1994
• Conquest, Anarchy, and Lordship: Yorkshire, 1066–1154 - book published in 1994, 2009
• "Citadels of God: Monasteries, Violence, and the Struggle for Power in Northern England, 1135-1154" - , 1994
• The March and the Welsh Kings - chapter published in 1994, 2025
• King Stephen at War: Military Strategy in a Time of Anarchy - MA thesis by Keith A. Sloan, Q1860, 1903
• The Anarchy of Stephen's Reign - article published in 1903, 1976
• Gesta Stephani - book published in 1976, 1988
• The arrest of the bishops in 1139 and its consequences - , Q1860, 2013
• Evidence for a Stephanic siege castle at the Lister Wilder Site, The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford - article published in 2013, 1996
• Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-53 - book published in 1996, English, 2016
• Power, conflict and ritual on the fen-edge: the Anarchy-period castle at Burwell, Cambridgeshire, and its pre-Conquest landscape - scientific article published on 2 January 2016, 2005
• Stephen and Matilda: The Civil War of 1139-53 - book published in 2005, 2018
• Landscapes of War and Status: siege castles and the "Anarchy" of King Stephen's reign - scientific article published in August 2018, 2000
• The Myth of the Anarchy - article published in 2000, 1994
• The Church -

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
area	region	911	Duchy of Normandy		Wikidata
event	armed conflict		Bombardment of Lisieux	bombardment	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	996	Norman revolt of 996	rebellion	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1047	Battle of Val-ès-Dunes	battle	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1944	Battle of Verrières Ridge	battle	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1944	Battle for Hill 140	battle	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1944	Falaise Pocket	Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Nazi Germany, Free France, battle, Polish Armed Forces in the West	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1944	Battle of Chambois	United States, battle	Wikidata
event	armed conflict	1944	Corridor of Death	armed conflict	Wikidata
event	war	1135	The Anarchy	civil war, Kingdom of England, war of succession	Wikidata
site	museum		Coudehard-Montormel Memorial	military museum, military cemetery	Wikidata
site	tower	1400	Tour Marguerite	fortified tower	Wikidata