The Anarchy
From Warlike
Q743768
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 then sought to leave the throne to 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, 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.
1135 — 1154
Wikimedia, Wikidata
Kingdom of England, 
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Location: 49, 0, KML, Cluster Map, Maps,
11 places
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- "Citadels of God: Monasteries, Violence, and the Struggle for Power in Northern England, 1135-1154" - , 2009
- The Honour of Lancaster in Stephen's Reign - scientific article published in 1935, Q1860
- Ecclesiastical Reparations and the Soldiers of “The Anarchy” - scientific article published in 1978
- Geoffrey de Mandeville: a study of the Anarchy - book published in 1892, online
- The Anarchy: War and Status in 12th-Century Landscapes of Conflict - book published in 2016, 2017
- Oxford Castle in King Stephen's reign (1135-54) - article published in 2023, Q1860
- Evidence for a Stephanic siege castle at the Lister Wilder Site, The Street, Crowmarsh Gifford - article published in 2013, online
- The Anarchy of Stephen's Reign - article published in 1903, Q1860
- Castles, Siegeworks and Settlements: Surveying the Archaeology of the Twelfth Century - book first published in 2016, English, 2017, online
- Earl William of Gloucester and the end of the Anarchy: new evidence relating to the honor of Eudo Dapifer - scientific article published in 1988, Q1860, online
- Regni et pacis inquietatrix : Zur Rolle der kaiserin Mathilde in der ‘anarchie’ - , Q1860, 1976
- Siege Warfare in King Stephen's reign (1135-54) - scientific article published in December 2019
- The Myth of the Anarchy - article published in 2000
- Anarchy in England, 1135-54: The Theory of the Constitution - scientific article published in 1974
- Danes Castle, Exeter: Excavations 1992-3 - article published in 2011
- Fortunes of War: Safe-Guarding Wallingford Castle and Honour 1135–60 - scientific article published in 2015, Q1860
- Fieldwork in conflict landscapes: surveying the archaeology of 'the Anarchy' - scientific article published in 2015
- 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, Q1860
- The Aristocracy - chapter published in 1994, online
- Containing Wallingford Castle, 1146–1153 - article published in 1995, online
- The arrest of the bishops in 1139 and its consequences - , Q1860, 1988
- Were the Midlands ‘wasted’ during Stephen's reign? - , 1985
- The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign - book published in 1994, online
- Castle warfare in the Gesta Stephani - scientific article published in 2000, online
- Wallingford castle in the reign of King Stephen - article published in 1960, online
- Landscapes of War and Status: siege castles and the "Anarchy" of King Stephen's reign - scientific article published in August 2018
- King Stephen at War: Military Strategy in a Time of Anarchy - MA thesis by Keith A. Sloan, Q1860, 2025
- The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign - article published in 1984, Q1860
| 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 |