Timeline

1136		King Stephen captures Bampton
		Bampton Castle in Devon captured by King Stephen.
	Feb	Treaty of Durham
		A peace treaty signed by King David of Scotland and King Stephen. The Scottish King had invaded northern England in January and had captured many of the major towns including Carlisle and Newcastle. In response, Stephen had raised a large army and marched north to Durham. King David agreed to talk rather than fight and an arrangement was agreed allowing the Scots to keep Carlisle in return for stopping their advance. David refused to do homage to the English King as his loyalties rested with Matilda, King Henry's daughter. King David's son did pay homage to Stephen and recieved the Earldom of Huntingdon in return.
1138		Ludlow castle siege
		Ludlow Castle was captured on behalf of Matilda in 1138 and King Stephen besieged the castle in an attempt to regain it. During the siege the King bravely saved Prince Henry of Scotland from being injured by a grappling hook thrown from the castle.
		Dudley castle attacked by Stephen
		The Castle and lands around Dudley were attacked by King Stephen during the early part of his war against Matilda.
		Shrewsbury Castle captured by Stephen
		Stephen captured the castle at Shrewsbury. Henry (II) would capture back the castle before the end of Stephen's reign.
		Arundel Castle siege
		Matilda was given refuge by William de Albini at Arundel Castle. Stephen built siege works around the castle in response.
		Start of Civil War
		Robert, the Earl of Gloucester and half brother to Matilda (daughter of Henry I) rebels against King Stephen, supporting Matilda's claim to the throne of England.
	May	Robert sides with Matilda
		Robert, the Earl of Gloucester announces that he will assist Matilda, his step-sister in her claim for the English throne.
	Aug 22	Battle of 'the Standard'
		David I of Scotland was defeated at the battle of 'the Standard' in Yorkshire. The name for the battle came from the banners that were carried into battle by the English.
1139		Leeds Castle siege
		King Stephen besieged Leeds Castle which was being held against him by supporters of Matilda. The castle fell to the King and he took control of it.
		Corfe Castle siege
		In 1139 Baldwin de Redvers took the castle for Matilda. King Stephen besieged the castle but was unable to take it back.
	Jun	Roger, Bishop of Salisbury is arrested
		King Stephen arrested Roger, the Bishop of Salisbury. Bishop Roger was a powerful landowner and had several castles. Stephen also arrested Alexander, the bishop of Lincoln and had him imprisoned. Stephen wanted to take control to bishop Roger's castles and the bishop was taken to his castle at Devizes where he was held captive outside the walls and starved until the castle surrendered. Roger's son was also captured and tortured until the castle finally fell to the King. Roger's castle at Sherborne was also captured by Stephen. The castles at Newark and Sleaford in Lincolnshire belonging to bishop Alexander were forced to surrender to the King using the same underhand tactics.
		Wallingford Castle siege
		After Brian fitz Count the owner of the castle at Wallingford sided with Matilda, king Stephen built two siege castles to force him out.
		Matilda arrives in England
		Matilda arrives in England to further her attempts to take the throne from king Stephen.
1140		Woodstock held by Matilda
		The Palace of Woodstock was held by Matilda's supporters during the conflict with Stephen. Henry (II) spent much of his time there.
	Dec	Stephen besieges Lincoln
		Lincoln, held by Matilda's supporters, was besieged by King Stephen. The siege would continue until February the next year.
1141		Winchester Castle burns down
		The castle was destroyed during the civil war.
	Feb 2	Battle of Lincoln
		Matilda's forces defeated and captured King Stephen at the battle of Lincoln. Stephen was held captive until September when Matilda's forces were defeated at Winchester.
	Apr	Matilda is elected Queen
		After Stephen had been captured at Lincoln, Matilda was elected as Queen of England at Winchester. Her new position as ruler of England was not to last for long
	Jun	Matilda enters London
		Matilda and her supporters entered London for her coronation. Her supporters included David I, king of the Scots. Geoffrey de Mandeville who controlled the Tower of London, abandoned his king as he saw Matilda had the upper hand. He joined her side and offered her the Tower of London. He did this to ensure he kept the Earldom of Essex which made him one of the most powerful barons of the time.
	Sep 14	Rout of Winchester
		Matilda's forces were besieging a royalist held castle at Wolvesey near Winchester and were attacked and defeated by a royalist relief army. King Stephen who was being held captive at the time was exchanged for Robert, earl of Gloucester one of Matilda's supporters who was captured in the defeat.
1142		Mandeville and Matilda
		Secret negotiations between Matilda and Mandeville take place.
		Henry (II) spends a year in England
		Henry spent a year in England at Bristol being taught by Master Matthew. He came across the channel with Earl Robert of Gloucester.
	Oct	Oxford siege and Matilda's escape
		Oxford was besieged by King Stephen trapping Matilda inside the city. But just before Christmas Matilda managed to escape across the snow and ice of the frozen Thames dressed in white so that she would not be seen. Matilda escaped to Wallingford Castle and Oxford fell to the King.
1143	Sep	Mandeville is arrested
		King Stephen arrested Geoffrey de Mandeville at a meeting of the Royal Court. Mandeville had tried Stephen's patience with his disloyalty and the king did not want the Tower of London (which Mandeville controlled) fall into the hands of Matilda. Mandevilles castles and title of Earl of Essex were taken from him, and he became an outlaw.
1144		Geoffrey Plantagenet captures Normandy
		After several years of conflict between the Angevins and the Barons of Normandy Geoffrey Plantagenet, count ot Anjou, captured Rouen and took control of the whole of the duchy of Normandy. Geoffrey also took the title of Duke of Normandy.
		Construction of Faringdon Castle
		Built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. The castle soon came under siege by King Stephen who after four days took the castle and destroyed it.
1145		Stephen takes Farringdon Castle
		King Stephen captures the castle at Farringdon from Matilda.
1147		Henry arrives in England
		Henry landed in England with a small army intent on attacking Stephen. Unfortunately, Henry's army of mercenaries was small and they were not being paid enough. Stephen gave Henry money to pay the mercenaries and for Henry to return to Normandy. Henry left England.
		Pevensey Castle siege
		King Stephen leys siege to Pevensey castle and has to wait for the castle's reserves to run out before the castle falls.
	Oct 31	Robert, Earl of Gloucester dies
		The death of Robert was a blow to Matilda's attempts to fight for the English throne. Matilda was to leave England shortly afterwards.
1148	Feb	Matilda leaves England
		Without the support of the Earl of Gloucester, who died the previous year, Matilda left England for Normandy.
1149	May 22	Henry (II) knighted by David
		Henry the future king of England (Henry II) was knighted at Carlisle by David, King of the Scots.
1150		Worcester siege
		King Stephen besieged then plundered the city of Worcester but was unable to capture the castle due to its stong defences.
1152		Newbury Castle Siege
		Besieged and captured by King Stephen in 1152 (or 1153).
	Apr 6	Theobald refuses to crown Eustace
		King Stephen had several lords swear to have Eustace, his son, as the next king of England. Theobald the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to accept as well, refused to crown Eustace favouring Henry II's claim to the throne instead.
1153		Reading Castle destroyed
		Reading Castle destroyed by Henry II.
	Jan	Henry invades England
		Henry and a fleet of 30 to 40 ships landed on the south coast of England. Henry chose to attack Malmesbury, one of Stephen's out posts. The Winter weather took its toll on Stephen's troops and a truce was agreed. In the Midlands, the Earl of Leicester took Henry's side and this gave Henry control of large number of castles in the area.
	Aug 17	Stephen's son Eustace dies
		Eustace wanted to continue the fight against Henry and had started attacking areas around Cambridge and East Anglia. He ransacked the Abbey at Bury St. Edmunds but died very shortly afterwards from a sudden illness.
	Nov 6	Treaty of Wallingford
		Henry had besieged a fort that Stephen had built at Crowmarsh on the banks of the Thames opposite Wallingford Castle. An agreement of succession of Henry II after Stephen was concluded and witnessed by the English Knights Templars. King Stephen accepted Henry of Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine as heir to the throne and in turn Henry recognised Stephen as king. Stephen made his barons do homage to Henry (Jan.1154).
1154	Jan	Meeting at Oxford
		At a meeting at Oxford the barons accepted Henry as the rightful heir to the English throne and paid homage to him. Henry was displeased because in the terms of the treaty of Wallingford many of the castles that had been built during the civil war were supposed to have been destroyed but were still standing.
	Spring	Henry returns to Normandy
		A triumphant Henry returned to Rouen in Normandy to a warm reception from his family including Eleanor and his eight month old son William.
	Oct 25	Stephen dies
		Stephen had agreed that Henry should become King on his death. Henry was in Normandy at the time.
	Dec	Henry II succeeds Stephen
		Under Henry II, the Grand Master of Knights Templars superintended the Masons. 1155 - Built their Temple in Fleet Street.
	Dec 8	Henry lands in England
		Although the English Channel was stormy, Henry needed to get to England as it had been without a King since the end of October. His ship landed somewhere near Southampton and he went straight to Winchester where he received the Royal treasures and the homage of the English barons.
	Dec 19	Henry crowned at Westminster Abbey
		Henry of Normandy crowned Henry II of England, and Eleanor of Aquitaine crowned Queen, at Westminster.