The Battle of Lincoln, 1141

 

 King Stephen had usurped the throne in 1135 from the Empress Matilda who had made her move to regain the throne in 1139. The country was now at civil war. Lincoln was captured by Ranulf Earl of Chester. Ranulf was the son in law of the Empress Matilda’s key supporter, her half brother Robert of Gloucester so the move for him to snatch Lincoln was likely an act of loyalty towards her. Stephen reacted swiftly to the capture of Lincoln by heading north almost immediately and laying siege to it. The siege itself lasted until early February 1141. Inside the city walls, Ranulf would have been getting desperate. Having the king’s forces outside would have been hugely unnerving. If the city fell to the king then his neck was on the chopping block. So Ranulf in response requested urgent support from his father in law Robert who duly obliged.

Along with his followers, Robert made straight for the king's army. In terms of size, the armies were evenly matched. Robert didn’t have the easiest journey to meet the king. He and his men nearly become bogged down in a thick marsh which Henry of Huntingdon calls “almost impassable”. They eventually made it to Lincoln to relieve Ranulf and attempt to lift the siege. Robert’s first move was to organise his men into three divisions. At the front were his own forces. Behind them was a line of men who had been left disinherited by the king and who now sought vengeance and his deposition. At the rear, Robert had a full view of the battle and from where he could dictate his army’s tactics. Also in Robert’s army was a group of fierce Welsh fighters. Robert’s powerbase was in the South-West, an area, along with Wales, that had given Stephen serious problems early in his reign and a region that would have provided the bulk of Robert’s army. Ranulf would have been very glad to see the arrival of Robert and he addressed his allies with a speech prior to the battle. He addresses, according to Henry of Huntingdon, Robert as “invincible leader” and refers to Stephen as “that treacherous king”. Robert then gave a rousing speech to Ranulf and the army and they were now very much ready for battle.

In Stephen’s camp, there must have been tremendous trepidation. The king’s crown was now very much on the line. The king took mass and no doubt prayed for his salvation and a successful conclusion to the battle. However, during the service, there was an ominous sign for Stephen. He was offering a candle to the Bishop which then fell to pieces into his hands. In the 12th century, signs such as these would have been a strong indication that disaster was imminent. On top of this, a pyx hanging from a chain, fell to the ground. These two seemingly innocuous events may well have greatly unsettled Stephen. Despite the eventful mass, Stephen then took to the battlefield and, like Robert had done, drew up his army into battle lines.

 Here, it might have been expected for the King to give a inspiring and powerful speech. But due to Stephen’s rather feeble voice, the honour of giving the pre battle speech was left to a knight by the name of Baldwin. Once this had been done, and the roars of the fired up armies rang through the air, battle commenced. The second line of Robert’s army threw themselves at the king’s forces, perhaps spurred on by the indignity of their perceived injustices, but they were quickly put to the sword. Then the Welsh part of the army was attacked by two of Stephen’s nobles and they were scattered. So things initially looked promising for the embattled king. But the tide began to turn when Ranulf began to beat back the men of William of Ypres who, seeing the king on foot and right in the midst of the battle, came to the conclusion that his was the loosing cause and so fled the scene of the battle. 

The fighting grew steadily more fierce and there were no more fierce blows being struck then by those of the king. Spotting Stephen, Ranulf charged at him but was driven back by the ferocity of the king’s defences. But the bravery of his fighting eventually proved to no avail. Stephen was eventually overwhelmed and captured. Though he had been defeated by Robert’s forces, Stephen does come out with some credit. He clearly had shown he was a brave man but he had left himself woefully exposed. If he had positioned himself like Robert, at the rear of his army, then perhaps he would have escaped capture. But, even though he was now into the sixth year of his reign, i think it’s quite likely, as a usurping king, that Stephen still felt he had to demonstrate his right to rule and that’s why he threw himself into the midst of battle. Whilst commendable, he had ultimately paid the price and he was now Matilda and Robert’s prisoner. After the battle, he was taken to Bristol where he was held until Robert’s own capture.