Editing Stephen, King of England (section)

=== Treaties and peace (1153–1154) ===
[[File:Political map of England 1153.svg|thumb|A political map of England, Wales and southern Scotland in 1153; {{Legend|#347fb9|Under Henry's control}} {{Legend|#e51316|Stephen}} {{Legend|#bfbfbf|Indigenous Welsh}} {{Legend|#ffefac|Ranulf of Chester and Robert de Beaumont}} {{Legend|#4cb149|David I of Scotland}}]]

Henry FitzEmpress returned to England again at the start of 1153 with a small army, supported in the north and east of England by Ranulf of Chester and Hugh Bigod.<ref>Bradbury, pp. 178–179.</ref> Stephen's castle at [[Malmesbury Castle|Malmesbury]] was besieged by Henry's forces, and the King responded by marching west with an army to relieve it.<ref name="BradburyP180">Bradbury, p. 180.</ref> He unsuccessfully attempted to force Henry's smaller army to fight a decisive battle along the [[River Avon, Bristol|river Avon]].<ref name=BradburyP180/> In the face of the increasingly wintry weather, Stephen agreed to a temporary truce and returned to London, leaving Henry to travel north through the [[Midlands]] where the powerful Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, announced his support for the Angevin cause.<ref name=BradburyP180/> Despite only modest military successes, Henry and his allies now controlled the south-west, the Midlands and much of the north of England.<ref>Bradbury, p. 181.</ref>

Over the summer, Stephen intensified the long-running siege of [[Wallingford Castle]] in a final attempt to take this major Angevin stronghold.<ref>Bradbury, p. 182.</ref> The fall of Wallingford appeared imminent and Henry marched south in an attempt to relieve the siege, arriving with a small army and placing Stephen's besieging forces under siege themselves.<ref name="BradburyP183">Bradbury, p. 183.</ref> Upon news of this, Stephen gathered up a large force and marched from Oxford, and the two sides confronted each other across the [[River Thames]] at Wallingford in July.<ref name=BradburyP183/> By this point in the war, the barons on both sides seem to have been eager to avoid an open battle.<ref name="BradburyKingCrouchP276">Bradbury, p. 183; King (2010), p. 277; Crouch (2002), p. 276.</ref> As a result, instead of a battle ensuing, members of the church [[Treaty of Wallingford|brokered a truce]], to the annoyance of both Stephen and Henry.<ref name=BradburyKingCrouchP276/>

In the aftermath of Wallingford, Stephen and Henry spoke together privately about a potential end to the war; Stephen's son Eustace, however, was furious about the peaceful outcome at Wallingford. He left his father and returned home to Cambridge to gather more funds for a fresh campaign, where he fell ill and died the next month.<ref>King (2010), pp. 278–279; Crouch (2002), p. 276.</ref> Eustace's death removed an obvious claimant to the throne and was politically convenient for those seeking a permanent peace in England. It is possible, however, that Stephen had already begun to consider passing over Eustace's claim; historian Edmund King observes that Eustace's claim to the throne was not mentioned in the discussions at Wallingford, for example, and this may have added to his anger.<ref>King (2010), p. 278.</ref>

Fighting continued after Wallingford but in a rather half-hearted fashion. Stephen lost the towns of [[Oxford]] and [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] to Henry while the King was diverted fighting Hugh Bigod in the east of England, but [[Nottingham Castle]] survived an Angevin attempt to capture it.<ref>Bradbury, p. 184.</ref> Meanwhile, Henry of Blois and [[Theobald of Canterbury]] were for once unified in an effort to broker a permanent peace between the two sides, putting pressure on Stephen to accept a deal.<ref>King (2010), pp. 279–280; Bradbury, p. 187.</ref> The armies of Stephen and Henry FitzEmpress met again at Winchester, where the two leaders would ratify the terms of a permanent peace in November.<ref>King (2010), p. 280.</ref> Stephen announced the [[Treaty of Winchester]] in Winchester Cathedral: he recognised Henry FitzEmpress as his adopted son and successor, in return for Henry doing [[Homage (feudal)|homage]] to him; Stephen promised to listen to Henry's advice, but retained all his royal powers; Stephen's remaining son, [[William I, Count of Boulogne|William]], would do homage to Henry and renounce his claim to the throne, in exchange for promises of the security of his lands; key royal castles would be held on Henry's behalf by guarantors, whilst Stephen would have access to Henry's castles; and the numerous foreign mercenaries would be demobilised and sent home.<ref>King (2010), pp. 280–283; Bradbury pp. 189–190; Barlow, pp. 187–188.</ref> Stephen and Henry sealed the treaty with a [[kiss of peace]] in the cathedral.<ref>King (2010), p. 281.</ref>