Editing Theobald of Bec (section)

===Civil war===

Theobald's actions in the next few years are intertwined with the history of Stephen's ascension to the throne. Following King [[Henry I of England|Henry I]]'s death in 1135 the succession was disputed between the king's nephews—Stephen and his elder brother, [[Theobald II, Count of Champagne]]—and Henry's surviving legitimate child [[Empress Matilda|Matilda]], usually known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the [[Holy Roman Emperor|German Emperor]], [[Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry V]]. King Henry's only legitimate son, [[William Adelin|William]], had died in 1120. After Matilda was widowed in 1125, she returned to her father, who married her to [[Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou|Geoffrey, Count of Anjou]]. All the magnates of England and Normandy were required to declare [[fealty]] to Matilda as Henry's heir, but when Henry I died, Stephen rushed to England and had himself crowned before either Theobald II or Matilda could react. The Norman barons accepted Stephen as Duke of Normandy, and Theobald II contented himself with his possessions in France. But Matilda was not resigned to the loss, and secured the support of the Scottish king, [[David I of Scotland|David]], her maternal uncle, and in 1138 the support of her half-brother, [[Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester|Robert, Earl of Gloucester]], an illegitimate son of Henry I.<ref name=Huscroft71>Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 71–73</ref>{{efn|Henry I had more than 20 illegitimate children.<ref name=HenryI41>Hollister ''Henry I'' p. 41</ref>}}

After the [[Battle of Lincoln (1141)|Battle of Lincoln]] in 1141, with Stephen in captivity in [[Bristol]], Theobald did not immediately join the Empress.  He claimed that he needed to talk to Stephen before switching his oath of fealty. After consulting in person with Stephen, he secured permission to accept the current conditions, and then joined Henry of Blois, who had switched sides, at Winchester in April for a [[Synod|legatine council]] held to depose Stephen and crown Matilda as queen. Attendance at the council was sparse however, and the Empress could not be crowned because she did not hold London.<ref name=Stephen52>Davis ''King Stephen'' p. 52</ref> After the unsuccessful attempt to crown Matilda, those gathered at Winchester had to flee before Stephen's forces; one of Matilda's chief supporters, her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, was captured. During their flight Theobald and his fellow bishops were robbed of their horses and ecclesiastical vestments. Theobald then took a leading part in the negotiations that led to the exchange of Robert for Stephen, which happened in November 1141. Henry of Blois, having switched sides again, then held another legatine council in Westminster, which reaffirmed Stephen as king. Theobald ceremonially crowned Stephen at Canterbury during the Christmas court held there.<ref name=Salt17>Saltman ''Theobald'' pp. 17–18</ref>

Matilda remained in England until 1148. The disorders were at their peak between 1142 and 1148, but her cause could never secure enough support to enable her to be crowned. Nor could Stephen decisively defeat Matilda's forces, which meant that England remained divided in allegiance between the two rivals. But while Matilda was in England, her husband Geoffrey was conquering Normandy, which he finally overran in 1144.<ref name=Huscroft74>Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 74–75</ref>