Editing Empress Matilda (section)

===Road to war===
[[File:North West France 1150.png|thumb|250px|alt=Colour map of Northern France at time of Henry I's death|Northern France around the time of Henry's death; red circles mark major urban centres]]
When news began to spread of Henry I's death, Matilda and Geoffrey were in Anjou, supporting the rebels in their campaign against the royal army, which included a number of Matilda's supporters such as Robert of Gloucester.<ref name=BarlowP162/> Many of these barons had taken an oath to stay in Normandy until the late king was properly buried, which prevented them from returning to England.<ref>{{Harvnb|Crouch|2002|p=246}}</ref> Nonetheless, the couple took the opportunity to march into southern Normandy and seize a number of key castles around [[Argentan]] that had formed Matilda's disputed dowry.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chibnall|1991|pp=66–67}}</ref> They then stopped, unable to advance further, pillaging the countryside and facing increased resistance from the Norman nobility and a rebellion in Anjou itself.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chibnall|1991|pp=66–67}}; {{Harvnb|Castor|2010|p=72}}</ref> Matilda was by now also pregnant with her third son, [[William FitzEmpress|William]]; opinions vary among historians as to how much this affected her military plans.<ref name="Castor 2010 72">{{Harvnb|Castor|2010|p=72}}; {{Harvnb|Chibnall|1991|pp=66–67}}; {{harvnb|Tolhurst|2013|pp=43–44}}</ref>{{refn|Opinions vary among historians as to the role of Matilda's third pregnancy in her decision not to advance further in 1135. Helen Castor, for example, argues that this was a major factor in Matilda's thinking, particularly given the complications in Matilda's earlier pregnancies; Marjorie Chibnall rejects this argument, putting the emphasis on the political and military problems that the Empress faced that year.<ref name="Castor 2010 72"/>|group="nb"}}

Meanwhile, news of Henry's death had reached Stephen of Blois, conveniently placed in Boulogne, and he left for England, accompanied by his military household. Robert of Gloucester had garrisoned the ports of Dover and Canterbury and some accounts suggest that they refused Stephen access when he first arrived.<ref>{{harvnb|Barlow|1999|p=163}}; {{Harvnb|King|2010|p=43}}</ref> Nonetheless Stephen reached the edge of London by 8 December and over the next week he began to seize power in England.<ref>{{Harvnb|King|2010|p=43}}</ref> The crowds in London proclaimed Stephen the new monarch, believing that he would grant the city new rights and privileges in return, and his brother [[Henry, Bishop of Winchester]], delivered the support of the Church to Stephen.<ref>{{Harvnb|King|2010|pp=45–46}}</ref> Stephen had sworn to support Matilda in 1127, but Henry convincingly argued that the late king had been wrong to insist that his court take the oath, and suggested that the King had changed his mind on his deathbed.<ref name=Crouch2002P247>{{Harvnb|Crouch|2002|p=247}}</ref>{{refn|Henry of Winchester was able to persuade [[Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk|Hugh Bigod]], the late king's royal steward, to swear that the King had changed his mind about the succession on his deathbed, nominating Stephen instead. Modern historians, such as Edmund King, doubt that Hugh Bigod's account of Henry I's final hours was truthful.<ref name=King2010P52>{{Harvnb|King|2010|p=52}}</ref>|group="nb"}} Stephen's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on 22 December.<ref name=King2010P47>{{Harvnb|King|2010|p=47}}</ref>

Following the news that Stephen was gathering support in England, the Norman nobility had gathered at [[Le Neubourg]] to discuss declaring his elder brother Theobald king.<ref>{{Harvnb|King|2010|pp=46–47}}; {{harvnb|Barlow|1999|pp=163–164}}</ref> The Normans argued that the count, as the eldest grandson of William the Conqueror, had the most valid claim over the kingdom and the Duchy, and was certainly preferable to Matilda.<ref>{{harvnb|Barlow|1999|pp=163–164}}</ref> Their discussions were interrupted by the sudden news from England that Stephen's coronation was to occur the next day.<ref name=King2010P47/> Theobald's support immediately ebbed away, as the barons were not prepared to support the division of England and Normandy by opposing Stephen.<ref>{{Harvnb|King|2010|p=47}}; {{harvnb|Barlow|1999|p=163}}</ref>{{refn|The events in Normandy are less well recorded than elsewhere, and the exact sequence of events less certain. Historian Robert Helmerichs, for example, describes some of the inconsistencies in these accounts. Some historians, including David Crouch and Helmerichs, argue that Theobald and Stephen had probably already made a private deal to seize the throne when Henry died.<ref>{{Harvnb|Helmerichs|2001|pp=136–137}}; {{Harvnb|Crouch|2002|p=245}}</ref>|group="nb"}}

Matilda gave birth to her third son William on 22 July 1136 at Argentan, and she then operated out of the border region for the next three years, establishing her household knights on estates around the area.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chibnall|1991|pp=68, 71}}</ref> Matilda may have asked [[Ulger]], the [[bishop of Angers]], to garner support for her claim with [[Pope Innocent II]] in Rome, but if she did, Ulger was unsuccessful.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chibnall|1991|pp=68–69}}</ref> Geoffrey invaded Normandy in early 1136 and, after a temporary truce, invaded again later the same year, raiding and burning estates rather than trying to hold the territory.<ref name=BarlowP168>{{harvnb|Barlow|1999|p=168}}</ref> Stephen returned to the Duchy in 1137, where he met with Louis VI and Theobald to agree to an informal alliance against Geoffrey and Matilda, to counter the growing [[Counts and dukes of Anjou|Angevin]] power in the region.<ref>{{Harvnb|Crouch|2008b|p=47}}</ref> Stephen formed an army to retake Matilda's Argentan castles, but frictions between his Flemish mercenary forces and the local Norman barons resulted in a battle between the two halves of his army.<ref>{{harvnb|Davis|1977|p=27}}; {{harvnb|Bennett|2000|p=102}}</ref> The Norman forces then deserted the King, forcing Stephen to give up his campaign.<ref>{{harvnb|Davis|1977|p=28}}</ref> Stephen agreed to another truce with Geoffrey, promising to pay him 2,000 marks a year in exchange for peace along the Norman borders.<ref name=BarlowP168/>

In England, Stephen's reign started off well, with lavish gatherings of the royal court that saw him give out grants of land and favours to his supporters.<ref>{{Harvnb|Crouch|2008a|p=29}}; {{Harvnb|King|2010|pp=54–55}}</ref> Stephen received the support of [[Pope Innocent II]], thanks in part to the testimony of Louis and Theobald.<ref>{{Harvnb|Crouch|2002|pp=248–249}}; {{Harvnb|Crouch|2008b|pp=46–47}}</ref> Troubles rapidly began to emerge. Matilda's uncle David I of Scotland invaded the north of England on the news of Henry's death, taking [[Carlisle]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] and other key strongholds.<ref name=King2010P52/> Stephen rapidly marched north with an army and met David at [[Durham, England|Durham]], where a temporary compromise was agreed.<ref name=King2010P53>{{Harvnb|King|2010|p=53}}</ref> South Wales rose in rebellion, and by 1137 Stephen was forced to abandon attempts to suppress the revolt.<ref>{{harvnb|Carpenter|2004|pp=164–165}}; {{harvnb|Crouch|1994|pp=258, 260, 262}}</ref> Stephen put down two revolts in the south-west led by [[Baldwin de Redvers]] and Robert of Bampton; Baldwin was released after his capture and travelled to Normandy, where he became a vocal critic of the King.<ref>{{harvnb|Bradbury|2009|pp=27–32}}</ref>