1140s in England

Events from the 1140s in England.

Incumbents

Monarch - King Stephen (to 8 April 1141), Empress Matilda (to 1 November 1141), King Stephen

Events

• 1140
  • December - The Anarchy: Earl Ranulf of Chester captures Lincoln.^[1]
  • Dryburgh Abbey founded.^[1]
• 1141
  • 2 February - The Anarchy: At the First Battle of Lincoln, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Empress Matilda wrest control of the throne from King Stephen.^[1]
  • 8 April - The Anarchy: Stephen captured and Matilda proclaimed "Lady of the English".^[1]
  • 24 June - The Anarchy: Matilda is forced to flee Westminster during a royal banquet, and flees to Oxford.^[1]
  • July - The Anarchy: Matilda I of Boulogne, wife of Stephen, recaptures London.^[1]
  • 14 September - The Anarchy: Robert of Gloucester captured by forces loyal to Stephen during fighting at Winchester.^[1]
  • 1 November - The Anarchy: Stephen and Robert exchanged as prisoners ending the reign of Matilda.^[1]
• 1142
  • Matilda's son Henry comes to England for the first time.^[1]
  • 26 September - The Anarchy: Stephen captures Oxford, and besieges Matilda inside the castle.^[1]
  • December - The Anarchy: According to Henry of Huntingdon, Matilda escapes from Oxford Castle across the snow in a white cape for camouflage.^[2]
• 1143
  • The Anarchy: Geoffrey de Mandeville, a supporter of Matilda, is deprived of his castles in Essex, but subsequently captures Ely and campaigns in Cambridgeshire.^[1]
  • Robert of Ketton makes the first European translation of the Qur'an into Latin.^[3]
• 1144
  • 11 February - Robert of Ketton completes the translation of Book of the Composition of Alchemy from Arabic to Latin. It is the first book in Europe to describe alchemy.^[4]
  • 22 March - A young apprentice, William of Norwich, is murdered, a crime attributed to the Jews by the Norwich mob, the first known medieval accusation of blood libel against Jews.
  • Matilda's husband, Geoffrey V of Anjou, completes the conquest of Normandy.^[1]
• 1145
  • The Anarchy: Stephen captures Faringdon Castle.^[1]
  • Woburn Abbey founded.^[5]
  • Robert of Chester makes the first translation of an algebra text from Arabic into Latin.^[1]
• 1146
  • The Anarchy: Ranulf of Chester is captured, but released after surrendering his castles.^[1]
  • Many knights and barons leave England to take part in the Second Crusade.^[1]
• 1147
  • The Anarchy: Henry arrives in England to fight for Matilda, but is defeated in skirmishes, and returns to Normandy.^[1]
  • The Anarchy: Ranulf of Chester lays waste to the land around Coventry, but fails to capture the city itself.^[1]
  • 24 October - English crusaders capture Lisbon from the Moors.^[1]
• 1148
  • February - The Anarchy: Empress Matilda forced to return to France.^[1]
• 1149
  • 22 May - King David I of Scotland knights Henry, and cedes northern Lancashire to Ranulf of Chester, in return for control of Carlisle.^[1]
  • King David I of Scotland attempts to wrest control of the Bishopric of Durham and the Archbishopric of York from Stephen, but fails.

Births

• 1146
  • William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, soldier and statesman (died 1219)
• 1147
  • Hugh de Kevelioc, 3rd Earl of Chester (died 1181)

Deaths

• 1140
  • 6 February - Thurstan, Archbishop of York
• 1141
  • Aubrey de Vere, Lord Great Chamberlain (born 1062)
• 1142
  • Orderic Vitalis, chronicler (born 1075)
• 1143
  • William of Malmesbury, historian (born 1080)
• 1144
  • Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex
• 1147
  • 31 October - Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, politician (born c. 1090)
• 1148
  • Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (born 1100)
  • William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey

References

See also