Empress Matilda (208 days)
The Anarchy was a conflict between Empress Matilda and her cousin King Stephen over the right to rule England. Matilda had been designated as Henry I’s heir, but when he died in 1135, Stephen snuck in and had himself crowned. In order to reclaim her right, Matilda invaded England in 1139. At the Battle of Lincoln on February 2, 1141, Stephen was captured by Matilda’s forces, led by her half-brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester.
The clergy met in Winchester on April 7 and proclaimed Matilda as Stephen’s replacement. She would be crowned in London and use the title Lady of the English, because a king was a man, and a queen was a king’s wife. This was a reference to Thelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, Alfred the Great’s daughter who ruled Mercia.
Read more on the next page...