Earl of Chester

The dead were virtually the entire next generation of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy.

The list ran from William Adeline, Richard of Lincoln, and Matilda of Perche, through Richard, the young Earl of Chester, and his wife, who was the king's niece, and Stephen of Blois' sister.

It included a young nephew of the Holy Roman Emperor, who at that point in history was undoubtedly the most powerful person in Western Europe.

Orderick counts 18 women among the dead who were daughters, sisters, nieces, or wives of kings and earls.

Locals hauled the wreck ashore and recovered nearly everything in it, including the royal treasure, but no bodies.

Wealthy families paid divers to search for their relatives, but this was mostly in vain.

The Earl of Chester's corpse washed up days later, a long way from the rock, and he was identified by his clothes.

At least seven writers who were alive at the time left accounts, and the disagreements between them are where this story gets interesting.

Nay, says a chronicler, that which was wrong also.

the peaceful monks who saw and recorded these horrors bethought them of the days when there was no king in israel and of the fearful time when jerusalem was compassed about with armies through all the years of war the tide of success fluctuated continually the king was alternately a prisoner and a conqueror but was never able to restore the administrative machinery the empress had her turns of good and evil fortune but was never able to make good her title to the crown Matilda dwelt first at Bristol, then at Gloucester, while Earl Robert took the field against King Stephen and was joined by Rafe, Earl of Chester, with whom the king had quarrelled.

Stephen was besieging Lincoln Castle early in 1141 when the two earls attacked him.

A great flood had overflowed the banks of the old Fossdike and the little river Widham, and the city was protected by the fordless stream.

The empress soon had to seek refuge in Oxford.

Stephen pursued her from Cirencester.

he entered oxford on september twenty sixth eleven forty two fired the town and besieged the empress in the strong norman castle for three months the siege continued till on december twentieth when the thames was frozen over and the ground thickly covered with snow the empress was let down from the tower clad all in white and escaped with four knights on foot to abingdon whence she sought safety at wallingford and glocester for the next few years there was grievous misery but little close fighting geoffrey de mandeville earl of essex the worst of the barons who had sold himself alternately to both sides and fought chiefly on his own account died under the curse of the church while beleaguering a tower belonging to the monastery of ramsay the brave earl robert died too and then the empress retired to normandy for a while from eleven forty five stephen reigned without control his brother henry of winchester stood by him and together they drove theobald archbishop of canterbury into exile in eleven forty seven many turbulent spirits left england to go on crusade the earl of chester was reduced to submission but theobald returned and he and the other bishops refused to crown stephen's son eustace as joint king and heir to his father then came henry the empress's son whom his uncle david king of scots supported and the war was renewed in england at length when eustace died it was agreed between stephen and the young henry that the king should hold the crown while he lived and then henry should succeed him good peace was promised and the restoration of justice and good laws this was done at wallingford on november sixth eleven fifty three henry for a while was stephen's judiciar in england but the king died on october twenty fifth eleven fifty four and then henry of anjou the empress's son came peaceably to the throne so the nineteen winters ended they taught men to seek to be ruled rather than to do what was right in their own eyes and they made people and barons weary of strife so henry the second was the first king since the conquest who came to the throne in peace and without a struggle chapter one Chapter 2.

The Reign of Henry II.

Chester.

Biston Castle builded or re-edified by Ranulf, Earl of Chester.

Holton Castle builded by Randall, Earl of Chester.

It standeth about the side of Mersey within a mile of his bank and within a mile of Runcorn, now a poor townlet by a salt creek.

Shotwick in Wirral.

Look with the Chartley Castle builded by Ranulf, Earl of Chester be in Chestershire.

Chartley is in Staffordshire and eight miles from Dulacres Abbey and a five miles from Uttoxeter Market.

There is a mighty large park.

But when we look very carefully through the papal correspondence, you can see in those letters that the papacy is clearly gearing him up to be the overall commander of the crusade, at least until Frederick II arrives.

You've also got, if we go one rung down the social ladder, you've got rulers and leaders like Ranulf VI, the Earl of Chester.

He's a major political force in England, and he leads one of the most important contingents on the Crusade.

And actually, later stories are sung of him and his crusading deeds.

The claim was complicated by the political divide between England and France.

After King John lost Normandy, he refused to allow Simon's father to take possession of the earldom and instead placed it in the hands of Ranulf, the Earl of Chester.

Meanwhile, the elder Simon built a huge power base in Southern France through the crusade, but he was killed during the Siege of Toulouse in the year 1218.

After his death, Simon's elder brother, Amaury, inherited the family's main lands in France, but he struggled to keep them and failed to recover Leicester's inheritance.

"But I must have your word that with the end of that task you go back to the place you now hold, that we may begin afresh, if it seems good to us, in the morning." Then said Havelok, "That is well spoken, and I cannot but agree.

Who are you, however? For I must know that this is said with authority." "I am the Earl of Chester," he answered.

"Alcy has set the leading of the host in my hands, for he is hurt somewhat." "I did not think that Mercians would have troubled to fight to uphold Alcy of Lindsey in his ways with his niece," Havelok said.

"What is that?" said the Earl.

And as we gathered up the slain, the Lindsey men were among us at the same work, and we spoke to them as if naught was amiss between us, nor any fight to begin again in the morning.

And then we learned how few knew what we had come for.

It was with them as with the Earl of Chester.

They had no knowledge of Goldberger's homecoming, and least of all thought that at the back of the trouble were the wiles of Alcy.

Oh, I thought you were talking about Stephen King for a moment then, but you're talking about Stephen of Blois.

Stephen of Blois in 1135 took £1,000 and half of Lincolnshire from Randall, 4th Earl of Chester, for the Eldom.

Robbery.

Yeah.

Nay, says a chronicler, that which was wrong also.

the peaceful monks who saw and recorded these horrors bethought them of the days when there was no king in israel and of the fearful time when jerusalem was compassed about with armies through all the years of war the tide of success fluctuated continually the king was alternately a prisoner and a conqueror but was never able to restore the administrative machinery the empress had her turns of good and evil fortune but was never able to make good her title to the crown Matilda dwelt first at Bristol, then at Gloucester, while Earl Robert took the field against King Stephen and was joined by Rafe, Earl of Chester, with whom the king had quarrelled.

Stephen was besieging Lincoln Castle early in 1141 when the two earls attacked him.

A great flood had overflowed the banks of the old Fossdike and the little river Widham, and the city was protected by the fordless stream.

He reversed all the excommunications he had pronounced against Stephen's party, and pledged himself to do all he could to restore Stephen.

Having again changed sides, he was proof against all attempts of Robert or the Empress to win him over, and with his adhesion the tide soon turned in favour of his brother.

the empress was then besieged in winchester whence she fled on september fourteenth eleven forty one soon after this her strongest supporter earl robert of gloucester was taken prisoner on november first he was exchanged for stephen and the war reopened under more equal terms the empress soon had to seek refuge in oxford stephen pursued her from cirencester he entered oxford on september twenty sixth eleven forty two fired the town and besieged the empress in the strong norman castle for three months the siege continued till on december twentieth when the thames was frozen over and the ground thickly covered with snow the empress was let down from the tower clad all in white and escaped with four knights on foot to abingdon whence she sought safety at wallingford and gloucester for the next few years there was grievous misery but little close fighting geoffrey de mandeville earl of essex the worst of the barons who had sold himself alternately to both sides and fought chiefly on his own account died under the curse of the church while beleaguering a tower belonging to the monastery of ramsay the brave earl robert died too and then the empress retired to normandy for a while from eleven forty five stephen reigned without control his brother henry of winchester stood by him and together they drove theobald archbishop of canterbury into exile in eleven forty seven many turbulent spirits left england to go on crusade the earl of chester was reduced to submission but theobald returned and he and the other bishops refused to crown stephen's son eustace as joint king and heir to his father then came henry the empress's son whom his uncle david king of scots supported and the war was renewed in england at length when eustace died it was agreed between stephen and the young henry that the king should hold the crown while he lived and then henry should succeed him good peace was promised and the restoration of justice and good laws this was done at wallingford on november sixth eleven fifty three henry for a while was stephen's judiciar in england but the king died on october twenty fifth eleven fifty four and then henry of anjou the empress's son came peaceably to the throne so the nineteen winters ended they taught men to seek to be ruled rather than to do what was right in their own eyes and they made people and barons weary of strife so henry the second was the first king since the conquest who came to the throne in peace and without a struggle chapter one CHAPTER II.

THE REIGN OF HENRY II.