The Anarchy

Battle of Lincoln 1141

Prelude

    King Stephen had a long reign for a monarch of the medieval period. A grandson of William the Conqueror, he quickly placed himself upon the vacant English throne following the death of his uncle, Henry I. Very quickly.

He rode with his followers to Winchester, then the home for English Kings. He assumed power over the kingdom the same day by seizing the treasury, amongst other things.

Within a week, on Boxing Day 1135, an unwilling old Archbishop placed the crown upon Stephen's young head. He had become a usurper King.
Following the death of his son and heir William, in the White Ship Disaster of 1120, (which curiously Stephen survived alone) King Henry had made it plain he wanted his daughter Matilda to succeed him. 

    England now faced a dilemma, as is often the case through out histories of countries and dynasties, for there existed a rival contender to the throne.
"Empress" Matilda. Stephen's own cousin, Princess Maud. Grand-daughter of The Conqueror, daughter and eldest surviving heir to King Henry I. Matilda had her loyal followers and supporters. Most of Stephens's long reign as King of England involved wars and struggles against forces mustered by various supporters of the Empress. 

Early Manoeuvres and Allegiances

  One of the most prominent and imposing supporters of Matilda, Earl Ranulph of Chester, declared himself for the Empress' cause from the start.
This great Earl of England could muster upwards of two hundred men-at-arms, plus at least a thousand foot soldiers of good quality within a relatively short time. Ranulph chose to throw his might behind the would-be Queen for selfish reasons as much as any dynastic loyalties he may have felt. Yet any noble of repute or influence had to declare allegiance for one side or the other, before others came to their own conclusions. Ranulph chose to declare his own allegiance early on. He wasn't the only senior nobleman to do so either.

Matilda also had the backing of The Marcher Lords; Earls Robert and Miles of Gloucester, alongside similar forces from Herefordshire.

    King Stephen also had plenty of Royalist Earls in his own army. Their view to the solemnity of battle on the day in Lincoln though, seems questionable. Many apparently did not expect to face the prospect of their own death. Rather treating it as if out for the day jousting. With capture and ransom being their only fear. Rather than the lethal, barbarous fighting of actual battle they encountered. This proved to be a decisive factor in the outcome.

The Marcher Lords along with a large force of desperate, French-speaking Angevin knights, disinherited by Stephen, and with nothing to lose, had the edge in numbers. They were also all fresh. As opposed to Stephen's army.
The encounter of these two opposing forces occurred just outside the walls of Lincoln Castle.

Siege

    Stephen had only recently besieged the walled City of Lincoln, attempting to recover it from Earl Ranulf of Chester, who had over-taken the castle for Matilda's cause a few weeks prior.
Upon hearing of the King's approach, the Earl had slipped away and left his brother in charge of defending Lincoln. Ranulf then met up with strong forces mustered in support of the Empress, and they all marched to raise the siege. Classic medieval warfare.