Stewart Binns - Anarchy

I took the Talisman and, once again feeling honoured to be its guardian, placed it around her neck.

‘There you are, my Lady of the English, the Talisman of Truth for our new Queen. It looks right on you. Come back to bed. I would like to pay homage to my liege as her loyal servant.’

She smiled her incomparable smile and turned to kiss me.

‘I will rule well here, I promise. I will bring the best of my Norman blood and the best of my English heritage. But you have to promise to keep feeding me with that powerful seed in your loins – I have my appetite back again!’

At first, we assumed that it was Robert’s army that approached Arundel in early October, but it was Stephen’s force. He had received news of our landing at Arundel while he was besieging Corfe Castle in Dorset, refuge to one of the growing number of his enemies. England’s usurper King did not lack resolve, nor did he lack the ability to act decisively. Within ten days, Stephen’s formidable army had moved far more quickly than Robert’s, had isolated Arundel, and had begun preparations for a siege. We were trapped with only our own small force and Arundel’s modest garrison for protection.

The next morning, Stephen asked for a parlay to be convened within the hour. We had no choice but to agree, and so Maud and I rode out to meet her cousin – the man she had not met since he swore his oath of loyalty to her in Rouen eleven years earlier. Adeliza insisted on accompanying us, as did her husband and several members of Arundel’s retinue. Eadmer was by my side, while Otto and Berenger flanked Maud. Stephen was accompanied by several senior supporters, notably his brother, Bishop Henry, who now seemed to be reconciled with a man whose position as King he had seriously undermined just three months ago.

Inevitably, the atmosphere was icy; Stephen spoke first, smiling broadly at his stepmother.

‘Queen Adeliza, thank you for playing host to my cousin; and my thanks to your husband.’

When he turned to Maud, his smile became more forced.

‘Welcome to my realm, Cousin Matilda. You know my brother – Henry, Bishop of Winchester.’

Maud remained calm, despite the provocative greeting.

‘This is Harold – the Earl of Huntingdon and Commander of my personal retinue.’

‘Ah, yes, the Earl of Huntingdon. Or are you using your commoner’s name today?’

‘I am using my real name – unlike you, who is passing himself off as the King of England!’

The forced smile on Stephen’s face became a sneer.

‘Well, well, cousin. He’s got a vicious tongue, has he not? No wonder he spends his time brawling in taverns.’

Maud, none too pleased with my outburst, decided to intervene.

‘Cousin Stephen, let us come to the point; your illegal reign here is no longer tenable.’

‘How so? I think it is my army – England’s army – that surrounds you, an uninvited guest in my domain.’

‘Stephen, let me be clear. You know that you no longer command the respect of your lords and that the bishops have gone so far as to admonish you in public. I will grant you safe passage to Blois and will honour a treaty bringing peace to Blois and Normandy.’

Stephen grinned.

‘So, even though I have you surrounded here at Arundel, you expect me to relinquish my throne to you and sail away to Blois? I think you have taken leave of your senses.’

‘My army, with Earl Robert of Gloucester at its head, is massing in the west at this moment.’

‘Then they’re in the wrong place, aren’t they? We’re in the south, and this is Sussex.’

He laughed loudly, a hearty guffaw, and those around him did the same.

‘Cousin Matilda, I will give you two choices: submit to me now, and I will escort you to your ships for a safe return to Normandy; or stay here and feel my wrath. I am the King here in England, and you challenge my authority; that I cannot tolerate.’

Adeliza was growing increasingly irritated by the exchange.

‘Don’t be foolish, Stephen. I am the Dowager Queen of England; Matilda is Dowager Empress of the Holy Roman Empire. You cannot do us harm here. If you do, your already tenuous grip on power will be loosened completely.’

Adeliza had brought Stephen up sharply. He looked across at his brother, Henry, whose expression suggested that he thought Adeliza’s argument could not be gainsaid. Stephen, clearly disconcerted, adjusted his position in his saddle.

‘Very well, I will grant you and your retinue safe passage to Earl Robert. But understand this: thereafter, whenever our forces meet, battle will follow, with no allowance for your feminine status, or Adeliza’s eminence as dowager of the realm. Matilda, if you want to rule like a king, you will be treated like a king. But take my advice, be content as Dowager Empress and Countess of Anjou. England is mine.’

Stephen rode off, leaving Maud crestfallen; her dream, although not yet destroyed, had been dealt a severe blow.

I tried to console her, but it was a bitter disappointment for all of us. We chose to eschew any pretence of a regal progress to Bristol. Leaving her elegant clothes and regal accoutrements behind, to follow by carriage, Maud joined Greta in wearing the thick leggings of a knight as we rode at a canter westwards across the Downs. Had events turned out differently, it would have been an exhilarating ride, but in our present circumstances it became a necessary chore.

On the high ground of the Downs and across Salisbury Plain, England seemed serenely beautiful and at peace, but in the burghs and villages there was turmoil everywhere. Lord fought lord, and arguments were settled by the sword; instead of nurturing the souls of men, the clergy seized land and chattels at will. Many poor people hid in the forests. Villains roamed freely, pillaging as they pleased. The many fortifications built to bring Norman law to the realm closed their gates and provisioned themselves for the coming winter – not just to protect themselves against the seasonal winter, but also against the winter of lawlessness that was engulfing the land. Farms were robbed of their beasts and crops, barns were emptied, granaries raided. Those left outside the walls of the fortresses were abandoned to starvation and destitution. England was in a state of anarchy.

Earl Robert’s castle at Bristol was a welcoming sight. Camped all around was a significant body of men – perhaps as many as 6,000 – and we all began to feel much more optimistic. Earl Robert had been able to gather the majority of Maud’s supporters in one place, but that task had made it impossible to get to Arundel in time to thwart Stephen’s advance. He and his fellow supporters were shamefaced about it when we arrived, but were nevertheless relieved to see that Maud had made it to Bristol without their aid.

Maud called a council of war within an hour of our arrival. Gratifyingly, her supporters were a formidable gathering. Apart from Earl Robert, the most respected soldier in the land, there was Miles, High Sheriff of Gloucester – a man of honour who had loyally served Maud’s father all his life – and Brien FitzCount, the illegitimate son of the Count of Brittany, a brilliant military tactician and commander of cavalry. Although there were many other lords present, those three were our High Command.

Maud’s address to her supporters began solemnly, but ended with a rousing call to arms.

‘My Lords, at long last I am with you! England is in chaos and our army is ready to strike to put an end to Stephen’s misrule. But do not underestimate him; he is brave and moves his army at lightning speed. We must be strong and decisive. No more lady’s finery for me until I’m Queen; I ride with my army in cavalry breeches like the rest of you. Together we will free England from its reign of terror and put King Henry’s chosen successor where she belongs.’