1140s in England

	1140s in England
	Other decades
	1120s \| 1130s \| 1140s \| 1150s \| 1160s

Events from the 1140s in England.

Incumbents

Monarch – Stephen (to 8 April 1141), Matilda (to 1 November 1141), 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: Rout of Winchester: 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 grants the church of Oakley, Buckinghamshire, with its chapels of Brill, Boarstall and Addingrove, to the monks of the Priory of St Frideswide, Oxford.
- 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: Matilda escapes from Oxford Castle across the snow in a white cape for camouflage, according to Henry of Huntingdon.^[2]
1143
- 1 July – The Anarchy: Battle of Wilton – Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, defeats Stephen at Wilton.
- 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 Chester 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.
- 28 November–24 December – the Siege of Edessa by Muslims led by Imad ad-Din Zengi eliminates the Crusader principality of Outremer, the news causing the pope to preach a new Crusade.
- 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 Normandy.^[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

1140
- William FitzRalph, future Sheriff of Nottingham and seneschal of Normandy
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 (born c. 1070 in Normandy)
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
- 3 January – Anselm of St Saba, abbot of Bury St Edmunds (born 1136 in Italy)
- 6 January – William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey (born 1119; killed on crusade)
- 30 January (approximate date) – Serlo (abbot of Cirencester)
- Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (born c. 1100)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 63–65. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.
^ King, Edmund. The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign. p. 5. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 122–123. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.
^ Holmyard, Eric John. Alchemy. p. 106. Retrieved 2007-12-18.
^ "Woburn Abbey website". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-12-18.

[CBH-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u Palmer, Alan; Palmer, Veronica (1992). The Chronology of British History. London: Century Ltd. pp. 63–65. ISBN 0-7126-5616-2.

[2] King, Edmund. The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign. p. 5. Retrieved 2007-12-18.

[Cassell's_Chronology-3] Williams, Hywel (2005). Cassell's Chronology of World History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 122–123. ISBN 0-304-35730-8.

[4] Holmyard, Eric John. Alchemy. p. 106. Retrieved 2007-12-18.

[5] "Woburn Abbey website". Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-12-18.

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