Heyday Flashcards
What caused the struggle between King Stephen and Empress Matilda in the 12th Century?
Matilda was the rightful heir to the English throne as she was a direct descendant of Henry I. However, her crown was stolen by Stephen, her cousin. The battle for the crown of England largely became a war of sieges. This launched a frenzy of castle-building. Over a thousand were built during Stephen’s brief reign
How did Oxford Castle play an important role during Stephen’s and Matilda’s conflict?
In 1142, Stephen’s army surrounded the castle whilst Matilda was inside. The siege lasted for three months and Matilda finally escaped from St George’s Tower one freezing night in December by wrapping herself in a white cape and fleeing through the snow to blend in to the ground where troops could not see her all the way to Wallingford Castle where she skated on the frozen River Thames. Behind her, her garrison surrendered a day later and the siege had ended after two and a half months
What remains of the Medieval Castle now?
St George’s Tower, the mound, its well chamber and the Crypt below ground remain
How many more sieges were there at Oxford Castle after Empress Matilda’s
There were two with the first taking place in the early 13th century where the barons rose in arms against the rule of King John and the castle was defended for the Crown. The second siege was during the English civil war between Charles I and parliament.
How did the castle’s role change in the 14th century?
The castle’s military role largely diminished in the in the 14th century and it was used more exclusively as a site of imprisonment and punishment
Who was the only person technically imprisoned at Oxford Castle before the 14th century?
Empress Matilda may have been its only blue-blooded internee, but she certainly wouldn’t be the last person to pace up and down the castle’s floors and count the days and weeks by notching cuts into the castle’s stone cold walls
How did the conflict between Stephen and Matilda end?
Matilda and Stephen made peace and Matilda’s son inherited the throne from Stephen and became King Henry II, father of Richard the Lionheart and King John. Matilda, thus, became the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty and her ancestors ruled for the next 300 years
