As civil war rages across England, Empress Matilda and her forces lay siege to the key city of Winchester. Who will emerge victorious when her opponents strike back?
After Empress Matilda fails to gain the support of London and is chased out by its inhabitants, she journeys to Winchester and makes her camp there. Join Catherine Capel as she explores the events leading up to this moment and analyses the Empress’ decision to make the city her base of operations.
In Winchester, arrows will fly, blades will clash, and blood will spill, but only one side will come out on top.
Catherine Capel is in her third year of a full time PhD at the University of Winchester, which she was awarded in 2018 as a full studentship. Her primary research interest focuses upon the participation and motivation of elite Anglo-Norman women in warfare, but she is also interested in notions of female power and reputation.
Empress Matilda from a 15th Century manuscript image
Queen Matilda from Agnes Stricklands ‘Lives of the Queens of England: From the Norman Conquest’
FURTHER RESOURCES AND A CALL TO ACTION!
Follow Catherine Capel on Twitter.
Learn more about Empress Matilda’s fight for the English throne here.
The original recording of this podcast was produced for the 2020 Winchester Heritage Open Days by a small team of students at the University of Winchester. We would like to thank again the following individuals for their contributions: Catherine Capel, Charlotte Tindle and Hannah Bell.