| Rout of Winchester | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of The Anarchy | |||||||
 West Gate, Winchester, Hampshire | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| House of Blois | Angevins | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Queen Matilda Henry of Blois William of Ypres |
Empress Matilda Robert of Gloucester (POW) Reginald of Cornwall | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Light |
Main body destroyed, rear guard captured | ||||||
In the Rout of Winchester (14 September 1141) the army of imprisoned King Stephen of England, led by his wife, Queen Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's brother Bishop Henry of Blois, and William of Ypres, faced the army of Stephen's cousin Empress Matilda, whose forces were commanded by her half-brother Earl Robert of Gloucester. After Empress Matilda's army besieged a castle on the edge of Winchester, Queen Matilda's army arrived and blockaded the Angevin army within the city. Cut off from supplies, the Angevin army gave up the siege, then was crushed as it began to retreat. Robert of Gloucester was captured and was subsequently exchanged for Stephen, who was returned to the throne of England. However, the civil war known as The Anarchy dragged on with neither side gaining an advantage.