English history is always a bit of a struggle... half the time, England is just a province for some European monarch... half the time, England is morassed in regional chaos with no-one in control... like today, for example.
We have been blessed with a granddaughter... named Matilda. Any part of history involving Empress Matilda immediately has our attention.
Last night, we booked ourselves into the George Hotel in Wallingford, knowing nothing of the history of the place and the important role Matilda played in 1141. Over the back wall of the hotel lay the ruins of Wallingford Castle... a plot of land that witnessed many of the important events that shaped British history.
William the Conqueror
After the battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror set about organising the defences of his new kingdom. He constructed three key castles, the royal castles of Windsor and Wallingford, and the baronial castle, later transferred to royal hands, built at Oxford. Our focus was on Wallingford... and over the next 80 years, the castle's defences were gradually improved.
Empress Matilda
Matilda of England... was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Upon the king's death, England entered a period of conflict... called the Anarchy. Matilda had clear entitlement to the throne... but she had married a Holy Roman Emperor... thus becoming an Empress. She had the throne of Germany... that was keeping her rather busy. So upon Henry's death (her father) Stephen of England (grandson of William the Conqueror) said, "Matilda, we know you're busy... don't bother coming back... I'll look after this English lot". Matilda said, "You've got to be kidding... we'll sort out who has the better title for the crown on the battlefield". Matilda had good local support around Wallingford and used the castle as her home base. Stephen put the castle under siege many times... but Matilda always saw him off. In fact, Matilda claimed to have won the fighting for a period and claimed to be the ruler of England for a period of nine months. However, she was not crowned... and had never been officially recognised as the Queen of England. Eventually, Stephen became undisputed king of England... and Matilda went back to being a European Empress. But Stephen did not produce a rightful heir... and Matilda had the last laugh by seeing her son... Henry II... installed as King of England following the death of Stephen... not that Stephen would have cared much... being dead and all.
Oliver Cromwell
From 13th-15th centuries, the castle was owned and developed by many kings and members of court. Wallingford Castle was, for most of the time, a luxurious Palace... but for short periods also served as a prison. The heydays of the castle ended when Henry VIII ceased using Wallingford as his prime location. He took over a vast number of Abbeys... and no doubt wanted to spend his time on his new properties.
The English Civil War broke out between the supporters of Charles I and Parliament in the 1640s... with the king and Parliament maintaining their capitals in Oxford and London respectively... the Thames Valley once again became a critical war zone. Wallingford was a Royalist town, with a garrison established there in 1642 to prevent an advance on Oxford to the north-west. By 1644, the surrounding Thames towns of Abingdon and Reading had fallen and Parliamentary forces unsuccessfully attacked the town and castle of Wallingford in 1645. After 16 weeks, during which Oxford fell to Parliamentary forces, the castle finally surrendered on July 1646 under generous terms for the defenders.
However, the risk of civil conflict continued... and Cromwell decided that it was necessary to pull down the castle in 1652... so as to put it beyond military use... because it remained a surprisingly powerful fortress and a continuing threat should any fresh uprising occur. The castle was virtually razed to the ground in the operation.
Could Wallingford have been England's capital if fate had played is hand differently? If Matilda had won those last couple of battles with Stephen.... if Henry VIII kept the castle as one of his favourite locations.... if Oliver Cromwell had shown a bit of sense... could the glory-days of Wallingford have continued until today... could it have been the jewel of English cities?
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