One of Henry of Anjou's final sieges before the Treaty of Winchester ended the Anarchy. Stephen marched to relieve Malmesbury but his barons refused to cross the flooded Avon to fight. The armies faced each other across the river in the rain — and senior churchmen negotiated instead. The refusal of barons to fight, repeated at Wallingford, made negotiation the only option.
Henry of Anjou: c. 2,000–3,000 troops. Stephen relief force: c. 1,500–2,500 troops.
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