BattlefieldsSiege of Ipswich 1153
Medieval

Siege of Ipswich 1153

1153
England
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Stephen's royalist garrison
Forces
royalist Ipswich garrison
VS
Victor
Angevin forces
Forces
Angevin and Hugh Bigod forces besieging
Outcome
Ipswich Castle fell; East Anglia increasingly aligned with the Angevin cause as Stephen's position crumbled
The Battle

History & Significance

Ipswich Castle was besieged by Angevin-aligned forces in 1153 as part of the broader campaign to reduce royalist positions in East Anglia during Henry FitzEmpress's final push. The siege was connected to the operations of Hugh Bigod who alternated between royalist and Angevin allegiances depending on which offered better advantage. The reduction of Ipswich was part of the cascade of royalist failures that forced Stephen to the negotiating table.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near this battlefield