BattlefieldsSiege of Wallingford
Medieval

Siege of Wallingford

1152–1153
Oxfordshire, England
Also known as: Siege of Wallingford Castle
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Oxfordshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Henry's garrison: c.500–1,000.
VS
Victor
Inconclusive (led to Treaty of Wallingford)
Forces
Stephen: c.5,000–8,000
Outcome
Siege abandoned; Treaty of Wallingford / Winchester ended the Anarchy
The Battle

History & Significance

Wallingford was the last Anarchy stronghold loyal to Henry of Anjou (the future Henry II). Stephen besieged it in 1152–53 but his own barons refused to fight — exhausted by decades of civil war. The stand-off led directly to the Treaty of Winchester (1153) by which Stephen recognised Henry as his heir. The Anarchy ended not with a decisive battle but with war-weariness and negotiation.

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