The palace was the scene for the Rout of Winchester during the period of civil war known as The Anarchy in 1141. The Empress Matilda and Bishop Henry fought for possession of Winchester. The besieged defenders of Wolvesey burnt with fireballs many of the houses of the city, and most of the old town of Winchester was destroyed. Empress Matilda's forces were held off for three weeks (August - September, 1141) until Stephen's wife, Matilda, arrived with reinforcements from London. After the siege, Henry fortified the palace by linking the two Norman halls with a curtain wall which would have finally obliterated any remaining parts of the Anglo-Saxon palace, and gave the place the appearance of a castle.