Battle of Lincoln ( 1141 ) The Battle of Lincoln or First Battle of Lincoln occurred on 2 February 1141 . Stephen of England was captured during the battle , imprisoned , and effectively deposed while Empress Matilda ruled for a short time . Account . The forces of King Stephen of England had been besieging Lincoln Castle but were themselves attacked by a relief force loyal to Empress Matilda and commanded by Robert , 1st Earl of Gloucester , Matilda ' s half - brother . The Angevin army consisted of the divisions of Robert ' s men , those of Ranulf , Earl of Chester and those disinherited by Stephen , while on the flank was a mass of Welsh troops led by Madog ap Maredudd , Lord of Powys , and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd . Cadwaladr was the brother of Owain , Prince of Gwynedd , but Owain did not support any side in The Anarchy . Stephen ’ s force included William of Ypres ; Simon of Senlis ; Gilbert of Hertford ; William of Aumale , Alan of Richmond and Hugh Bigod but was markedly short of cavalry . As soon as the battle was joined the majority of the leading magnates , the king fled . Other important magnates captured with the king were Baldwin fitz Gilbert ; Bernard de Balliol , Roger de Mowbray ; Richard de Courcy ; William Peverel of Nottingham ; Gilbert de Gant ; Ingelram de Say ; Ilbert de Lacy and Richard fitz Urse , all men of respected baronial families ; it had only been the Earls who had fled . Even as the royal troops listened to the exhortations of Stephen ' s lieutenant , Baldwin fitz Gilbert , the advancing enemy was heard and soon the disinherited Angevin knights charged the cavalry of the five earls . On the left Earl William Aumale of York and William Ypres charged and smashed the poorly armed , ' but full of spirits ' , Welsh division but were themselves in turn routed ' in a moment ' by the well - ordered military might of Earl Ranulf who stood out from the mass in ' his bright armour ' . The earls , outnumbered and outfought , were soon put to flight and many of their men were killed and captured . King Stephen and his knights were rapidly surrounded by the Angevin force . " Then might you have seen a dreadful aspect of battle , on every quarter around the king ' s troop fire flashing from the meeting of swords and helmets - a dreadful crash , a terrific clamour - at which the hills re - echoed , the city walls resounded . With horses spurred on , they charged the king ' s troop , slew some , wounded others , and dragging some away , made them prisoners . No rest , no breathing time was granted them , except in the quarter where stood that most valiant king , as the foe dreaded the incomparable force of his blows . The earl of Chester , on perceiving this , envying the king his glory , rushed upon him with all the weight of his armed men . Then was seen the might of the king , equal to a thunderbolt , slaying some with his immense battle - axe , and striking others down . Then arose the shouts afresh , all rushing against him and him against all . At length through the number of the blows , the king ' s battle - axe was broken asunder . Instantly , with his right hand , drawing his sword , well worthy of a king , he marvellously waged the combat , until the sword as well was broken asunder . On seeing this William Kahamnes , a most powerful knight , rushed upon the king , and seizing him by the helmet , cried with a loud voice , ' Hither , all of you come hither ! I have taken the king ! ' " After fierce fighting in the city ' s streets , Stephen ' s forces were defeated . Stephen himself was captured and taken to Bristol , where he was imprisoned . He was subsequently exchanged for the Earl of Gloucester , and Matilda was defeated at the Rout of Winchester the following September , ending her brief ascendancy in the wars with Stephen . Incidental Information . This battle is featured in the historical novel The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett , and is described almost as it happened , including the capture of King Stephen and his subsequent exchange . Similarly , it is recounted in " When Christ and his Saints Slept " by Sharon Penman . The battle of Lincoln is also an important plot element in Dead Man ' s Ransom , a novel in the Brother Cadfael series by Edith Pargeter ( writing as Ellis Peters ) .