| | | 1125 | Hugh of Champagne joins the Templars |
 A-S C
| Hugh of Champagne joins the Templars. |
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| 1126 | Shrewsbury Castle granted to Adeliza |
| A-S C
| The castle at Shrewsbury was granted by Henry to his second wife Adeliza. The command of the castle was given to Fitz-Alan. |
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| Construction of Rochester Castle |
| The tower-keep at Rochester was built soon after 1126 by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the permission of Henry I. |
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| Hugues de Payen travels West |
| Hugues de Payen travels west to obtain more authority of the Order. |
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| Dec - Henry holds a council at Woodstock |
| King Henry held a council at Woodstock. |
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| 1127 | Charter for Glastonbury fair |
| A-S C
| Henry I granted a charter for an annual fair to be held at Glastonbury known as the Tor Fair. The reaffirmed the right for the existing fair to be held there. |
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| Jan - Barons swear allegiance to Matilda  |
| With Matlida the rightful heir to the English throne, Henry I had the barons swear allegiance to her to ensure she became Queen of England when he died. |
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| Qtr 4 - Templars are donated land near Troyes |
| The first donation of land was given to the Templars in 1127 by Count Thybaud of Champagne at Barbonne-Fayel, some fify kilometers north-west of Troyes. The farm called La Commanderie still exists. |
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| 1128 | Lichfield regains Bishop's seat |
| A-S C
| Lichfield had lost the status to allow it a cathedral during the eleventh century, but in 1128 Lichfield was restored to its ancient status. |
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| Matilda marries Geoffrey |
| Henry I arranged a marriage between his daughter Matilda and the son of Fulk V of Anjou, Geoffrey. He had previously arranged a marriage between his son William Audelin to Fulk's daughter also called Matilda, but William had died in a ship wreak. |
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| The nave at Durham is vaulted |
| Work on the nave vaulting lasted from 1128 until 1133. |
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| First Cistercian Abbey in Britain |
| Waverley Abbey, the first Cistercian abbey was founded. |
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| Templar Church in London |
| Hugh de Payens may have been granted the land for the first Temple Church in London at this time. Consisting of an orchard, a cemetery, a round church. The position was possibly at the end of Chancery Lane. The temple was moved in 1161. |
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| Hugues de Payen visits Scotland and England |
| During late 1128 and early 1129, Hugues de Payen visited both Scotland (David I ?) and England where he was apparently donated both land and money. At this time, the original Temple in Holborn (London) outside Holborn bars was built. It consisted of gardens, orchard, boundary ditch and cemetary, and was the first round church. In 1161 the site was moved to the New Temple between Fleet street and the Thames. |
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| Jan - Council of Troyes takes place |
| The Council of Troyes took place. Its aim was to consider the claim of the Knights Templars represented by Hugues de Payen and Andre de Montbard and was brought about by Bernard of Clairvaux. The Council provided papal approval for the Templars and resulted in many new recruits joining the order. The Order was provided it with its first rule, the Latin Rule. |
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| Apr - Hugh de Payen visits Fulk of Anjou |
| Hugh de Payen's travels around France started with a visit to Fulk of Anjou who had become an associate member of the order in 1120. The visit lasted from April to May. |
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| 1129 | Arundel Castle building work |
| A-S C
| New construction work was done at Arundel between 1129 and 1130. |
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| 1130 | Fire at Rochester |
| A-S C
| On the same day that Henry I attended the consecration of Rochester Cathedral, a fire took hold in the city and damaged the newly finished building. |
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| Dec - Henry spends Christmas at Woodstock |
| Henry spent Christmas at Woodstock. |
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| 1131 | Fulk of Anjou becomes King of Jerusalem |
| A-S C
| Fulk V, the count of Anjou became the King of Jerusalem. |
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| Basingwerk Abbey founded |
| The North Welsh Cistercian Abbey was colonised by monks from the Norman house called Savigny and was possibly founded by the Earl of Chester at the time, Ranulf de Gernon. |
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| Gilbertines founded |
| A minor order of monks and nuns was founded in this year by St. Gilbert. Most of the foundations were set up in the east of England as Gilbert came from Lincolnshire. |
| Rievaulx Abbey founded |
| The Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx was founded. |
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| Knights Templars in Spain |
| The Knights Templars appear in the North East of Spain (possibly as early as 1130) and were receiving privileges from Alfonso I. The Templars may have helped the rules of Catalonia and Aragon regain land from the Moors. Alfonso I granted the Templars exemption of tax on a fifth of the wealth taken from the Moors and on his death he left a third of his kingdom to them. This was later successfully contested but the Templars were given land in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Mallorca and Andalucia. |
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| 1132 | Winter - Monks visit Ripon |
| A-S C
| A Group of monks from St. Mary's in York Arrive at Ripon. They go on to found Fountains Abbey |
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| 1133 | Augustinians at Porchester |
| A-S C
| A small priory was built by Augustinian monks within the confines of Porchester Castle. |
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| Combermere Abbey founded |
| Ranulf, the Earl of Chester witnessed the foundation of the new Savigny abbey in the Midlands. |
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| Durham Cathedral Chapter house |
| The Chapter house at Durham Cathedral was begun in 1133 and took until 1140. |
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| Foundation of Garendon Abbey |
| A Cistercian abbey founded by monks from Waverley Abbey. |
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| Mar 25 - Future king Henry II is born |
| Henry II was born on the first day of the traditional new year at Le Mans. |
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| Aug 2 - Eclipse |
| There was an eclipse of the Sun over Scotland and the north of England on this day. |
| Aug 4 - Earthquake |
| An eye-witness account (William of Malmesbury) tells of an earthquake affecting many parts of England. (Symeon of Durham’s Historia Regum, by John of Hexham.) This is interesting as it occurred just after an eclipse. See year 1185 when another eclipse and earthquke occurred. |
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| 1134 | Calder Abbey first founded |
| A-S C
| Colonising a new abbey at Calder was first attempted by monks from the Savigny order, but they were driven out by the Scots a few years later. |
| Fountains Abbey Founded |
| Fountains abbey was founded. |
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| Death of Robert Curthose |
| Robert Curthose, William the Conqueror's eldest son, died in captivity in Cardiff Castle where he had been locked up since being defeated by his brother in 1106. Robert was buried in Gloucester Cathedral where there is an effigy of him still. |
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| 1135 | Buildwas Abbey founded |
| A-S C
| Founded in 1135 by Roger de Clinton. It was populated by monks from Furness Abbey. |
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| Stephen at Hereford |
| Stephen visits Hereford Cathedral for his royal proclamation on Whit-Sunday. The chair reputed to have been used by Stephen still exists at Hereford. |
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| Dec 1 - Henry I dies |
| Death of Henry I. |
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| Dec 22 - Stephen succeeds Henry I |
| Stephen becomes king of England. (Builds Chapel at Westminster, now the House of Commons. Finished under the direction of Gilbert De Clare, Marquis of Pembrokeshire who proceeded over the Lodges.) |
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| 1136 | Battle of Crug Mawr |
| A-S C
| The Normans were defeated in battle at Crug Mawr, south west Wales, by a Welsh army. Cilgerran Castle then fell to the Welsh. |
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| King Stephen captures Bampton |
| Bampton Castle in Devon captured by King Stephen. |
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| Construction of a castle at Scarborough |
| William le Gros built a castle on the headland at Scarborough. |
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| London Bridge damaged by fire |
| The old wooden London Bridge across the Thames was destroyed by fire this year or in 1135. Note that St. Paul's was also damaged so the fire must have affected a large area of the city. |
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| Forde Abbey founded |
| Initially the abbey was situated at Brightly in Devon, but the site proved too difficult and in 1141 moved. The founding monks came from Waverly Abbey in Surrey. |
| Buckfast Abbey founded |
| The site of an early Benedictine abbey was taken over by the Cistercians with the permission of King Stephen. Monks from Savigny colonised the abbey. |
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| Castle at Banbury is built |
| The Bishop of Lincoln built a castle at Banbury. |
| Baldwin de Redvers flees to Carisbrooke |
| The Earl of Devon, Baldwin de Redvers takes refuge in Carisbrooke castle on the Isle of Wight after a defeat at the hands of King Stephen. |
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| Hugues de Payen dies |
| Hugues de Payen died and was succeeded by Robert de Craon as Master of the Temple. |
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| Jan - A fire at St. Paul's |
| Reconstruction work on the Cathedral at St. Paul's had been going on since the last major fire of 1087, and this fire again did much damage to the building. |
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| 1137 | Bath Abbey fire |
| A-S C
| A fire badly damages the church at Bath Abbey. |
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| Louis VII becomes King of France |
| Louis VII became king of France, upon the death of his father Louis VI. |
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| York Minster damaged by fire |
| York Minster was partially damaged by fire in this year. The near-by church of St. Mary's and some other 37 churches were also damaged. (Need to find out what was happening here.) |
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| 1138 | Gilbert de Clare becomes Earl of Pembroke |
| A-S C
| Gilbert de Clare was made the first Earl of Pembroke. He took control of the castle of the same name. |
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| Ludlow castle siege |
| Ludlow Castle was captured on behalf of Matilda in 1138 and King Stephen besieged the castle in an attempt to regain it. During the siege the King bravely saved Prince Henry of Scotland from being injured by a grappling hook thrown from the castle. |
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| Dudley castle attacked by Stephen |
| The Castle and lands around Dudley were attacked by King Stephen during the early part of his war against Matilda. |
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| Shrewsbury Castle captured by Stephen |
| Stephen captured the castle at Shrewsbury. Henry (II) would capture back the castle before the end of Stephen's reign. |
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| Calder Abbey attacked by the Scots |
| Monks of the Savigny order were attacked by the Scots under the control of David I, and were forced to return to Furness Abbey. |
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| Exeter castle building work |
| Work on the curtain wall at Exeter castle progressed from 1169 and 1177. |
| Arundel Castle siege |
| Matilda was given refuge by William de Albini at Arundel Castle. Stephen built siege works around the castle in response. |
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| Start of Civil War |
| Robert, the Earl of Gloucester and half brother to Matilda (daughter of Henry I) rebels against King Stephen, supporting Matilda's claim to the throne of England. |
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| Foundation of Bordesley Abbey |
| Waleran, the earl of Worcester founds a new Cistercian abbey with help from monks from Garendon. |
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| Theobald becomes Archbishop |
| Theobald is elected as Archbishop of Canterbury. |
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| Cressing Temple Site |
| This wealthy manor was given to the Knights Templar by Matilda, wife of King Stephen for their help getting Stephen to the throne. Later, the site was given to the Hospitallers when the Templars were suppressed. |
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| Qtr 2 - The Scots invade Northumberland |
| Led by their king, David I, the Scots invade and destroy Northumberland. The Scots moved south into Lancashire and North Yorkshire. This prompted Steven to mobilize an army to counter the invasion. |
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| May - Robert sides with Matilda |
| Robert, the Earl of Gloucester announces that he will assist Matilda, his step-sister in her claim for the English throne. |
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| Aug 22 - Battle of 'the Standard' |
| David I of Scotland was defeated at the battle of 'the Standard' in Yorkshire. The name for the battle came from the banners that were carried into battle by the English. |
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| 1139 | Corfe Castle siege |
| A-S C
| In 1139 Baldwin de Redvers took the castle for Matilda. King Stephen besiged the castle but was unable to take it back. |
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| Robert, Bishop of Salisbury is arrested |
| Stephen arrested Robert, the Bishop of Salisbury. Robert was powerful and could not be trusted. Stephen took control of Robert's castles including Sherborne. |
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| Kirkstead Abbey founded |
| A daughter house of Fountains Abbey. The initial location of the abbey proved unsuitable and the a new site was chosen near Horncastle in Lincolnshire. |
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| Kingswood Abbey founded |
| A Cistercian abbey was founded by monks from Tintern Abbey. The location of the abbey altered several times in the first few years, but finally settled at Kingswood in Gloucestershire. A sixteenth-century gatehouse is all that remains. |
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| Wallingford Castle siege |
| After Brian fitz Count the owner of the castle at Wallingford sided with Matilda, king Stephen built two siege castles to force him out. |
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| Matilda arrives in England |
| Matilda arrives in England to further her attempts to take the throne from king Stephen. |
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| Papal Bull by Pope Innocent II |
| A Papal Bull issued by Pope Innocent II, a former Cistercian monk and protege of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, stated that the Knight Templars should owe allegiance to no one other than the Pope himself. This meant that the Templars answered to no one not even Kings or other political or religious authorities. |
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| 1140 | Woodstock held by Matilda |
| A-S C
| The Palace of Woodstock was held by Matilda's supporters during the conflict with Stephen. Henry (II) spent much of his time there. |
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| Castle Rising Construction |
| The Norman Lord William D'Albini built a new stone keep at Castle Rising. |
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| Construction of Hedingham Castle |
| Built by the de Vere family, land owners in Essex. |
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| Whitland Abbey foundation |
| This Cistercian abbey in Wales was colonised by monks from Clairvaux. |
| Construction of Framlingham Castle |
| A motte with a wooden tower was probably the first type of castle built by the Normans on the site. Hugh Bigod owned Framlingham at the time. |
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| Coggeshall Abbey founded |
| King Stephen and Matilda his wife founded Coggeshall Abbey. This was to be the last of the Savigny abbeys to be founded before the order merged with the Cistercians in 1147. |
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| Castle at Sherriff Hutton |
| A castle at Sherriff Hutton may have belonged to Bertram de Bulmer . |
| Building of original Bristol church |
| Building of original Bristol church. |
| Foundation of Augustinian canons at Bristol |
| Robert Fitzharding founded a monastery of Augustinian canons in Bristol. |
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| Abbey Church of St Denis begun |
| The construction of the abbey church of St Denis in Paris, the first Gothic Cathedral was begun in 1140. Combining stained glass windows, flying buttresses, choir vaulting and rib vaults, it was a daring innovation in architecture. The specifications were set by the abbot of St Denis, Suger. |
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| Mar 20 - Eclipse |
| The Anglo Saxon Chronicles reported that an eclipse of the sun occurred on this day. |
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| 1141 | Winchester Castle burns down |
| A-S C
| The castle was destroyed during the civil war. |
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| Lincoln Cathedral damaged by fire |
| The roof of the Cathedral burnt down. Bishop Alexander the Magnificent started rebuilding work. |
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| Feb 2 - Battle of Lincoln |
| Matilda's forces defeated and captured King Stephen at the battle of Lincoln. Stephen was held captive until September when Matilda's forces were defeated at Winchester. |
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| Apr - Matilda is elected Queen |
| After Stephen had been captured at Lincoln, Matilda was elected as Queen of England at Winchester. Her new position as ruler of England was not to last for long |
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| Jun - Matilda enters London |
| Matilda and her supporters entered London for her coronation. Her supporters included David I, king of the Scots. Geoffrey de Mandeville who controlled the Tower of London, abandoned his king as he saw Matilda had the upper hand. He joined her side and offered her the Tower of London. He did this to ensure he kept the Earldom of Essex which made him one of the most powerful barons of the time. |
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| Sep 14 - Rout of Winchester |
| Matilda's forces were besieging a royalist held castle at Wolvesey near Winchester and were attacked and defeated by a royalist relief army. King Stephen who was being held captive at the time was exchanged for Robert, earl of Gloucester one of Matilda's supporters who was captured in the defeat. |
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| Nov - Exchange of King Stephen and Gloucester |
| Robert, Earl of Gloucester was held captive at Rochester Castle before being exchanged for King Stephen who had been captured earlier in the year at Lincoln. |
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| 1142 | Cistercians in Ireland |
| A-S C
| The first Cistercians arrived in Ireland invited by St. Malachy. Their Abbey of Mellifont was the first of many. |
| Mandeville and Matilda |
| Secret negotiations between Matilda and Mandeville take place. |
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| Dundrennan Abbey founded |
| David I, King of the Scots may have been involved in the foundation of this Cistercian abbey in Scotland. The founding monks probably came from Rievaulx. |
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| Calder Abbey founded |
| The Savigny order of monks colonised the a new abbey at Calder in this year. The earlier attempt at colonising the location had failed after being attacked by the Scots. |
| Henry (II) spends a year in England |
| Henry spent a year in England at Bristol being taught by Master Matthew. He came across the channel with Earl Robert of Gloucester. |
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| 1143 | Boxley Abbey founded |
| A-S C
| This Cistercian Abbey was founded in 1143 or 1146 by William of Ypres and was colonised by monks from Clairvaux. The Abbey is situated near Maidstone in Kent. |
| Revesby Abbey founded |
| A new Cistercian abbey was founded by monks from Rievaulx in this year. The abbey was founded by William de Roumare I, earl of Lincoln and the first abbot was Ailred, who moved back to Rievaulx in 1146 to become the head of that abbey. |
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| Whitland Abbey founded |
| Cistercians found Whitland Abbey. |
| Sep - Mandeville is arrested |
| King Stephen arrested Geoffrey de Mandeville at a meeting of the Royal Court. Mandeville had tried Stephen's patience with his disloyalty and the king did not want the Tower of London (which Mandeville controlled) fall into the hands of Matilda. Mandevilles castles and title of Earl of Essex were taken from him, and he became an outlaw. |
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| 1144 | Construction of Faringdon Castle |
| A-S C
| Built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. The castle soon came under siege by King Stephen who after four days took the castle and destroyed it. |
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| Dec 24 - Capture of Edessa |
| The county of Edessa, a Crusader state, was captured by Zengi, ruler of Mosul. This triggered the Second Crusade in 1148. |
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| 1145 | Construction of Brightwell Castle |
| A-S C
| Built by King Stephen (or the Earl of Chester). The castle had a moat and was situated on the site of current manor house. |
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| Jervaulx Abbey founded |
| Initially a Savignic foundation, the abbey was taken over by the Cistercian order and responsibility for it was taken by Byland. |
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| Woburn Abbey founded |
| A colony of monks from Fountains Abbey move to set up a new Cistercian abbey at Woburn. |
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| Stephen takes Farringdon Castle |
| King Stephen captures the castle at Farringdon from Matilda. |
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| Dec 1 - First formal bull of crusade |
| First formal bull of crusade (‘Bulla cruciata’ - calling on France to restore the Holy Land to Christendom) issued by Eugenius III, together with ‘Quantum prædecessors’ (reissued 1.3.1146).
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| 1146 | Llansteffan Castle captured |
| A-S C
| Llansteffan Castle was captured by the Welsh. |
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| Knights Templars adopt cross pattee |
| The Knights Templars adopted cross pattee; a splayed red cross. |
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| Mar 1 - Pope reissues Papal Bull for a Crusade |
| Pope Eugenius III reissued an amended Bull proclaiming the Second Crusade. |
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| Mar 31 - Sermon at Vezelay |
| St. Bernard's sermon at Vezelay so moved Eleanor of Aquitaine that she vowed to go on Crusade. |
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| Dec 25 - Diet of Spires |
| Diet of Spires; the emperor Conrad III took the cross and secured the election of his son Henry as his successor in Germany. |
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| Christmas - Stephen's Crown Wearing |
| King Stephen's 'crown wearing' ceremony was held in Lincoln at Christmas. |
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| 1147 | Kirkstall Abbey founded |
| A-S C
| A daughter house of Fountains Abbey, the abbey at Kirkstall was first located at Barnoldswick , but was moved a few years later to its current location near Leeds in West Yorkshire. |
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| Dore Abbey founded |
| The Cistercian abbey of Dore, south-west of Hereford was founded in 1147 by monks from Morimond |
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| The Savigny order joins the Cistercians |
| The order of Savigny became part of the larger Cistercian movement in this year. The Savigny order was having trouble running its abbeys and it was decided that a merger with the more prosperous Cistercian order was advantageous for both sides. |
| Bruern Abbey founded |
| A Cistercian abbey in Lincolnshire founded by Nicholas Basset and colonised by monks from Waverley. |
| Henry arrives in England |
| Henry landed in England with a small army intent on attacking Stephen. Unfortunately, Henry's army of mercenaries was small and they were not being paid enough. Stephen gave Henry money to pay the mercenaries and for Henry to return to Normandy. Henry left England. |
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| Foundation of Biddlesden Abbey |
| A new Cistercian abbey was founded in 1147 by Ernald de Bosco and monks from Garendon. |
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| Pevensey Castle siege |
| King Stephen leys siege to Pevensey castle and has to wait for the castle's reserves to run out before the castle falls. |
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| May - The start of the Second Crusade |
| The crusaders left Regensburg to march across land to Constantinople. |
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| Jun - Louis VII joins the Crusade |
| Declaring Abbot Suger regent of France, Louis VII and Eleanor began their Crusade. |
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| Oct 31 - Robert, Earl of Gloucester dies |
| The death of Robert was a blow to Matilda's attempts to fight for the English throne. Matilda was to leave England shortly afterwards. |
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| 1148 | Consectration at Bristol |
| A-S C
| The Augustinian Abbey at Bristol founded by Robert Fitzharding was consecrated on Easter day in the presence of the Bishops of Worcester, Exeter, St. Asaph and Llandaff. |
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| Feb - Matilda leaves England |
| Without the support of the Earl of Gloucester, who died the previous year, Matilda left England for Normandy. |
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| Jun 24 - Damascus attacked |
| The decision was made to attack Damascus. The armies were assembled in Acre. Present were Baldwin, the Patriarch Fulcher, Kings Louis and Conrad, Archbishops of Caesarea and Nazareth, Masters of the Knights Temple and Hospital. |
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| Sep - Conrad III leaves the Holy Land |
| Hostilities between the French and German leaders of the Second Crusade became such a problem that the German Emperor, Conrad III, abandoned the crusade and returned to Constantinople. The Second Crusade ended in failure. |
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| 1149 | May 22 - Henry (II) knighted by David |
| A-S C
| Henry the future king of England (Henry II) was knighted at Carlisle by David, King of the Scots. |
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