Sack of Worcester (1139)

Worcester was attacked in November 1139 by forces aligned with Empress Matilda, shortly after her arrival in England intensified the civil war. Parts of the city were plundered and burned, although the cathedral and castle offered protection to some inhabitants.

The attack shows how The Anarchy affected towns and civilians as well as castles and noble households. Refugees, damaged trade, winter displacement and insecurity along the roads were common consequences of local campaigning.

The destruction of Worcester provides the immediate historical background to The Virgin in the Ice. Ellis Peters follows refugees driven into the countryside and uses the disorder created by the attack to connect a murder mystery with the wider civil war.