Person

Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester

d. 1153 · 12th century · Also known as Ranulf II, Earl of Chester

Ranulf de Gernon was earl of Chester from 1129 to 1153 and a major figure in the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. Seeking to control Carlisle and the north-west, he seized Lincoln Castle and in 1141 helped capture Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. He changed sides several times and died in 1153, reportedly poisoned.

Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester
Image: Edited by William Farrer and J. Brownbill, M.A. Archibald Constable and Company Limited · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

County Palatine of Chester

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ranulf-de-gernon-4th-earl-of-chester
MLA
“Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ranulf-de-gernon-4th-earl-of-chester. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ranulf-de-gernon-4th-earl-of-chester.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ranulf-de-gernon-4th-earl-of-chester (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻