Saturday, August 27, 2011

[Resources] Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle was first built in 1127 CE, on the site of an earlier Roman Fort (43 CE) designed to protect the bridge across the River Medway. It had a long and varied history: referred to (indirectly) in the Domesday Book; Henry I had the keep built as part of an exchange with the Archbishop of Canterbury; repaired in 1206 by King John (for £115), it was seized by rebel barons in 1216, besieged by John and taken; repaired by Henry III (over £1000) after John's death, it was again besieged (this time unsuccessfully) in 1264 by more rebel barons; Edward III repaired it in 1367; the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) passed it by; in 1554, Thomas Wyatt's Rebellion took the castle during the uprising; thereafter it went into disrepair (being expensive to support); today, it's part of the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England (English Heritage).

Read up on the history of this castle - it's a useful resource for gaming, whatever the setting.
Posted by Matt at 2:00 PM
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2 comments:

  1. Tim KnightAugust 27, 2011 at 3:38 PM

    Have you seen Ironclad? It's a recent movie about the siege by King John (although with little heed to history, it manages to be powerful, gritty stuff and truly inspirational for a gamer!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ze buletteAugust 27, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    Hey, the town of my birth! Sorta. Sometimes we call it "Ratchester"...

    ReplyDelete

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