We know a great deal about what happened because contemporary chroniclers, including eyewitnesses and those closely associated with men fighting there, wrote it down; and because some government records survive. Rochester castle has one of the tallest keeps in all of England, and being located strategically on a bend of the river Medway in Kent, there is no wonder the king wanted it back. At the 1215 siege of Rochester Castle, King John ordered that fat from 40 pigs be used to set fire to the mines beneath the keep, which caused it to collapse; a cheap and effective technique in place of the more complicated mixture of sulfur, tallow, gum, pitch and quicksilver he had used in France the previous year. The most amazing of these was the Siege of 1215. To this day one can see the join on the sides of the donjon where the wall had to be rebuilt after the siege. Rufus, rather too trustingly, sent Odo ahead with a small royal force to call upon the garrison to surrender. In 1215, Rochester was already a sizable city. Rochester Castle has a strategic location. The great donjon of Rochester castle (Kent) is still visible from miles around – including from the Eurostar. Students have to evaluate the most effective ways of attacking and defending a Castle and learn how difficult medieval siege warfare was. Look at Rochester and you will see Foord’s memorial, Miss Snowdon-Smith, still scary after all those years, One railway track on the towpath, one over the canal, Picturesque Love Lane… haunted by half a ghost, Pitiful shade who foretells tragedy at ancient hospital, Purple haze in Free School Lane of the Swinging Sixties, Royal intrigue on our manor … among factories, Saints mean prizes for the holy city of Rochester, Sandra, a rose among the stem shop thorns, The city PC’s son and the great American brain drain, The lemonade springs that flourished in Strood, The mansion sacrificed to quarrying industry, Two proud schools in the heart of the city. Robert was left Normandy and William was to inherit England, however Odo, the Bishop of Bayeaux and Earl of Kent, had other ideas. Today it stands as a proud reminder of the history of Rochester along with the cathedral and cobbled steets. On 11 October 1215, a crack troop of a hundred knights arrived at the gates of Rochester Castle and demanded to be admitted. R ochester Castle is a Norman fortress with centuries of stories to be told, most famous of all being the great siege by King John in 1215. An early castle was constructed after the Norman conquest, in which the Domesday Book of AD 1086 records a mark of compensation for the land to the Bishop of Rochester to build a castle … The barons’ leaders in London attempted to relieve Rochester on 26 October, but John had sent 700 horses to intercept them and they turned back at Dartford, leaving the castle to its fate. 1. He finally undermined the south east tower and burned the props with the "fat of forty pigs" causing the tower to collapse. He was imprisoned, then ransomed out for 6,000 marks. William the Conqueror had died in 1097 leaving his conquests to his two sons, Robert and William. It didn't matter; the forty pigs caused a roaring fire that helped King John succeed in bringing down the southeast tower. Kings, barons, miners and inedible pigs: the great siege of Rochester in 1215 now on video! This lesson aims to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Rochester Castle and understand why it was built in such a strategic position. Rochester Castle History. The siege began in July 1216. See also. The Romans started a settlement called Durobrivae, which means Fort by the bridges, in the area of Rochester and the river Medway.Part of the Roman wall that surrounded Durobrivae was used during Medieval times as a defensive wall for Rochester castle, and still exists today. King John lay siege to the castle in 1215 and took it after two long months. King Henry III, King John’s son, eventually repaired the keep and added a … Having undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Ancient chroniclers say that in May, 1088, Rufus kept the rebels under constant attack. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/apr/12/ironclad-credentials-mulch Odo temporarily took control of the castle, building two wooden ‘siege castles’, before surrendering his garrison and being banished abroad. • Developed a virtual replica of medieval Rochester Castle • Role-played the siege of Rochester Castle by King John in 1215 • Average student participation time 5.6 hours – 20.5 highest participation, 0.1 lowest participation • Average time teachers spent supporting the game – 9 hours Overview This is the exact area that was used to invade England in the Middle Ages, and therefore, this royal castle served as the first line of defense to protect the southeast coast of England.. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Ironclad is a 2011 British action adventure war film directed by Jonathan English.Written by English and Erick Kastel, based on a screenplay by Stephen McDool, the cast includes James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Vladimir Kulich, Mackenzie Crook, Jason Flemyng, Derek Jacobi, and Charles Dance. Houdini v city police chief: guess who won? A Cat was used to protect the miners and Dover’s timber barbican was undermined, enabling Louis’ men to successfully storm the barbican. Posted on 22 May 2020 Full size 2388 × 1582. 33. Damage sustained during the siege led William II to strengthen the castle, commissioning Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, to rebuild the castle walls in stone, at a time when he was already building Rochester’s new cathedral church. The cathedral was looted by King John's forces, during the siege. We all learnt how John was forced by rebellious barons to sign a document that formed the basis of civilised law. Rochester Castle was fortified against the Rufus and soon became a stronghold and headquarters for the rebels. To the rebels, it was an ideal place for raids on London and to attack the lands belonging to their enemy Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, who had crowned Rufus. Especially King John. Would you pass this Victorian scholars’ test. In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. The great donjon of Rochester castle (Kent) is still visible from miles around – including from the Eurostar. Dr Peter Purton FSA, leading expert on medieval siege warfare examines one of the most famous British medieval sieges, that of Rochester in 1215. Nestled between London and mainland France, Rochester is an important strategic spot... 1215: A Mighty Siege. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. John’s army dug a tunnel beneath the castle and set fire to the pig fat, which burned the support beams and caused half the keep to collapse. "Siege of Rochester Castle, 1215 CE." Rochester castle sits inside an ancient Roman stone enclosure. The first castle in the area which is now referred to as “Boley Hill” was built in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest… In a nutshell, the king wanted it from the archbishop; the barons had rebelled, he had raised an army and Rochester was a vital strategic possession. The siege lasted more than two months. The defenders resisted every attack for weeks, inflicting many casualties on John’s men. Defeat at the Battle of Bouvinesin July 1214 marked the end of John's ambitions to retake Normandy and exacerbate… John was becoming impatient. Rochester City Museum contains a model of the castle keep under siege. Because the keep at Rochester Castle was so large, it had been divided in half when built. Despite ascending to the throne in 1199 King John did not confirm Hubert Walter as the castle's custodian until July 1202. “Ironclad,” a film now in limited release, depicts the events surrounding Richly provided with latrines and comfortable chambers, two spiral staircases, beautifully decorated stonework, it was a place fit to entertain king or archbishop. The film chronicles the siege of Rochester Castle by King John in 1215. He managed to capture the outer yard of the castle, but the rebels in the defensive keep would not yield. Even then the defenders held on, until they were eventually starved out after resisting for two months. In the First Barons’ War, one of the castles held against John was in the city of Rochester. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. The first castle was built after the Norman conquest but the great tower dated from 1127 when it was built for the archbishop of Canterbury, then William of Corbeil, who shared ownership and use with the crown. Students have to evaluate the most effective ways of attacking and defending a Castle and learn how difficult medieval siege warfare was. Second Barons' War; References Notes Sappping a tower: Foix castle museum. Rochester Castle is located in Rochester, Kent (in South East England). The party, however, was captured and Odo taken inside. World History Encyclopedia, 14 Mar 2021. The reasons for the siege are confusing and many chroniclers contradict each other but they revolve around the ownership of the castle. Rochester was — and indeed still is — strategically important. Unlike real history, the surviving garrison makes a … The king tried many ways to take the castle: diplomancy, bombardment, and bribery. Rochester Castle was built within the existing defences of a former Roman fortified town. The film hinges on the story of the 1215 siege of Rochester Castle, when a group of rebels held out for seven weeks against the besieging force of King John, who had come to blows with his barons over his arbitrary rule and his onerous tax demands. The defenders were eventually starved out. They were set on fire — and the tower tumbled down. In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. Here are some facts about Rochester Castle. Henry I granted him custody of the castle in 1127, a responsibility that lasted until King John seized the castle in 1215. The site was strategically important due to its bridge over the River Medway and accordingly the castle was raised in the immediate aftermath of the Norman invasion. Within a few decades it had been rebuilt into a substantial fortress dominated by a Great Keep. Mark my words: are you really a Man of Kent? Neither worked. In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. “Ironclad,” a film now in limited release, depicts the events surrounding the siege of Rochester Castle in England in the year 1215. In 2015 the Castle Studies Group (www.castlestudiesgroup.org.uk) held a conference there to mark the 800th anniversary and I presented a short paper analysing the siege. Even then the defenders held on, until they were eventually starved out after resisting for two months. They had only three days to gather supplies and stock the castle before John attacked in October. The castle was built to control the important river near it by the bishop of Rochester in the 1080s. In 1870 Rochester Castle was leased to the city of Rochester and turned into a public park. Published in Kings, barons, miners and inedible pigs: the great siege of Rochester in 1215 now on video! Even then the defenders held on, until they were eventually starved out after resisting for two months. The garrison, under Bishop Odo, Eustace the Younger of Boulogne and Robert of Belleme, son of Roger of Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, were constantly plagued by heat, flies and disease, and soon surrendered. The rebuilt circular tower, contrasts with the three remaining square ones as a reminder of one of the bloodiest sieges in history. This lesson aims to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of Rochester Castle and understand why it was built in such a strategic position. Within a few decades it had been rebuilt into a substantial fortress dominated by a Great Keep. The castle remained the property of the Archbishop of Canterbury — a fact that kings resented. John set up his base on Boley Hill and brought in five massive stone-throwing engines that pounded the castle day and night. It is the tallest keep in the British Isles (125 feet, 38 metres) and unusually boasts two floors above the main level and basement below, divided vertically by a spine wall that gave access to the castle well. Such an involved readying routine meant that crossbows were not suited to every type of warfare – in the thick of battle, for example, they were of limited use. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. The rebels were allowed to march out with horses and arms, but were stripped of their lands and titles in England. After William died in 1087, many Norman nobles in England were unhappy at the how his possessions in Normandy were bequeathed. After the siege, the castle again passed back into the hands of Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, who had been appointed to the See in 1077. 14 Mar 2021. In 1215 the Castle went under a tiring seven week siege by King John who was able to enter through the south-east tower after using the fat of 40 pigs to set fire to the pit props, which was the lumber that held up the mines in the castle. At Rochester in 1215, a tunnel was driven underneath the south-west tower of the keep by the forces of King John. Exploding Mill Wheel. Rochester Castle is an English castle on the banks of the River Medway in Rochester, England, that during the first Baron’s War was captured by baronial forces and stood against King John in a bloody siege. He used trebuchets, mangonels and siege towers to try and take the castle but then resorted to mining. In 1215, garrisoned by rebel barons, the castle endured an epic siege by King John. Odo temporarily took control of the castle, building two wooden ‘siege castles’, before surrendering his garrison and being banished abroad. His army tunnelled under the tower and set light to "the fat of forty pigs", which weakened the foundations and caused the original tower to collapse. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. World History Encyclopedia. You may well thin how can a pig bring a wall down? Now, following an invitation from across the Atlantic, an extended and illustrated version of that talk can be viewed at: Pembroke Castle keep – William Marshal’s statement in stone, Eleanor of Aquitaine’s impact on English Castles, Understanding More About a C14 Nottinghamshire Mystery – Greasley Castle, Unearthing past excavations of Bungay Castle, Castles and their agricultural buildings – Medieval Buildings & Settlement, Barns in the Bailey: Agricultural buildings within castles, St John’s Close and the edge of the Park: the landscape of Warkworth - Castle Studies Trust Blog, Stories in Stone: Warkworth Castle and a new geophysical survey of its earthworks, Wall lines detected in survey of Rousay landmark – Archaeology Orkney, Geophysical survey at The Wirk reveals buried walls of the hall, Mary of Guelders and Ravenscraig Castle - Castle Studies Trust Blog. Sieges became part of Rochester Castle’s volatile history, the first taking place in May 1088. Robin Hood, a 2010 film, is loosely based on the events surrounding the Barons' War. 'King John' and other actors mark the 800th anniversary since the siege of Rochester Castle. • Laid siege to the castle for several months • Curtain wall was breached and castle people retreated to the keep • King John’s assault had little effect until a tower was undermined by tunneling the tower, using wooden props for initial support and then burning the supports with the “fat of forty pigs” Bring Dickens’s body back to his beloved city! The castle was partly demolished in 1215 at the hands of King John, who famously attacked it burning the pit props using the fat of 40 pigs, to recapture it from the rebel noblemen. Robert was left Normandy and William was to inherit England, however Odo, the Bishop of Bayeaux and Earl of Kent, had other ideas. Rochester castle siege (1264) Rochester’s constable in 1264, Roger de Leybourne, held the castle in support of Henry. Due to the fact that the result of the siege would decide if the king stayed or had to leave the crown, the great siege of Rochester castle is probably the most famous siege of the medieval period. They were trying to force the surrender of the tower from a group of rebels, who were holding the castle against him. The film chronicles the siege of Rochester Castle by King John in 1215. In 1215, rebels led by William de Albini of Belvoir seized Rochester to block John’s approach to London. The drawbridge was lowered, the doors swung open, and the horsemen swept inside. Close. Three of the castle's towers are square, and one is round. John particularly disliked Archbishop Stephen Langton — who played a leading role in the barons’ opposition to the king’s powers – and tried to block his appointment by Pope Innocent III. Damage sustained during the siege led William II to strengthen the castle, commissioning Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester, to rebuild the castle walls in stone, at a time when he was already building Rochester’s new cathedral church. Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, South East England. The constable of the castle, Sir Reginald de Cornhill, did not hesitate, for he had been expecting them. You must be logged in to post a comment. Yet one of the fiercest dramas of that cursed king’s reign was acted out on the banks of the River Medway: the siege of Rochester Castle in 1215. Rochester Castle. Rochester Castle is an English castle on the banks of the River Medway in Rochester, England, that during the first Baron’s War was captured by baronial forces and stood against King John in a bloody siege. The purpose of the sap is usually to advance a besieging army's position towards an attacked fortification. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. Sapping is a term used in siege operations to describe the digging of a covered trench (a "sap" ) to approach a besieged place without danger from the enemy's fire. It was one of bloodiest sieges in … In light of the release of the film Ironclad, BBC History Magazine visited Rochester Castle to see what evidence remains of the siege today. It stands above a bridge across the tidal waters of the river Medway and that was one reason why it was subject to a famous six- week siege which ended when an entire corner of the great tower was brought crashing to the ground, leading to the fall of the castle on 30 November 1215. Rochester is a town located in Kent, in the southeast of England. In real life, Aubigny survived the siege of Rochester Castle with his life and all appendages intact. A strange sort of rabbit pie at Chatham Dockyard, A varnished skull and a bloody High Street trail, An Empire hero neglected in his time of need, At the heart of Chatham, a babbling brook… and sewer, Dishonoured by yobs: the hero who took a shortcut, Even worse in verse: a poet puts the boot in, Motorbike messengers of death and fortune, Sex, drink and punch-ups… Chatham through the ages, The Red Lion lying in wait at Chatham’s crossroads, A piece of Hastings … in a corner of Gillingham, Before the Beatles: the bop boys and the jive halls, Dreams of alloy brakes and five-speed Campag. Looking at the thick stone walls you may well think thousands. Regarding the siege of Rochester Castle, contemporary historians wrote that “no one alive can remember a siege so fiercely pressed and so manfully resisted.” Castle of the Week 27 - Rochester Castle There has been a fortification at the important defensive site of Rochester since pre-Roman times. Circling the Square: life in the city’s urban village, Common place for seedy pubs near the market, Crazy name … great MP and mourned admiral, Days of cricket & cucumber sandwiches at Brambletree, Fort Clarence, guardian of the River Medway, Fun and games for spartan swimmers of Swinging Sixties, Green memorial to the good, the great … and the tragic. Having first undermined the outer wall, John used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, bringing its southern corner crashing down. The tower was rebuilt — but made round instead of square, to repel the battering rams of any future sieges. The rebels, though, were full of surprises. It was the second of three sieges in its first two centuries. Rainham: an eastern place apart from Medway, The vanished glories of a gentler era in Brompton, At last, the Borstal big gun theory is blown apart, Firemen in a dash … to find a new war-time HQ, How 40 fat pigs helped king capture Rochester Castle, Luftwaffe bombers fooled by decoy airfield. A video tour of Rochester Castle in Kent. The castle was built at the time of the Norman Conquest and is mentioned in Domesday Book of 1086. The castle … Garrisoned by rebel nobles, the castle was besieged by King John, who is said to have used the fat of 40 pigs to fire a mine under the keep, destroying its southern corner. It was built on the east bank of the River Medway and it is near to Watling Street (a Roman road).The first castle at Rochester was constructed by the Normans following their victory in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, was the garrison’s co-commander. It is excavated by specialised military units, whose members are often called sappers. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc, who had overall responsibility for Rochester after Odo's initial fall from grace in 1082, was keen that the castle was rebuilt, although he wasn't particularly happy about footing the bill. Notes [edit | … Having broken Rochester Bridge and captured the castle bailey, the royal army used siege engines to bombard the rebels inside the keep with stones, while miners attacked the building’s south-east turret. They had only three days to gather supplies and stock the castle before John attacked in October. Find the perfect siege of rochester castle stock photo. Rufus had to take action and, having captured uncle Odo at Pevensey Castle, he made him swear he would yield Rochester to the King. This was the first big battle in the civil war that broke out between King John (1199-1216) and the barons who had forced him to seal Magna Carta in June of that year. 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