Rochester Castle was originally a Roman castrum, or military camp. After the Norman Invasion of 1066 a new castle was built on a hill near the site on which the current castle now stands. This early castle would have been a wooden motte and bailey type. In 1088 Rocester Castle came under attack during the conflict between William Rufus and Odo the bishop of Bayeux. In 1087, after William the Conqueror had died, control of Normandy was disputed. Odo, along with many others, supported William's elder brother Robert, Duke of Normandy, while others supported William Rufus, the Conqueror's younger brother. Odo had control of Rochester Castle and it became the headquaters for the rebels. The castle fell to William Rufus' army and Odo was forced into exile. Gundulf, the bishop of Rochester, orchestrated the construction of a stone castle alongside the Norman cathedral. In 1126 the construction of the large keep was begun by William de Corbeil, the Archbishop of Canterbury. At 125 feet high the keep at Rochester is the tallest in England. The keep has a square ground plan and has four corner towers that project slightly. The entrance to the keep is through a fore-building with a drawbridge. Over the centuries the castle was the scene of many conflicts including King John's attempt to regain the castle from the Barons and in 1264 Simon de Montfort's rebellion. It was during King John's siege of the castle that undermining brought down one of the southern corners of the keep. The destroyed corner tower was later rebuilt.
Mini Timeline
| 1088 | Jul | William puts down the revolt
| | | William and the barons who had remained loyal to him in England attacked the rebels and defeated them at Rochester Castle. Odo and the Bishop of Durham, both leaders of the revolt, were exiled to Normandy. The revolt in the Welsh Marches was dealt with by Bishop Wulfstan. | | 1126 | | 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. | | 1141 | 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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