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The First Siege of Windsor Castle Barons besiege Prince John 1193 Having been founded
in 1070, it was over a hundred years before the defences of Windsor
Castle were first put to the test. While King Richard the
Lionheart was away fighting in the Third Crusade, his brother, Prince
John, plotted against the Crown and arranged to have him captured and
imprisoned by Leopold of Austria in December 1192. The prince subsequently
built up a strong garrison at Windsor Castle, much to the resentment of
the English barons who remained loyal to their King. In March 1193,
therefore, the Justiciar, Archbishop Walter of Rouen, sent a large force of knights, under
the command of William Marshal,
to
surround the castle and trap John inside. It was always said, however,
that this siege was "not very earnest" because the Archbishop
had many friends holed up with the prince. At any rate, by April, the
castle had surrendered and was soon delivered into the hands of Eleanor,
the Queen Mother. |
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