kenilworth castle

• How and why were castles built?

  • defense
  • to show power and wealth
  • luxury
  • built by kings/barons
  • centre of local government
• What was the main purpose of castles from 1066-1300?

  • mainly for defence
  • (also power & local government)
• What was the main purpose of castles from 1300-1500?

  • defense
  • luxury
  • prestige
  • administration
• What was the main purpose of castles in the 1500s?


  • luxury and prestige (England more peaceful at this time, luxury popular among nobility).
• What was the main purpose of castles from 1642 onwards?

  • use in the civil war
  • castles fell into ruin/ disrepair or were destroyed
• How was Kenilworth Castle strategically positioned?

  • Between Coventry and Warwick
  • Only 5km away from Warwick Castle - threat to the Earl of Warwick, furthered control over him
  • centre of country between important medieval cities
• How does Kenilworth castle have a strong defensive position?

  It is on a hill surrounded by flat land - good to protect surrounding area.
• When was Kenilworth Castle built?

  In the 1120s
• When did Henry II take Kenilworth as a royal castle?

  1175
• Who spend money on strengthening the castle?

  John I
• What was Robert Dudley’s title?

  Earl of Leicester
• Who controlled the castle for most of the civil war?

  Parliamentarians
• When was the Great Tower built and who built it?

  12th century

  Geoffrey de Clinton
• When was the Great Hall built and who built it?

  1370

  John of Gaunt
• When was the Gardens built and who built it?

  1560s

  Robert Dudley
• When was the mere created?

  12th century
• What is a mere?


  A lake around a castle

  Used as a water defence
• When was Leicester’s Gatehouse built and who built it?

  1560s

  Robert Dudley (Earl of Leicester)
• When was the Domestic House built and who built it?

  1560s

  Robert Dudley
• Who built Kenilworth Castle?

  Geoffrey de Clinton
• Who spent £1100 on the castle to defend from his lords?

  John I
• Who did Henry III give the castle to in 1244?

  Simon de Montfort
• Who did Robert Dudley wish to impress?

  Elizabeth I
• Who oversaw the destruction of Kenilworth after the civil war?

  Joeseph Hawkesworth
• Who wrote the novel ‘Kenilworth’ in 1821?

  Walter Scott
• Who is responsible for the castle today?

  English Heritage
• Why was the castle destroyed after the civil war?

  To stop it being used as a defence
• Who used Kenilworth to challenge the power of Henry III?

  Simon de Montfort
• What year was the Great Siege at Kenilworth?

  1266
• What year did Dudley die with no heir?

  1588 - castle returns to royal ownership
• What was the castle between 1660-1860s?


  A farm
• Who acquired the castle after Henry I?

  Henry II
• What key features did Kenilworth Castle have by the time of Henry II?

  Great Keep, inner bailey wall, causeway
• What improvements did King John make to Kenilworth Castle between 1210 and 1216?

  Built outer bailey wall and improved defences
• How did the Great Mere contribute to the castle's defences?

  Protected southern, western, and eastern sides
• What royal domestic accommodations were added to Kenilworth Castle?

  Chambers for the king and queen, chapel
• What was Kenilworth Castle considered by the time of King John?

  One of the greatest castles in the country
• To whom did King John give up Kenilworth Castle?

  The baronial opposition
• What significant changes occurred at Kenilworth Castle during the mid-14th century?

  Transformed from a military fortress to a royal palace
• Who added a third storey to the Keep at Kenilworth Castle?

  John of Gaunt