siege of Rochester Castle

E84662

The siege of Rochester Castle was a pivotal 1215–1216 conflict in which rebel barons defending the strategically vital fortress were besieged by King John during the First Barons’ War.


Statements (43)
Predicate Object
instanceOf military conflict
siege
chronologicallyFollows granting of Magna Carta
chronologicallyPrecedes French intervention in First Barons' War
commandedBy King John of England NERFINISHED
defendedBy William d'Aubigny
rebel baron garrison
hasAftermath imprisonment of surviving defenders
partial destruction of Rochester Castle keep
hasBelligerent rebel barons
royalist forces
hasCause First Barons' War
dispute over Magna Carta
hasCountry England NERFINISHED
hasEndTime 1215
hasHistoricalPeriod High Middle Ages
hasLanguageOfPrimarySources Anglo-Norman French
Latin
hasLocation Kingdom of England
Rochester Castle
Rochester, Kent
hasNotableFeature long and costly siege for King John
use of mining to collapse castle wall
hasOpposingForce rebel baron garrison
royalist forces of King John
hasParticipant King John of England NERFINISHED
Stephen Langton
William d'Aubigny
rebel barons
hasResult capture of Rochester Castle by King John
royalist victory
hasSignificance demonstrated vulnerability of stone keeps to mining and fire
key royalist success in early First Barons' War
hasSite Rochester Castle keep
hasStartTime 1215
hasStrategicImportance control of route between London and Dover
occursInCentury 13th century
occursInYear 1215
partOf First Barons' War
usedTactic undermining of castle walls
usedWarfareType siege warfare
usedWeapon fire
pigs used as fuel for fire under the keep

Referenced by (1)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
First Barons' War
significantEvent

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