York Castle is located in the city of York in the county of North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. It belongs to the "motte-and-bailey" type of castle, which is a palisaded courtyard, within which, or close to it on a hill, stands a hilltop.
The first castle was built on this site in 1068, shortly after the arrival of the Normans. The first buildings were wooden and hastily erected - according to some sources, the castle was built in just eight days. King Henry II visited the castle four times and it was here that he took the oath of vassalage from William the Lion of Scotland.
In the mid-13th century, Henry III rebuilt the castle in stone. A unique citadel was built in the shape of a quatrefoil. During the Scottish wars of Scottish Wars of Independence, the castle served as a stronghold of royal power in the north of England. By the 15th - 16th century, the castle lost its military significance and was used primarily as a prison, where both political prisoners and common local Outlaws were held.
In 1642, civil war broke out and York Castle had to be and York Castle had to be rebuilt and fortified. Troops under Henry Clifford, loyal to Charles I, occupied the castle and town, and on 23 April 1644 parliamentary troops laid siege to York. The city and castle, under the command of William Cavendish and Sir Francis Cobb held firm for months, even though the besiegers were up to 30,000 men. On 14 July, the castle and town did surrender, but the Royalist troops were allowed to leave. Royalists were allowed to leave York with all honours.
After the end of the war and the Restoration, there was a long debate as to whether the castle should be rebuild or demolish the castle, and in the meantime the tower was used as a powder store. In 1684 there was an explosion (suspected to have been an accident), which completely destroyed the tower and the heat of the explosion - the limestone walls took on their present pinkish colour.
The prison existed at York Castle until 1900, when the inmates were were transferred to Wakefield Prison, but until 1929 only war criminals were held here.
