portchester castle

William Pont de l'Arche probably retained possession of Portchester Castle until his death in 1148, although who inherited it is uncertain.

 It may have passed to William Maudit, a descendant of the Maudit who most likely founded the castle, or Henry Maudit, William de l'Arche's son. The earliest extant reference to the castle is in as grant from 1153 in which Henry Plantagenet, later King Henry II granted the castle to Henry Maudit. Regardless when Henry ascended to the throne in 1154, he took over possession of Portchester Castle. It would remain in royal control for several centuries.

 More records survive from the castle's period as a royal fortress than the previous period; the royal accounts provide details of the castle's condition and structure. For instance, as only small sums were spent on the keep during the royal tenure, it is assumed that it was largely complete, and in 1183 the Rolls record that there were royal apartments separate from the keep. Henry II regularly visited Portchester,and it featured in his dispute with Thomas Becket. It was here that Henry met with the Bishop of Évreux who spoke on Becket's behalf.The castle was also used as a prison for important people, such as the Earl of Leicester. When Henry II's sons rebelled against him with the support of some leading barons in the Revolt of 1173–1174, Portchester was made ready for war. In preparation to defend the castle, catapults were made and it was Portchester garrisoned with tenknights, although it was later increased to twenty.

Towards the end of the 13th century, a wooden tower was built to reinforce the eastern Roman wall. During the reign of Edward II (1307–1327), a French invasion was anticipated and Portchester garrisoned. The Crown spent more than £1,100 repairing and reinforcing Portchester Castle between 1320 and 1326. The buildings of the inner ward were remodelled and the outer gatehouses extended. Despite the expensive work undertaken by Edward II, a survey of 1335 recorded that many of the castle's buildings were in a ruinous state, and the south wall of the Roman fort had been damaged by the sea. Although he infrequently stayed at Portchester, in June 1346 Edward III assembled his 15,000 strong army there before leaving for France on the campaign that ended in victory at the Battle of Crecy. Further work was carried out in the 1350s and 1360s when the domestic buildings within the castle were reordered and the sea wall repaired. Between 1396 and 1399 the royal apartments were built for Richard II under master mason Walter Walton.

King John often stayed at Portchester Castle and was there when he heard of the loss of Normandyin 1204. The Forest of Bere was nearby, making Portchester a popular place for the king to stay recreationally. Portchester was also the departure point of missions to France in 1205 and 1213 as John tried to recover Normandy from Philip Augustus, the King of France. John's trips to France ended in defeat

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After signing the Magna Carta in 1215, John appealed to the pope to annul it. As a result, his opponents were excommunicated in September. At this point, he laid siege to Rochester Castle and the rebels turned to France for help. The barons offered the throne to Prince Louis, the oldest son of the French king.Louis' campaign was initially successful and he captured London and Winchester before Portchester Castle surrendered to his forces in June 1216. John died on 19 October 1216, and nine days later his eldest son was crowned King Henry. Louis' fortunes took a turn for the worse, and Portchester Castle was recaptured in the spring of 1217.

There was a stalemate between Henry III and Louis until the English victory at the Battle of Lincoln on 20  May. After his supply lines with France were cut in August, Louis was bribed to leave England. Henry tried to press his family's claims to lands in France until conditions in England forced him to abandon them in 1259, and Portchester was a frequent departure point for troops on campaign.

Henry V spent the night at the castle before travelling to Southampton, thence France and the Battle of Agincourt. He undertook a Fleet Review at Portchester before leaving.