Rhuddlan Castle was erected by Edward I in 1277, following the First Welsh War. The castle was completed prior to the rebellion of Llywelyn the Last in 1282. The remains of older Norman castle at Twthill, built in 1086, is just to the south of the current castle.
In 1294 the castle was attacked during the Welsh rising but was not taken. It was attacked again in the by forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1400. This time the town was badly damaged but the castle held out. In the latter 15th and early 16th centuries the castle's condition deteriorated as its strategic and administrative importance waned.
Rhuddlan Castle was again garrisoned by Royalist troops during the English Civil War, and remained a stronghold of King Charles I of England until well after the Battle of Naseby, being taken by Parliamentary forces under Thomas Mytton after a siege in 1646. Two years later, Parliamentarians partially demolished the castle to prevent any further military use. By the time Pennant passed through in 1781, it was largely ruined.
Rhuddlan was planned as a concentric castle. It has a unique 'diamond' in layout as the gatehouses are positioned at the corners of the square baileys instead of along the sides like at Flint, Harlech or Beaumaris. Records of construction costs show that it was the major piece of building work being carried out by the English during the late 1270s.
The inner ward has defensive walls with twin-tower gatehouses. The outer ward is surrounded by a curtain wall that has small towers and turrets. The castle had a three-sided moat, with the River Clwyd protecting its fourth side. Within the inner ward there was a great hall, kitchens, private apartments and a chapel. The outer bailey had a granary, stables and a smithy.
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The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.