Upon his arrival in 1066, William the Conqueror quickly saw the need to put his own stamp on his new domains, both to keep the local population (Saxons, etc.) in check and to prevent anyone else who might have the same idea from coming in (Scots, Scandinavians). He began to fortify the castle hill in Lincoln, using remains of both a Roman and Saxon fort that already existed there. The Castle played a role during the Battle of Lincoln, which included a siege of the Castle in 1141. Forces under Stephen of Blois were besieging defenders loyal to Empress Matilda, mother of the future Henry II. A relief force under Robert of Gloucester lifted the siege and captured Stephen, allowing Matilda to reign for awhile under Stephen made good his escape and the tables turned once more in his favor.
In 1190, during the reign of Richard I, Jews in the City of Lincoln sought refuge in the Castle against a mob swept up in the religious fervor that was the Third Crusade. Unlike their counterparts in York, they were able to hold out against the mob until its wrath was spent elsewhere. Another Battle of Lincoln occurred in 1217, during the First Barons' War, when forces under the future Louis VIII met an opposing army fighting on behalf of Henry III and led by none other than William Marshal. Marshal scored a victory and his troops engaged in a memorable looting known as the Lincoln Fair. That was putting things in polite terms. A city taken by siege at the time could be sacked, pillaged and burned and its inhabitants killed or otherwise at will.
Over the centuries, the Castle fell into disuse and was used as a prison by the eighteenth century, both for debtors and for criminals. It was discontinued as a prison in the twentieth century and is now a museum.
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