Woodstock Palace

An old print of the Palace of Woodstock

Woodstock Palace was a royal residence in the English town of Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

Henry I of England built a hunting lodge here and in 1129 he built 7 miles (11 km) of walls to create the first enclosed park, where lions and leopards were kept. The lodge became a palace under Henry's grandson, Henry II, who spent time here with his mistress, Rosamund Clifford.

Important events that took place at the palace include:

• The marriage of William the Lion, king of Scots to Ermengarde de Beaumont in 1186
• The signing of the Treaty of Woodstock between Henry III of England and Llewelyn the Last (1247)
• The birth of Edmund, youngest son of King Edward I of England (1301)
• The birth of Edward, the Black Prince (1330)
• The marriage of Mary Plantagenet, daughter of Edward III of England, to John V, Duke of Brittany (1361)
• Imprisonment of the future Queen Elizabeth I of England (1554–58)

Woodstock Palace was mostly destroyed during the English Civil War, and the remaining stones were later used to build Blenheim Palace nearby.