Cardiff Castle was founded by the
Normans in
1091, on the site of a
Roman fort[?] whose remains can still be seen. The castle's most famous occupant was
Robert, Duke of Normandy, who was imprisoned there by his younger brother, King
Henry I of England, from
1106 until
1134. In
1158 it was the scene for a daring kidnapping carried out by one
Ifor Bach[?] (Ivor the Little). The Welsh took it again in
1404, under
Owen Glendower. In
1488, it came into the possession of
Jasper Tudor.
During the 19th century, a new mock-medieval castle was built to the design of William Burges[?], architect to the Earl of Bute[?], as a fairytale residence. The castle was later given to the city of Cardiff by the Bute family. It is now a popular tourist attraction, and houses a regimental museum[?] in addition to the ruins of the old castle and the Victorian reconstruction.