'Humble' castle built by 'greatest knight who ever lived' where a king was born Pembroke Castle may be known to history as the birthplace of Henry VII, but its history goes back much further than that - and even Henry's birth is perhaps a more dramatic tale than you may think.
Upon his death, Marshal's sons inherited the castle, but all died with no legitimate heirs, and the castle instead passed to William de Valence.
The castle remained in the hands of the Valence family until 1389, when the final heir of the line died, and the castle was instead inherited by King Richard II.
During his time at Pembroke Castle, Marshal rebuilt the castle in stone, and it's this structure that still stands on the site today.
The castle's original structure dates back to 1093, when the Anglo-Norman nobleman Arnulf de Montgomery built a small fortified bailey on the site during the Norman invasion of Wales.
