 Edward III was born at Windsor Castle and used it extensively throughout his reign . In 1344 the king announced the foundation of the new Order of the Round Table at the castle . Edward began to construct a new building in the castle to host this order , but it was never finished . Chroniclers described it as a round building , 200 ft ( 61 m ) across , and it was probably in the centre of the Upper Ward . Shortly afterwards , Edward abandoned the new order for reasons that remain unclear , and instead established the Order of the Garter , again with Windsor Castle as its headquarters , complete with the attendant Poor Knights of Windsor . As part of this process Edward decided to rebuild Windsor Castle , in particular Henry III 's palace , in an attempt to construct a castle that would be symbolic of royal power and chivalry . Edward was influenced both by the military successes of his grandfather , Edward I , and by the decline of royal authority under his father , Edward II , and aimed to produce an innovative , " self @-@ consciously aesthetic , muscled , martial architecture " . 
