When Henry II discovered that his queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, was conspiring with their sons to remove him from the throne, he placed her under guard and essentially imprisoned her. She was kept in several castles in England, including Old Sarum, near Salisbury Cathedral and Stonehenge; Winchester, and Nottingham. When he was feeling generous, Henry would allow her to celebrate Christmas with him at Windsor Castle. Henry kept her imprisoned for fifteen years, from 1174 until his death in 1189. When their son Richard, called Richard the Lionheart, became king, he released her, and she easily stepped into the role of Queen Mother. When Richard was captured and held hostage in Germany, Eleanor raised the ransom money and personally delivered it.