A recent study of the lions kept at the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London in the 14th and 15th centuries reveals that they were part of a now-extinct species, known as the Barbary lion.

The Times notes:

The lions, which were caged for the pleasure of kings and queens of England from medieval times, were the first in Britain since the last Ice Age. Tower staff charged with caring for the big cats became so adept at getting them to breed that the animals became known as “English lions”. Tigers, leopards, elephants and bears were also kept at the Tower, where they provided an exotic form of entertainment … [Richard Sabin, curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum,] said that the Royal Menagerie had been an important institution. “It was set up by King John. He had been given animals by other noblemen – it was a type of gift-giving that went on between important people of Europe in that period. Transporting the lions must have been quite a feat.”

More on this story in The Telegraph, The Independent, and BBC News.