How Much Did Castles Change in the Middle Ages and Why?
Introduction
Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this.
Motte & Bailey Castles (1066 – 1078)
The first castles to be built in England by the Normans were called Motte & Bailey castles. They had:
The Keep – a wooden tower used when under attack and for soldiers to keep lookout.
A Motte - a large mound of earth that the Keep was built on.
A Bailey – a large yard that sat next to the Motte, attached to the Motte by a wooden bridge.
A Palisade – a wooden fence all around the Bailey with a ditch around the outside.
Wooden gateway - the entrance to the castle with a wooden bridge over the ditch.
Norman soldiers lived in wooden buildings in the Bailey. Motte & Bailey castles were made of earth and wood, which was easy to find, and they could be built really quickly, in 7-21 days. The height of the wooden tower on top of the Motte meant that the Norman soldiers could see what was going on around the castle and see enemies coming. The castles were built near big towns so that the Norman soldiers could move quickly and stop enemies up to 30 miles away. William built over 60 Motte & Bailey castles during the early years of his reign. There are still remains of a Motte & Bailey castles in England today, for example Pleshey, in Essex.
Motte & Bailey castles had the advantages
Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this.
Motte & Bailey Castles (1066 – 1078)
The first castles to be built in England by the Normans were called Motte & Bailey castles. They had:
The Keep – a wooden tower used when under attack and for soldiers to keep lookout.
A Motte - a large mound of earth that the Keep was built on.
A Bailey – a large yard that sat next to the Motte, attached to the Motte by a wooden bridge.
A Palisade – a wooden fence all around the Bailey with a ditch around the outside.
Wooden gateway - the entrance to the castle with a wooden bridge over the ditch.
Norman soldiers lived in wooden buildings in the Bailey. Motte & Bailey castles were made of earth and wood, which was easy to find, and they could be built really quickly, in 7-21 days. The height of the wooden tower on top of the Motte meant that the Norman soldiers could see what was going on around the castle and see enemies coming. The castles were built near big towns so that the Norman soldiers could move quickly and stop enemies up to 30 miles away. William built over 60 Motte & Bailey castles during the early years of his reign. There are still remains of a Motte & Bailey castles in England today, for example Pleshey, in Essex.
Motte & Bailey castles had the advantages