Medieval Castles Research Paper

History of Castles
During the Norman era, the wooden motte and bailey castle was the main type of fortress that was built. This was because castles were made for protection not sustainability once a place had been defended or raided they would move on and build up another fort. These were made like flat pack buildings everything needed was carried to the required destination before it was erected into the fortress that protected the army. Once the Normans conquered England, William the conqueror rewarded his noblemen with lands in which they brought over their families to settle in, and wooden castles were quickly replaced by stone castles. The medieval interior became considerably more important. The Plantagenet rulers started to look for
There was little furniture used as most Lords would move around to different castles enforcing laws. The Lords family would set up their belongings but would move onto other castles after a short period of time, because of this most of the furniture and other possessions of importance were designed to be potable so that they could transport their valuables. One of the main used pieces of furniture in this period was the chest as it was practical, easy to move around and could also be used as
It was hugely famous in the architecture of cathedrals, castles and palaces. In the early 14th century Gothic style furniture was mainly painted, but towards the end of the century with the influence of the architecture and fashion more ornate and sculpted furniture was being produced. Gothic chairs were designed to match the richness and wealth of their owner, the colours and shapes were adapted to match the new clothing styles, enriched with carvings they had started to become very similar to royal thrones. The tables were usually rectangular and sometimes ornamental, sculpted and made of either wood, stone or marble. Beds became much larger with higher backs and draped cloths and fabrics, adding the luxury of mattresses and blankets. Chests were initially used to travel but had now become a fixed piece in the gothic interior. The craftsmen started to use grand style ornamentation, consisting of tracery, trefoils and quatrefoils. The earliest form of Tracery is Plate Tracery, it gets its name as it appears to have been cut out of flat plate masonry. This design grew more complex, so the need for masons grew. They drew there designs out first, as either a way to experiment with different designs or to communicate their ideas to craftsmen or to their