Medieval Castles Why Were They Important

A medieval fortress is usually thought to simply be a castle, however, this is not the case. A fortress was anything that ranged from small towers and forts to fortified towns surrounded by walls to actual castles. The fate of a battle was usually decided over who has

Spain has the most formidable castles in the world. Spain has more than 1000 Spanish castles recorded through history. The castles were built for various reasons. However, the primary reason was to stop the Arabs when they invaded Spain in 711. The Spanish built so many of them in fact. These castles were mostly concentrated in the northern part which was where the Arabs advanced when they attacked. And when the Spanish military moved to reconquer the peninsula towards the south, they built additional strongholds to prevent the Arabs from reclaiming Spain. These castles were known as Castilla.

In Europe, the lords would build castles out of stone to protect themselves whilst the Japanese lords, known as Daimyo, built castles out of wood rather than stone.

The Moors also built atalayas, or watchtowers and rock castles that served as part of the defense system for the castle. The watchtowers were used as communication devices for castles that were great distances apart. The watchtowers would signal the castle in case of an enemy attack by using smoke and mirrors. They built rock castles, or small defense castles high on rocks, using the natural terrain to the maximum effect. Since the rock castles were small they did not house many soldiers.

As knights increased their social standing, with some becoming nobles, the idea of owning a castle became a common idea. War was often a way for one side to gain large amounts of wealth, which allowed more castles to be built. This allowed for the development of many different types of castles.

-Beat people up and the owner of the castle would send knights on peaseants and take property

The castles were built to demonstrate the strong bond between the King and his nobility. They were seen as a reflection of a more stable and secure society with respect for law and the authority of the government.

Castles were extremely important during 1066 – 1500 and they changed overtime to get more protection. A castle is a fortification that was used in the middle ages to protect territory against an invasion. They were important during these times because many kings and lords wanted to show off how wealthy they are and they used them as bases, controlling their land and people from a higher point.

The Purpose of Thornbury Castle Thornbury castle Since Thornbury castle started being built in 1511 it has been in the centre of a debate with historians whether it is a castle built for defence or a luxurious palace for show. When I went to Thornbury castle you can see lots of different features that would confuse you in deciding what Thornbury castle was built for. There are lots of different features showing both.

Castles in the medieval time period were more than just a home, but rather a safe haven for the whole town. The first castles were built in the tenth century in Western Europe. Castles played a crucial role in European history. However, by the end of the thirteenth century they had lost their military, political, and social significance and were being abandoned. Castles in the medieval and Anglo Saxon times, especially in European area, were built entirely for proper function towards protection from the outside world.

The castle would usually be built on higher ground to see enemies coming from below. This would also help to build a moat, the drawbridge would be the only pathway from the land to the castle. The castle would have multiple stories from basements to dungeons. The toilet would be built at the bottom story to let the waste go down into the water below.

Castles began to be built with stone instead of timber and became stronger to withstand sieges. For example, castles included drawbridges and other features such as ditches, rivers and moats were built to encircle the castle. As the construction of castles improved and new innovations were integrated, concentric circle castles emerged in the 12th century. These were castles with an inner wall and an outer wall, hence the name, concentric, which means a circle inside another circle. The inner wall was higher than the outer wall which allowed archers to shoot over the outer walls and the outer wall was thicker to have a strong first line of defense. More important structures were built within the inner wall and the multiple walls construction made the castle more durable during the event of a siege or an attack. When an attack occurred, the concentric design of the castle resulted in many attackers getting struck in the middle of the inner and outer walls. The soldiers defended the castle took advantage of the situation and the attacker would be bombarded with traps, hot liquid and murder

The castle was an important aspect of warfare from the 10th to 13th centuries. Castles, particularly in England, played an essential role in warfare because of the power associated with them. Changes in castle defense are represented by two important types of castles: the motte and bailey castle and, later, the concentric castles. As a whole, they became more secure and fluid. Stronger materials were necessary to ensure more powerful weapons could not penetrate the defenses easily.

     Medieval tactics were essential for an attack or siege of a castle. Many tactics and strategies helped develop much-improved version of an attacking artifact, like weapons and sieging machinery. The knights of Medieval England which were the cavalry, improved as the years went by, but never actually had any tactics or strategies. The usual knight would just go out there and fight. The knights were the counter offensive against a small siege, but they were ineffective against a large siege of a castle. A siege was very essential for medieval warfare. Siege was like the most important part of an attack; that is if you’re attacking a castle.

The Tower of London is one of the most famous and visited historic monuments in the world. For some people it conjures up images of Norman architecture and towering battlements, but most associate it with arms and armour, ravens, the Crown Jewels, Yeoman Warders, imprisonment, death and ghostly apparitions. But this does not do it justice: the history of the Tower and its buildings is a vast, fascinating and complex subject, intertwined with the history of the country of England, its government, its kings and queens, and its people and institutions. The castle's first four centuries, during the Middle Ages, saw the development of the layout of buildings that we know today and its