Motte-and-bailey

Wooden motte and bailey castles were the first type of castle to be built in England. The tower of the keep was built a huge mound called a motte and had an enclosed courtyard called a bailey. It would have been very difficult to get up the sides of the motte because they were so steep. A ditch dug around the bottom of the motte also added protection. The bailey was located at the bottom of the motte and could be up to three acres. Followers of the lord who ran the castle lived inside the bailey. There

Around the 10th century, Normans began to build motte and bailey castles to protect themselves from any Viking invasions or attacks which depended on the element of surprise. Motte and bailey castles got their name from their motte which is a mound of earth and their bailey, a flat enclosed area that is usually surrounded by a wooden fence. On top of the motte was the keep which was a tower or structure that operated as the last line of defense. The motte was sometimes human-made and was combined with

Motte and bailey castles have been built all over Europe during the Middle Ages, especially in England, Wales, and Scotland. They were extremely popular for almost 200 years, and motte castles continued to be built until the 13th century. They were very innovative during the Medieval time period. Motte and bailey castles were hard work to construct and eventually evolved into impressive, more advanced fortresses. The original motte and bailey castles were incredibly cheap to construct. They were

the Normans. The Normans brought the Motte and Bailey Castles and the Concentric Circle Castles to Europe. Castles were used by royalty to have secure protection from attacks. Castles would be expensive and take a long time to build, making it only available to the rich and powerful. The first castles that were built during the arrival of the Normans were the Motte and Bailey Castles, which then progressed into the Concentric Circle Castles. Motte and Bailey Castles were the first castles brought

Exploration of Castles A.D 450 saw the creation of castles. Romans were "replaced" by Anglo Saxon foes, and these did leave behind a system of castles however these were for Motte and Bailey castles built in the reign of Edward the confessor. The Norman invasion of 1066 was one of the causes for castles to become an important part of defence. After king Harold's defeat by William the conqueror, William was concerned about how he would control the country with only

of the first castles meant to as a defense fort was the motte-bailey castle, one of the earliest fortifications of the Middle Ages. The motte and bailey castle date back to the early ‘s, . This design would have the castle upon an elevated set of land known as the motte. The motte was surrounded by a defensive ditch which also separated the motte from the palisade, this was known as the bailey. A bridge connected the motte to the lower bailey, this construct was meant to guarantee that the keep, the

the medieval castle What is a castle? A castle is a properly fortified military residence. Why were castles built? Initially, they were designed and built to hold down conquered territory. They also served to intimidate and strike fear into the local peoples, were places of refuge, and places for the lords to live. They were also impressive symbols of the power and wealth of their owners. How castles came to exist in Europe? Castles were brought

were simply 'mounds' of earth, and medieval castle designs improved on these basics - adding ditches in the Bailey design, which is the name given to the lay out of the castle. In Goodrich Castle the great hall was an important status symbol. Its cheer size and

Fire Fire was the best way to attack the early Motte and Bailey castles since they were made entirely of wood. The fire might be started by building a bonfire against the outer wooden fence (palisade) or, more usually, by archers shooting fire-arrows into the castle. As the fire spread through the castle those living inside would be forced to leave allowing the attackers to take them prisoner or kill them. This was one of the reasons why Motte and Bailey castles were soon replaced by Stone Keep castles

throughout time. A motte-and-bailey is a major part of our history, especially of castles. It was a form of castle on a raised surface that was surrounded by a ditch and protective fence. It was the most common form of castle in Europe in the 11th century in many places. The motte parts were mounds crowned by a tower. A ditch was around them and it was sometimes filled with water. Because of the mottes, it added another way of defence. Another way of technically describing a motte is a mound, natural