Castles In The Middle Ages

Modern advancements have made castles obsolete, but they live on as people are continually mesmerized by the history. Many castles live on today as historic landmarks and museums. Some modern castles are home to many wealthy people. Although different castles have found different uses, all castles built before modern times had the same idea when they were first constructed. This main idea was defense. As offensive military forces developed more effective methods of attacks, defensive strategist had to rethink their defenses. Castles were one of the most crucial defensive advancements made, fortifying buildings that provided protection from attacks. Throughout the middle ages as oncoming attackers developed new strategies of attacks, defenders redesigned their

These castles are known as Motte and Bailey castles and are made of two parts. The Motte was one half and the Bailey was the other. These castles are simplistically constructed from readily available material, and were normally built in short period of time. The Motte was a large hill made of earth. This hill was man-made most of the time, but a natural hill would serve the same purpose after it was shaped into the required shape. On top of the hill, a wooden keep or lookout was built. Essentially the keep was a very large tower that overlooked the bailey. The outer edge of the upper hill was surrounded with a large wooden fence called a palisade , adding an extra barrier of protection. The Bailey was separated from the Motte by a wooden bridge that could be removed if the Bailey was occupied by enemies. The Bailey was the part of the castle where people lived and animals were kept. To give added protection to the castle, both the Motte and Bailey would be surrounded by a large ditch, sometimes filled with water. In order to access the castle, a drawbridge would have to lower in order to cross the