(In Pics) The Evolution of the Medieval Castle

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Castles were a key feature of medieval life, and a familiar sight on the medieval landscape. Originally strictly defensive structures, they evolved over hundreds of years into administrative centers, storehouses, and noble courts, all married to the last word in defensive technology.

Here is what a castle looked like through the years.

1. Motte and Bailey

*The castles of the* *Norman Conquest* of England a thousand years ago were relatively small and simple. A single earthern mound, called a motte, would be the key defensive point for a larger area which surrounded it, known as a bailey, such as here at Wiston Castle in *Wales. Construction was mostly of wood (Lucy Sheers /* *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

2. Norman Keep

*The Normans brought their continental innovations to England with their victory over the* *Saxons*, and one of the most visible was the square Norman Keep. With its small windows, high featureless walls and brutalist aesthetic, it would have seemed forbidding and utterly alien to the locals. This is the keep of Porchester Castle (geni / *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

3. Towers, Bastions, Barbicans

Gradually castles grew and defensive innovations were applied. Towers were circular in shape, the better to deflect cannon fire, and placed to overlook each other and provide supporting fire. Other developments focused on the gate to the *castle*, and turned a traditional weak spot into a murderous trap. Attackers at Lewes Castle, for instance, would be funneled into the route below the barbican, where they would be slaughtered (Charlesdrakew / *Public Domain*)

4. Concentric Castles: The Last Word in Power

*The eventual peak of evolution for such designs resulted in castles with layers of defensive walls, creating effectively a castle within a castle. Attackers at Harlech Castle, one of* *Edward I’s* *great castles in Wales, for example, would have to face two levels of defenders, and even if they managed to take the outer courtyard they risked being trapped (Jeff Buck /* *CC BY-SA 2.0*)

5. Bigger is Better

Castles by now were status symbols, projections of power placed at elevated points on the landscape as a visible reminder of your ruler as much as for defense. And bigger was certainly better: a larger castle could survive attack more easily, store more food for a longer siege, and act as a bigger and more efficient center for your bureaucracy. The great crusader castle of *Krak des Chevaliers, overlooking the pilgrim route to* *Jerusalem, is one of the largest and strongest castles ever built (Nev1 /* *CC BY 2.0*)

6. The Gothic: Time for Something More Comfortable

Castles up to this point have been brutally focused fortified defensive structures, but as time wore on the disadvantages of such cold, drafty and dark buildings became apparent. We may associate Gothic castles with ghosts and goblins, but that was a much later interpretation. The original architects were just trying to make them nice to live in, with big windows, bigger fireplaces, and large, airy rooms, such as with Corvin Castle in *Romania* *(Andrei Stroe /* *CC BY-SA 4.0*)

7. The Rise of the Palace

Eventually castles would become something else entirely. Fortified only in token areas to keep the military aesthetic, they became great palaces with pleasure gardens and large, comfortable quarters for the occupants. The Tudors under *Henry VIII* *became very excited by building in brick, which allowed them to build larger, faster and more impressive structures than ever before, such as here at Hampton Court near* *London* *(Steve Cadman /* *CC BY-SA 2.0*)

8. Flights of Fancy

*Some castles were built simply to look good. The great castle of* *Neuschwanstein* in Germany looks stunning perched high on a crag above the dark Bavarian forest, but it is purest artifice. The great vaulted ceilings of the interior are supported by hidden wooden beams, and the castle itself is a thing of beauty, not of warfare any more (Softeis / *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

9. A Final Military Application: The Star Fort

By this time, if you wanted a castle built that would make for an effective defensive fighting platform, you were going to end up with something very different. Modern Star Forts such as this Portuguese example in *Sri Lanka* blend old and new ideas, using earthen mounds to provide support for their low, difficult to hit buildings. The points of the stars provided mutual support, and no one could attack without coming under withering fire from all around (*Dmitry* */ Adobe Stock)*

Top Image: The enormous Caernarfon Castle in Wales. Source: Peter_Glyn / Public Domain.

By Joe Green

References

Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More

Edward I fort Gothic Hampton Court Neuschwanstein Norman conquest Star Fort United Kingdom