How important were castles in medieval society?

Castle Facts

• There are some 4000 medieval castles throughout the United Kingdom today.
• William the Conqueror realised the importance of castles after he invaded England and seized the throne. As soon as William invaded England in 1066, he started to build castles at an unprecedented scale – some 700 in fact.
• The early castles were a Norman invention and were called motte and bailey castles.
• They consisted of a fortified tower called a keep built atop a motte or small earth hill built by the soldiers.
• The keep was  made of stone or wood.
• The bailey was an enclosed courtyard surrounded by a wall called a palisade made from wooden stakes. They were fast and cheap to build, often atop the ruins of Roman fortresses.
• Timber castles were very vulnerable to attacks using fire, and the wood would eventually start to rot.
• King William ordered that castles should be built in stone replacing many of the original timber ones.
• The strategic location of the castle was very important.
• Castles could serve as a centre for local government, administration and justice, and of course defence.
• Powerful lords sometimes used lavish architectural styles and decoration in their castles to display their wealth.
• The majority of castles were granted by the king to his loyal lords and nobles along with large areas of land. In return for these grants, the king expected his nobles to control and administer these lands on his behalf.
• A wide group of people contributed to the castle’s function from constables, masons, blacksmiths and servants, and many more skilled trades people.

Decision-maker! What sort of castle would you build?