William The Conqueror,King Of England From 1066 To 1087 Built Lots Of Castles Around England.His First One Was Where He Landed In Pevensy .

The First Castles Were Mainly ‘Ringworks’Or ‘Motte And Bailey’Which Were Quick To Make.They Were Both Mainly Made Of Wood Which Had A Big Risk Of Them Catching Fire.

Attacking And Defending Castles!

• Fire Was The Best Way To Attack A Motte And Bailey Castle Because It Was Made Entirely Of Wood!Archers Would Shoot Fire-Arrows Into The Castle And The Inhabitants Would Have To Leave Or Risk Being Prisoner To The Attackers Or Being Killed By Them.

How And Why Did Castles Change?

• Because The Motte And Bailey Castles Were Being Burned Down So Much They Decided To Make A New Castle,The ‘Stone Keep’ Castle Fire Did Hardly Anything To It So They Had To Make New Ways To Attack It.

• From The Motte And Bailey Castles Towers Were Added To The Structure For Additional Defence And To Serve As A Final Retreat In Times Of Attack.The Earth and Timber Structures Gave Way To The Traditional Stone Structures.

• Castles Changed So Much,especially When They Were Attacked But The whole design Changed And The Structure.

An Example Of A Medieval Castle

• The first stone castles were usually centred on a large tower. The earliest known stone tower was built at Doué-la-Fontaine, France, in c.950. In 1079, work started on a great stone tower at London, now known as the White Tower, at the Tower Of London, and at a similar time at Colchester Castle. The great stone tower, donjon, or keep was much stronger than its timber predecessor, and its height gave defending soldiers a good view and better line of fire. A great tower provided secure storage for money and documents as well as offering more comfortable accommodation for the nobles.The White Tower At The Tower Of

London

Written By Francesca Best

7 Halela