Were castles built for protection?

They were designed to be difficult to attack and easy to defend. Castles protected owners from rivals and invaders; however, castles were also used to protect the local citizens. Early castles were built in the 9th and 10th centuries and were constructed of earth and wood; usually constructed on higher ground.



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Traditionally keeps were built as a type of fortified tower built by European nobility. Keep's were built within castles during the Middle Ages and they were used as a refuge or last resort should the rest of the castle fall to enemies.

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One of the most important features in a castle was its walls. Whether made of wood, stone or brick, they provided a barrier to enemy attackers. They typically included wall walks, which were used by the defenders to resist attempts to scale the walls or to shoot missiles at the besiegers.

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Castles were great defences against the enemy. However, when gunpowder was invented the castles stopped being an effective form of defence. By the end of the 1300s gunpowder was widely in use. The medieval castle with its high vertical walls was no longer the invincible fortification it had been.

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After their victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans settled in England. They constructed castles all over the country in order to control their newly-won territory, and to pacify the Anglo-Saxon population.

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Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

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THE SOLDIERS They'd be commanded by the constable or castellan, who stood in for the owner and lived in his own rooms (there's a Constable's Gate at Dover Castle). The soldiers slept in a dormitory.

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In addition to hidden passages, many castles had secret chambers that were used to store important documents or valuables. These chambers were often well hidden and could only be accessed through a secret door or trapdoor.

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