History of Castles

The word 'castle' is originated from the Latin word 'castellum', which is short for 'castrum' meaning a fortified place. Castle was supposed to be a place where prisoners were detained. Interestingly, it was in these castles that knights or lords could hold entertainment programs.

Originally built for purposes of defense, they soon came to be built as comfortable homes for monarchs. Soon the aesthetics gained importance because the castle sizes began to be associated with the occupant's prestige. The Windsor Castle stands as an example of a castle built for defense purposes, that now is the residence of the British Queen.

Most of the castles of the early days used the motte-and-bailey design. A circular hill surrounded by a dry ditch and flattened at the top characterized this type of design. A horseshoe-shaped bailey was attached to the mound. Around the summit of the mound, a palisade of timber was constructed to act as a wall. Inside the palisade, a citadel was constructed.

A curtain wall surrounded castles of the olden days. A reinforced shield wall often supplemented this wall. There were many gates for the castle and a drawbridge guarded the main entrance. This made it difficult for the intruders to enter the castle. The parapets, which projected over the main gate, could be used to drop missiles or boiling liquids on the enemies. A stronghold, the tallest and the strongest building in the interior, served as the final recourse for the occupants of the castle. Apart from being the place of utmost safety, the stronghold was also a status symbol.

Since hundreds of years before Christ, that is, in the Neolithic Age, people have been constructing hill forts. Roman forts were among some of the early constructions. They build forts, which were generally rectangular and had rounded corners. According to the Roman engineer Vitruvias; rounded corners enabled a more efficient use of stone. Moreover, the roundedness of the corners increased their capacity to defend the siege engines, which were meant to break down the fortification walls. Rounded corners also improved the field of fire.

In the 9th century, some of the earliest castles were built. Wood, earth and stone were used in their construction. Many of the Roman constructions were converted into castles during the Middle Ages. Stone began to replace wood with the need of better protection, in the 10th century.

With the emergence of feudalism, castles received impetus. Castles were then the residences of lords, a protection for their followers. In the 11th century, the British Isles were introduced to castles. With his Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror conceptualized the building of castles to protect lands.

Every construction involves a human element. It requires human intellect to ideate the structure, and the creativity in human hands, which bring the idea into reality. Castles couldn’t be an exception. The building of castles required ditch diggers, masons, carpenters and stonecutters. The construction required engineers. In spite of the introduction of medieval machines to the process of construction, castles would often take years to complete. In case of shortage of stones, castles were built from bricks. Brick castles are prominent in the Baltic and the Scandinavian regions.

Previously, castles were constructions meant to serve military purposes. The style of their construction underwent reform with the passage of time. Today, many castles in different parts of the world are tourist attractions.