Medieval Castles By; Harrison Stein
Here is a picture of a stone keep castle.
Medieval Castles
Medieval castles for many centuries have been used as living places for people like kings and nobles and sometimes the regular person. Castles sometimes were also used for military reasons. There are three main types of castles a motte and bailey, stone keep, and concentric.
Motte and bailey castles were very simple castles because part of the castle, the bailey, was just built on a flat piece of land, and the other part, the motte, was built on a large mound of dirt with a wooden fort on top to watch over everything. For security, it had a mote and sometimes a drawbridge.
Stone keep castles were somewhat similar to motte and bailey castles, but instead of wood for fences and buildings, stone was used to build the walls. They used stone because it was cheap and stronger than wood. Stone keep castles contained a keep (the main building), a mote and a drawbridge, a barbican (a fence around the perimter), a great hall, and a bailey.
Concentric castles are like an even stronger version of the stone keep castle. They had outer and inner stone walls and multiple towers to fend off enemies from coming in. They also had an inner ward, a gate house, and an outer gate.
Medieval castles for many centuries have been used as living places for people like kings and nobles and sometimes the regular person. Castles sometimes were also used for military reasons. There are three main types of castles a motte and bailey, stone keep, and concentric.
Motte and bailey castles were very simple castles because part of the castle, the bailey, was just built on a flat piece of land, and the other part, the motte, was built on a large mound of dirt with a wooden fort on top to watch over everything. For security, it had a mote and sometimes a drawbridge.
Stone keep castles were somewhat similar to motte and bailey castles, but instead of wood for fences and buildings, stone was used to build the walls. They used stone because it was cheap and stronger than wood. Stone keep castles contained a keep (the main building), a mote and a drawbridge, a barbican (a fence around the perimter), a great hall, and a bailey.
Concentric castles are like an even stronger version of the stone keep castle. They had outer and inner stone walls and multiple towers to fend off enemies from coming in. They also had an inner ward, a gate house, and an outer gate.
Works Cited
"Castle." Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Britannica Student. Web. 24 Apr. 2013. <http://school.eb.com/all/elementary/article?articleId=352922&query=stone%20keep&ct=null>.
"Castle." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2013.
"Motte And Bailey." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.
"Stone Keep." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
"Castle." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2013.
"Motte And Bailey." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.
"Stone Keep." Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.