What are the different types of castles?
What are the different types of castles?
I believe that if you want to know the castles at a minimum, you should know the types of castles built during the middle ages because if you don't know the types of castles you cannot consider yourself someone who knows enough about the castles or a good historian. The three main types of castles are:
- Motte and Bailey castle: they were the earliest form of medieval castles built completely from scratch by the Normans. As their name suggests they had two parts the Motte and the Bailey.
The Motte was a large hill made of earth on which was built a wooden keep or lookout. The outer edge was then surrounded with a large wooden fence called a palisade.
Concentric castle: the Concentric castle was developed in the 12th and 13th Centuries and offered the best protection against attack.
The main feature of the concentric medieval castle is its walls. An inner wall built of thick stone with turrets positioned at intervals is then surrounded by an equally thick but lower stone wall. The walls are built at different levels so that archers on the inner walls can fire over the archers on the outer walls.
Stone keep castle: this type of medieval castle soon replaced the Motte and Bailey castles as it offered a better form of defence. A stone keep was the central feature, with thick walls and few windows. Entrance to the keep was by stone steps leading to the first floor. The kitchens were situated on the ground floor while living quarters were on the upper floors.
The first keeps were rectangular in shape but later ones were often circular. The Stone Keep would be surrounded by a thick stone wall containing turrets for lookouts.