Why were castles built?
Why were castles built?
They could defend from attacks as well as they can prepare to send attacks of their own from their castles and to protect people of the king. The first castle built was the Citadel of Aleppo (Syria) in c.3000 BCE. In Britain the first castles were built by the Normans. The Normans introduced the first proper castles, starting with the wooden Motte and Bailey castles, to England following their victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and in Spain the first castle built was the Alcázar of Segovia is a medieval alcázar located in the city of Segovia (Castile and León, Spain) in c.early 12th century. The first castles were built by the Normans.They needed to protect their new kingdom, so as a result the early years of Norman occupation saw a frenzy of castle building. The Norman timber Motte and Bailey castles were quickly replaced by permanent stone Norman castles.
Why did they stop building castles?
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.