Castles in the late ten and thirteenth centuries

Derived from the Latin word “castellum,” the word “castle” means fortified area. In early Europe, castles were located in Britain in 1066, some time after William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings . Each castle followed more or less the same kind of setup: firstly, a vast tower was located on top of a hill whenever possible to have the ability to view its surroundings clearly. This tower served as living quarters for the lord, his servants, and his family. Surrounding the tower was an outer wall with turrets that enclosed the main building. The outer wall was surrounded by kitchens, houses, buttery, stores, brew-houses, blacksmiths, barns, and frequently barracks for the guards of the castle. This left a gap which was often used as a courtyard, between the outer wall and the castle itself. Surrounding the outer wall was a moat, which was a large ditch filled with water to act as a barrier against intruding enemies. To enter, one had to use a drawbridge, which was lowered over the moat and built between two turret-like towers attached to the outer wall. Between the towers was a gate trimmed with spikes at the bottom used to not only shut the gate but also to harm any enemy that trespassed under it. Even though most castles had the same basic layout, they had different styles due to the involvement of different contractors. Castles from the late thirteenth century were superior from previous ones in late tenth century in terms of structure, their purpose and who used them.
Castles from the late tenth century were not as developed as those in the late thirteenth century in terms of architectural structure. Castles were built in strategic locations, such as high areas of land, in order to view incoming enemies. In some cases...

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...d them. They advanced from wooden to strong stone structures and from a square shape to an improved tactical circular shape. The buildings were primarily structures used for defense in the often difficult and uncertain times of the late tenth century. As time continued, however, the need for protection against invaders was not as great a priority and castles evolved accordingly. Instead, they became structures that symbolized great power and wealth for their owners and became residential estates. The types of people that used castles altered, since in the late tenth century, lords and kings used them. However, over time, wealthy people of the thirteenth century used castles. As times changed and development occurred for people in the tenth century, castles were modified and due to this they evolved into the superior structures they became in the thirteenth century.