When a person thinks of the “Key to England” they most likely think of a key given to a person who had done something spectacular. But the phrase is talking about a castle. The “Key to England” is also known as Dover Castle. It is one of the largest and most spectacular castles in England. Dover Castle is located in Dover, England (“Dover Castle”). It sits on Chalk Hill. Chalk Hill gets its name because of the chalk white cliffs it sits on that overlook the ocean. Dover Castle was significant to history because of the rich history that took place at it. Dover Castle started at as a light house. It was built by the Roman Empire to guide ships into the harbour. William the Conqueror strengthened his defences with an earthwork and timber-stockaded castle (“Dover Castle”). Doing this is extraordinary idea considering back in those days lighthouses were not popular. William the Conqueror was smart by picking out the spot which is the shortest sea crossing between England and the Continent.
The lighthouse remained how it was until the 1180’s. During this time is the rise of King Henry II. Henry II saw the opportunity to build a enormous castle at this spot. He started remodeling the castle how he wanted it. He built a three story
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“Most strongly fortified by man and nature”, Dover Castle was held for King John by Hubert De Burgh, Justiciar of England, with a strong garrison of 140 knights and many more soldiers. Hubert was well suited for the task. Unlike John’s hated foreign mercenaries, he was an Englishman from Norfolk, with a track record of defending fortresses. In 1204-05 he”d held John’s French castle of Chinon for a year against Prince Louis’s father, until its walls were flattened by siege engines (Alvarez). Sounds like Hubert was the right man for the
Philibert de Chandee who led the French mercenaries given to Henry played a crucial role in the defeat of Richard at Bosworth. Following Richard’s reckless charge at Henry in the hope that he would be able to kill Henry in hand to hand fighting, Chandee manage...
A typical feature of a concentric castle is the protective wood work at the top of the walls. We cannot tell whether this was a feature of Portchester Castle because any evidence would have rotted away.
For many the Cathedral is seen to indicate the grandeur and control of the Normans, who were able to build such monuments to their power despite having only recently conquered England. The precarious situation of being an recently instated alien power was even more pronounced in the north, where even the Anglo Saxon Kings had only had a superficial hold, arguably making the construction of Durham “one of the greatest Anglo-Norman achievements”. This so-called achievement is not restricted to architecture but also refers to the political developments which enabled the Normans to apparently gain enough control to do this within 30 years. However the study of Durham Cathedral alone cannot suffice to give a satisfactory outline of Norman politics and the achievements in Durham and must be put into the context of the region. Hence Durham Cathedral and all its powerful connotations can be argued to only be an anomaly to the reality of Norman England and its politics.
Royal monarchs did not start living on the grounds until several hundred years after its construction. In 1220 Henry III began to largely expand on the royal palace and increased the castle defenses. When the tower did become a common place for monarchs, it also became a new stage for climatic events in England. The palace became a place for royal ceremonies and drama. The casual attributes of the tower like the armory, treasury, temple, the castles green and even an added Jewel house were all made mo...
The Seige of 1216 and Dover Castle "THE SIEGE OF 1216 BROUGHT ABOUT LITTLE REAL CHANGE TO DOVER CASTLE.
William, I was born in 1028 and was the illegitimate child of the Duke of Normandy, Robert I and a local tanner. He spent most of his life in battle and in hiding from the hazard of rebel attacks he used Henry I of France's help to survive and attain jurisdiction and regulation. William the Conqueror introduced new languages, laws, defenses, and cultures into Medieval England thus creating the way that modern society
William I, better known as William the Conqueror, began his medieval and political career at a young age when his father left him to go on a crusade. Effectively William became the Duke of Normandy. He had to fight against other members of the Norman royalty who desired William's land and treasure. William learned at an early age that the men who ruled Europe during the middle ages were primarily interested in their own greed at the expense of all else, including the concepts chivalry and honor. He soon became a feared military commander, conquering all in Normandy who would oppose his interests. Also an excellent statesman, William planed a visit across the channel to England, so that he might meet with the elderly King Edward the Confessor, who had no obvious successors to his throne. It is hard to say what actually transpired during that meeting, due to a lack of historical records. However, what we do know comes down to us from the magnificent Bayeux tapestry. Believed to have been commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, it is in fact not a tapestry at all, but a long (230 feet long, 20 inches wide) embroidery. The Bayeaux tapestry is a pictorial history of the events leading up to and including William's victory at the battle of Hastings in 1066. At any rate the tapestry tells us that William was given the consent of Edward the Confessor, King of England, to rule the country after Edward's death. Furthermore, the tapestry also shows scenes of the Earl of Wessex Harold, swearing, on relics, before William, that he would not take the throne of England. Edward died and Harold took the throne, in spite of any prior arrangement with William of Normandy. William, gathered his armies and set...
A: Bayeux Tapestry is one of the famous pieces of tapestry in the medieval time period. This tapestry is now on display in Bayeux in Normandy, France. It showed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It tells the battle of Hastings, Williams reasoning on why he invaded, the set-up for the battle, and the battle itself. The Bayeux Tapestry was important because of its size (Truman). There were 72 scenes and each one told a part of the story. It took 70 years to finish this tapestry with dimensions of 20 inches high and 250 feet long (Mr. Donn).
All of the castles on the european continent were constructed long before the Elizabethan era by the Normans (citizens of Normandy). These castles were built purely to make the Normans look strong and mighty, not much different from the Elizabethans. Majority of these castles were constructed around 1100, almost 50 years after the Norman invasion of
"William the Conqueror." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 2.
William was very powerful being the Duke of Normandy, and as soon as he was knighted at the a...
In 1047 a serious rebellion of nobles occurred, and William with the aid of King Henry of France, gained a great victory at Val-ès-Dunes, near Caen. Which led to the capture of the two strong castles of Alençon and Domfront. Using this as his base of operations, the young duke, in 1054 made himself master of the province of Maine and became the most powerful vassal of the French Crown, able on occasion to bid defiance to the king himself. William even married Matilda, the daughter of the Earl of Flanders, in 1053,in spite of the papal prohibition.
As a king, William replaced disloyal nobles and ducal servants with his friends and limited internal rebellion. His reign ensured flourish to the Norman church due to his adoption of English structure to the church. He built castles including the Tower of London to hold the country securely. In his final 15 years of life, he was more frequent Normandy than in England and would stay long without paying a visit to the kingdom. He was later taken to Rouen where he lay for five weeks dying.
The first castles built (Motte and Bailey) were made of wood and quick to build, but they were burnt and worn down easily, so the next castles were made of stone. (Square keeps) They were tall, strong, large and lasted long, but attackers would surround the castle and wait for ages for the people inside to come out. The third castles (Shell Keeps) were even stronger, but because they were made of heavy stone, they might collapse. So finally, the fourth castles (concentric) were built and they were the strongest, largest most defensive and most expensive castles built.
It has earned the name “Chateau” which in French means, “Castle”. When the Chateau was first constructed in 1623, it was constructed as a hunting lodge made of brick, stone, and slate (3-1 Internet 3). When the New Chateau was constructed around 1631, it was decorated in the Baroque style. The style expressed the power and authority of the head of state. Baroque architecture combined in new ways with classical and renaissance elements as columns, arches, and capitals.