Why build and live in castles?
Definition of a castle: A castle is a fortified building or set of buildings used to provide permanent or temporary
protection and accomodation for kings and queens or important noblemen and their families.
The term castle usually refers to stone buildings constructed during the
Medieval period. The castle provided the centre for political and administrative power for the region.
 rom our definition of a castle we say that a castle is a well fortified and defendable place to live. But why did kings, barons and their families and supporters feel the need to live in castles during the medieval period?
Because a castle is a defendable place it means that the person living in it must have been concerned that they could
be attacked. There are three main reasons why a king or baron may have wanted to live in castle: -
- Danger of invasion by enemies from another country.
- Danger from rival groups within the country during a civil war.
- Danger from an uprising of the ordinary population of the country.
Of these three dangers the threat from civil war or the need to control the population were the main reasons
that the majority of castles were built in Europe. Although foreign invasions did occur not many castles
can be said to have built because of the fear of foreign invasion. Those that were are on the south and east coast
of England such as Dover and Portchester.
In England the Saxons had to cope with foreign invasions when the Vikings came to Britain and to protect themselves
they built defensive walls around their towns. Henry VIII built several strongholds along the south coast of England to defend
against an invasion from France but these fortifications can be described as forts rather than castles as they were
not designed to be lived in by the royal family or the barons.
After the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066 the Normans constructed a large number of motte and bailey castles across the country. William the Conqueror and his trusted barons built many of these castles across Britain to control the country’s newly subdued inhabitants. The danger came from an uprising by an unhappy population that outnumbered the Norman conquerors. The castles were required so that the Normans could remain safe and in control. Major castles were built in or near large centres of population. On the edge of London William the Conqueror had a massive square keep constructed as a reminder to the Londoners that he was their king. Similarly castles were built in Exeter, York and at other
important medieval cities. William also built castles at strategic locations such as important river crossings and crossroads.
Conflicts occurred mainly between the following groups: -
- The king and barons who were upset by his rule.
- Opposing branches of the same royal family.
- Rival barons.
Royal and Baronial Castles
This brings us to the question of who owned the castles?
The castles can generally be split into two categories, royal and baronial either being built and
owned by the king or built by a baron with or sometimes without the permission of the king.
William the Conqueror built many castles in or near existing Saxon towns to enforce his control. In many instances Saxon houses were demolished to make room for the new castle.
Below is a table showing some examples of castles built shortly after the Norman Invasion of 1066 within or just
outside the defensive walls of existing Saxon towns.
Those castles that were built within the town's walls were constructed alongside the walls rather than
in the centre of the population. This may have been a tactical decision to allow a means of escape
if the local town's people rose up against the king. Castles usually had a postern gate which was a small gate through
which a small number of people could exit the castle unseen. Others had secret tunnels.
| Castle Name |
Date |
Notes |
On this site |
| London (The Tower) | 1078 | Inside city, connected to existing town walls | |
| Cambridge Castle | 1068 | | |
| Chester Castle | | | |
| Lincoln Castle | 1068 | | |
| Oxford Castle | | | |
| York Castle | 1068 | Two castles built | |
To be continued...
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