How and why did Castles change
during the Medieval Ages?
Getting ready to build our own castles!
Learning outcomes for the Extended
Homework Project
This half term you will look into the major changes in
medieval castles and the reasons behind these.
Through a number of different tasks you will discover just
how important castles were to medieval people, what made
them strong and what impact they had on people’s lives at
the time.
Finally you will use your understanding to design and make a
model of your very own castle showing just what you have
learnt about what makes a castle successful and strong.
Perseverance
Making good use of
resources
Planning learning in
advance
What’s the link between these?
Answer
All these things have
something to do with
PROTECTION!
Medieval Castles
Between 1066 – 1500
over 1,500 castles
were built in England
and Wales. Over this
time the way they were
built changed a great
deal. Most of the
reasons castles
changed were because
attackers found new
ways of breaking into
them. Castle defences
needed to change to
keep these attackers
out.
Background - Norman conquest!
•
King William I defeated the
Saxons at the Battle of Hastings
and spent the next 20 years
•
During this time he built over
100 Motte and Bailey Castles.
•
These were important bases to
protect Norman troops and keep
an eye on local unrest.
William’s immediate problems
• Geography
• Language
• A hostile population
Motte and Bailey Castles!
When William came over from Normandy he quickly
began building Motte and Bailey castles.
Although quick and simple to build, the Motte and Bailey
castle also had weaknesses.
Because this type of
castle was built from
wood it could easily
be set on fire and
would rot over time.
Sooner or later an enemy would realize the weaknesses
of these castles, so a more permanent solution was
needed.
The end of the Motte and Bailey
The Normans quickly set about building castles made
of stone. These type of castles were called Square
Keep castles.
Why do you think this spelt the end of Motte and Bailey castles?
The Motte was too weak to hold the huge weight of
the stone castles.
Inside a stone keep castle
What was life like inside a Stone Keep castle?
Life in a stone keep castle was better than in a Motte
and Bailey… but not by much!
There was more room inside, but it
was still draughty and much of the
castle was built around the idea of
defence, not luxury. The walls were
4 metres thick in places.
Stone Keep castles were also extremely heavy. This
meant that they couldn't be built on the old Motte and
Bailey castle sites, because the man-made Motte
would not support the weight of all the stone!
Life in the castle
“We get up around 6 a.m. It is cold and damp by
then and my limbs are stiff from sleeping on the
floor, I have to remember to remove any strands
of hay which get stuck in my clothes as I sleep on
them. While the men make the fires, I go down to
the stores to get food for the Lord and Lady’s
breakfast. I open the shutters in the Lord’s
bedroom and help Lady Jane get dressed. I send
for one of the castle boys as the guardrobe is
smelling terribly and the pit needs clearing.”
Mary Smith, 1115.
Is this account reliable? Why?
Does it add anything useful to your knowledge of castle
life?
A Medieval
Castle
Bailey – A safe place
to shelter during an
attack
Merlons – raised
stonework
Keep ~ Walls
2.5 m thick
Wall Towers ~
with splay
bottoms
Crenels
Curtain
Wall
Round
Towers
Moat
Gatehouse
with a
drawbridge
at the front.
Arrow Slits
Hoarding with
leather cover ~
used to protect
the towers and
walls when
being attacked
Further castle developments
Stone keep castles were good, but they still had
weaknesses. Because they were built with corners, they
could be easily weakened if an enemy tunnelled
underneath and collapsed the tunnel.
This would cause the keep’s edges to fall through the
ground into the tunnel, and cause the keep to either
lean over or collapse!
What solutions do you think there might be to this
design problem?
The solution actually came from the Crusades! The
Crusaders, Christian knights who had fought in distant
countries, brought back a new type of castle design with
them.
These were Concentric castles with circular towers. This
meant the castle had a layered defence of many towers.
There were few corners and so enemies mining beneath
was less of a problem.
Later on, comfort became
more important as life in
England became less violent.
Some castles were just
fortified stately homes.
How did castles develop?
Main Task
• Your task is to design and build a
miniature medieval castle. Use the
information in this PowerPoint to help
you decide the best way to approach
this.
• It is your choice which style of castle
you decide to make (Motte and Bailey,
Stone Keep, etc…).
• You must submit your castle by no later
than Friday 12th December to your
History teacher. Castles bigger than an
A4 sheet of paper will not be
accepted!
• Good luck and happy building!
G&T Focus:
The model could be of an
existing castle and will
include supporting evidence
such as labels and historical
information to go with your
castle, this could be in the
form of a fact sheet, a
written account or even a
visitor guide book
Level 3: Show knowledge and understanding of some of
the main changes studied.
• Begin to give a few reasons for, and results of, the
main events and changes.
Level 4: describe some of the main events, people and
periods studied.
• Identify some causes and consequences of the main
events and changes
Level 5: describe features of past societies and periods
in the context of developing chronological framework.
Begin to recognise and describe the nature and extent
of change and continuity.
Begin to recognise why some events, people and
changes might be judged as more historically
significant than others.
What makes a strong castle?
What could you put into your
design?