| Why did stone castles replace the motte and bailey castles? Timber, one of the two materials from which motte and bailey castles were built (the other being earth), was perishable (rots) and, more importantly, vulnerable to fire. A more durable and resistant medium was required and that was provided by stone. Compared to the motte and bailey, stone castles were larger taller and more reliable for defence purposes. They gave better protection against attack, fire and cold rainy weather. Why did they stop building castles? Castles were great defences against the enemy. 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. Why was gunpowder so effective? The use of gunpowder made both castles and city walls much more vulnerable because a cannon could knock down the stone walls. The only way to knock down walls before the invention of gunpowder was to dig under the walls to make them unstable. This was a highly dangerous way to do it especially as you might get boiling hot tar poured over you from above! 
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FAQs
1. : a large building usually with high, thick walls and towers that was built in the past to protect against attack. 2. informal : a large expensive house.
What were the 4 main reasons that castles were built? ›
Medieval Castle s were built from the 11th century CE for rulers to demonstrate their wealth and power to the local populace, to provide a place of defence and safe retreat in the case of attack, defend strategically important sites like river crossings, passages through hills, mountains, and frontiers, and as a place ...
What are the 3 main castles? ›
The three main types of castles are the motte and bailey castle, the stone keep castle, and the concentric castle.
How many castles exist? ›
We often readily associate castles with medieval England, picturing knights, moats, drawbridges - perhaps even a damsel in distress and a dragon or two. So it may surprise you to learn that, of the roughly one million castles in the world, Germany holds the most - 25,000 of them, to be exact!
Who built the oldest castle? ›
The first castles
Even before the battle, William the Conqueror built a castle at Hastings, near his landing place. Over the next 150 years, the Normans covered the country with them, and built around 1,000 in England and Wales.
Who built castles and why? ›
Medieval castles were designed to be both defensive structures and the residences of noblemen. From the very first earthwork enclosures built by the Normans after the invasion of 1066, castles were as much about status as they were about war.
What are castles named after? ›
The answers are varied; as well as English place-names, these grand buildings owe their names to a Danish princess, French and Scottish nobility, an Indian fortress, the Latin language, a rebel leader and even one of the disciples...
What is a castle 🏰? ›
a fortified, usually walled residence, as of a prince or noble in feudal times. 2. the chief and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval city. 3. a strongly fortified, permanently garrisoned stronghold.
Who rules a castle? ›
The most important person in a castle was the owner —the king, lord, knight or lady.
Why did castles stop being built? ›
When cannons were introduced, castles were not strong enough to withstand the impact of cannon balls so they didn't offer important people much protection. The royal family, nobles and clan chiefs left their castles to live in in more comfortable homes, like grand houses and palaces.
As a result, true castles went into decline and were replaced by artillery star forts with no role in civil administration, and château or country houses that were indefensible.
How long did a castle take to build? ›
The time it took to build a castle depended largely on the style of castle, but most could be constructed in under 10 years and some in as little as 2-3 years. It's important to remember that castles were built for strength, and that relatively little of the structure was ornamental (or even comfortable).
What do castles symbolize? ›
Worldwide, castles have had many purposes and meanings. They may be coveted possessions of strategic and political importance, symbolising power, sovereignty and conquest. They are sites of attack, defence, vigilance; places of imprisonment, but conversely also of protection, sanctuary and refuge.
What is special about a castle? ›
A castle could act as a stronghold and prison but was also a place where a knight or lord could entertain his peers. Over time the aesthetics of the design became more important, as the castle's appearance and size began to reflect the prestige and power of its occupant.
Who created the castles? ›
After their victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans settled in England. They constructed castles all over the country in order to control their newly-won territory, and to pacify the Anglo-Saxon population.
What makes a castle a real castle? ›
A castle is fundamentally two things, a residence for a laird, and a place that offers significant protection. If it's only one or the other, that's problematic. A grand building with no defensive features would be a palace, chateau or country house.
