Castles Essay -- essays research papers fc

The fort, a strong match structure, which invokes images of kings and knights, dragons and princesses, is such an integral part of medieval fib. One cannot think history without thinking about the newspaper columning structures of treasure that dominated the green landscapes of the past. These stone monoliths served many purposes readyings of government, defense, symbols of power, and homes. Just as it has varied purposes, the castles diverse and interesting history, from exact wooden structures to the behemoth structures of rock and mortar that we associate with the word Castle.The castles development cannot be pinpointed to a particular year or location, though the first castle is widely accepted as existence Dou-la-Fontaine and Langeais in the Loire Valley of France. Both these castles were originally stone fortifications that served as homes to topical anaesthetic warring Counts. As time went on and their feuding got more violent, their homes got more impressive, sever ally count adding levels and stones to their homes. This one-upmanship continued until, at some point, the homes became what is considered the first castle, the motte and bailey.The Motte and Bailey Castles started out simple, ordinarily just wooden buildings, which relied on natural defenses such as rivers or hills to pr gist attacks. Oft times rivers were even diverted to add wasted protection, and as a steady water supply in the event of a siege. But always somebody had to do better in short they were adding mounds, banks ditches, and whatever else would trip up invaders. Earthworks, as they were cal conduct, could be mounds, also called mottes, or hollow circles of dirt, called ringworks. In the case of a motte, a wooden tower usually topped it while a ringwork enclosed structures protected by a wooden palisade, or fence. Nonetheless, in each instance, earth was take away from the perimeter, leaving a ditch, which further impeded attackers. Eventually these two types of earth works were feature into one castle, the traditional Motte and Bailey. Baileys being a large level eye socket surrounded by a ringwork, with a Motte connecting. The bailey often contained a hall, buildings for livestock, a forge and armory, and a chapel. The Motte and Bailey castles were also very quick and easy to construct, and provided a look-out post, in addition to, ad... ... proceeded at a more leisurely pace, seemly more of a hobby than a necessity. However, there were times when a castle or two discouraged an invading force or to quell a rebellious population. These changes in society gradually led to the decline of the castle as an institution. Where castles had once served an important position as a fortress, city hall, and home, these functions were now being better served by opposite buildings at reduced costs. Nobles tired of playing the my castle is bigger grainy and searched elsewhere for more comfortable homes. And forts manned by professional soldiers assimilat ed the tariff of defending areas. Luckily, some castles remained, serving as a centre for local anaesthetic administration or as prisons long after they had ceased being cool. round castles were upgraded into opulent palaces, but this cost a boatload, and it was oft cheaper just to build a new home, often cannibalizing the old castles for building material.BibliographyBradbury, Jim. The Medieval Siege. The Boydell Press. Woodbridge, 1992.Brown, R. Allen. The architecture of Castles A Visual Guide. Facts On File Publications. New York, 1984.Steele, Philip. Castles. Kingfisher. New York, 1995.