Despite this, "castle" sometimes denotes a citadel (such as the castles of Badajoz and Burgos) or small detached forts d'arret in modern times and, traditionally, in Britain it has also been used to refer to prehistoric earthworks
Definition
Castle comes from the Latin word castellum meaning "fortress". This is a diminutive of the word castrum, which means "fortified place".Read more >>
Purpose
Castles were built not only as a defensive measure and offensive weapon, but also as a home. They were used for the storage of food and the detention of prisoners.Read more >>
Defensive features
Most castles, from the earliest times, followed certain standards of design and construction. Central to the castle was the keep, or "donjon", the main commanding tower.Read more >>
Construction
Castle building was a very common task as boundaries were pushed and territory conquered. The walls would most commonly go up first, in order to protect workers such as stonemasons during later stages of construction.Read more >>
History
Early castles. From as early as late Neolithic times, people built hill forts to protect themselves. Many earthworks survive today, along with evidence of the use of palisades to accompany the ditches.Read more >>
Wooden castles: Motte-and-bailey
The earliest recorded structures universally acknowledged by historians as 'castles' were built of earth and wood in Northern France in probably the late 9th century.Read more >>
Stone structures
Although a minority, stone fortifications had also been built during the whole early Middle Ages. Sometimes Roman walls and ruins were re-used, as is the case at Portchester Castle, where a square Norman keep sits in the corner of a Roman fort.Read more >>
Concentric and linear castles
At this stage the crusades, and the consequent opportunities afforded to western engineers of studying the massive constructions of the Byzantine Empire, revolutionized the art of castlebuilding, which henceforward follows recognized principles.Read more >>
Response to advent of gunpowder
The advent of gunpowder in the Middle Ages signalled a change in the purpose of a castle - from it being purely a military building, it became increasingly a residential one.Read more >>