Castles. The Normans were master castle builders. After 1066, England witnessed a massive castle building programme on the orders of William the Conqueror. First, motte and bailey castles were built. Once William had firmly established his rule in England, he built huge stone keep castles. By the time of Edward I, concentric castles were being built. Castles were a very good way for the Normans to expand their grip on the English people. Castles were a sign of Norman power and might. The castles also gave the Norman soldiers a safe place to live. Motte and bailey castles: made of woodquick to put upeasy to repairbig enough to house soldiers in safetyhad advantage of height as the castle was built on a motte; the Normans could see the English during the daya motte was a man-made hillyou could keep animals in one as a food supplyas they were high up, local peasants could easily see them But motte and bailey castles had a number of weaknesses : Square keep castles: made of stone so they lasted longer.
Castles - Year 7. Castles. Secrets of Lost Empires | Medieval Siege. Welcome to the companion Web site to the NOVA program "Medieval Siege," scheduled for broadcast on January 24, 2006. In the film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, a team of timber framers and other specialists design, build, and fire a pair of trebuchets, a devastating engine of war popular in the Middle Ages. Here's what you'll find online: Medieval Arms Race The trebuchet was only the most frightening of the weapons early European warriors employed in siege warfare. They also relied on battering rams, siege towers, tunnels - anything to gain access to a castle. Defenders, meanwhile, had a few tricks of their own. Medieval Arms Race | NOVA Builds a Trebuchet | Life in a Castle Destroy the Castle | Resources | Transcript Medieval Siege | Pharaoh's Obelisk | Easter Island | Roman Bath | China Bridge | Site Map NOVA Online | Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print.
Castles - Knights - Armor and Weaponry - Heraldry - Chivalry. Castle Learning Center. Stle Builder. Image Copyright 1995 by Educational Management Group, Inc. During the Medieval era of history, life was lived by a very different set of political, economic, and social rules. The only form of government was a Monarchy where the king or queen ruled by "divine right. " "Divine right" simply meant that God appointed the king or queen to rule with absolute power. The main economic system was Feudalism in which the king appointed a baron or knight to oversee a portion of his land in return for loyalty and protection in case of invasion. You are a Medieval Castle Builder living in Wales in the year 1076. The Baron wants his castle to not only be beautiful, but also the strongest castle of defense ever built.
Before you can begin the castle design, you must first become familiar with the Welsh people who are going to inhabit this castle. After researching and taking notes on what daily life in a Welsh castle is like, you will then begin the design of the Baron's new castle. Step 1 - Daily Life. Castles on the Web offers castle links, castle photos, castle site of the day, castles for kids, free castle web pages and more!