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European Feudal Castles
Feudal castles were the core facilities of lordly power and military defense in 11th-century Western Europe, with the Normans building stone castles …
Timeline
- c. 1041–1050the English-Norman border · EnglandAfter Edward the Confessor's accession, Norman nobles accelerated the construction of stone keeps and timber palisade outer wards in southern England and the Welsh Marches to consolidate their fiefs and guard against Welsh raids, significantly increasing the number of feudal castles.
- 1000–1100the French-German border · FranceMotte-and-bailey castles became widely popular among lesser lords for their rapid construction and low cost: a timber tower atop an artificial mound, with an enclosing timber palisade around the bailey, forming the basic model of feudal demesne defense and administration.
Sources
- The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Political and Social History — Brown, R. Allen (1989)