Norman castle (motte-and-bailey)

Timeline

1. c. 980–1010Normandy · NormandyAt the end of the 10th century Norman lords built motte-and-bailey castles in large numbers across their domains, with wooden towers commanding high mounds and palisaded courtyards garrisoning troops and storing grain, becoming the standard means of controlling the countryside and key routes.
2. c. 1011–1020Normandy and northwestern France · FranceIn the early 11th century Norman nobles continued building motte castles to consolidate fief boundaries; archaeology and documents show a marked rise in castle density in Normandy during this period, accumulating engineering and garrison experience for the subsequent cross-channel conquest of England.
3. c. 1066–1100England · EnglandAfter the Battle of Hastings, William I and his vassals built motte castles on a large scale in England to suppress resistance and control key routes; early forms such as Windsor and the Tower of London derived from this model, profoundly reshaping England's military geography.
4. c. 1100–1200Western Europe · Western EuropeAdvances in siege technology and the threat of fire in the 12th century prompted lords to reinforce or replace timber-and-earth structures with stone keeps and walls, completing the motte castle's transition to the medieval stone castle.