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Norman Keep Castles
The Norman keep was the core of 12th-century Western European castle defense: a thick-walled stone tower housing residence, granary, and command, com…
Timeline
- c. 1190–1200Dover Castle · KentIn the 1190s, keeps at places such as Dover commonly had their walls heightened, with arrow slits and inner courtyards perfected; the tower served both as a final redoubt and as the lord's residence, reflecting the standardization of Norman military architecture in the High Middle Ages.
- 1191–1192Various sites in Western Europe · Western EuropeDuring Richard I's crusade, castle keeps across England and France took on recruitment, grain storage, and rear-area defense functions, reinforcing the keep's status as a regional military hub.
Sources
- Castles and Fortified Cities of Medieval Europe: An Illustrated History — Jean-Denis G. G. Lepage (2002)
- The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: A Political and Social History — Norman J. G. Pounds (1990)