The bailey was the area occupied by vassals in the service of the castle’s lord. Like the keep, wooden palisades were later replaced by stone walls. The bailey was protected by a wooden palisade, which was in turn surrounded by a ditch. This is seen, for instance, in Warkworth Castle and Windsor Castle, both of which are in England. In some castles, the motte may have several baileys. The second element of the castle, the bailey, is an enclosed courtyard built next to the motte. The primary reception area, or great hall, was located on the next story, whilst the top story housed the lord’s private apartments. Some keeps consisted of several stories, the lowest one being used for services, such as storage or kitchen facilities. Stone castles, however, required considerably more time and manpower to construct. Later on, however, medieval castles were built of stone, which is a more durable material. Right: Lincoln Castle, UK, built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of existing Roman fortifications. Left: Reconstructed wooden keep at Lütjenburg, Germany, to show what they would have looked like. The mound was topped by a tower called a keep, which was initially built of wood. Some castles, like Lewes Castle and Lincoln Castle, have two mottes.
In the latter case, the mound could be created using earth taken from a ditch dug around the motte, or the whole castle. The motte is a mound, either a natural or artificial one. As its name suggests, this type of castle consists of two distinct elements – the motte and the bailey. By the following century, the motte-and-bailey was the most common form of castle in Europe, with the exception of Scandinavia. This type of castle originated in northern France during the 10 th century, but soon spread to other parts of Europe as well. The earliest type of castle in medieval Europe is the motte-and-bailey castle. as secure bases from which raids could be launched on the territory of rival nobles. In addition, castles could be used as offensive structures as well, i.e. These rulers constructed castles, which served as their private residence, and allowed them to assert their authority on the surrounding area. When the empire collapsed, these territories were no longer controlled by a central government, and was divided between local lords and princes. One of the factors that led to the emergence of these structures is the collapse of the Carolingian Empire, which ruled over Central and Western Europe during its height of power. The origins of medieval castles have been traced to the 9 th and 10 th centuries AD. True castles became obsolete during the 15 th century, when artillery became powerful enough to breach the stone walls of castles. Over the course of the medieval period, castles had to make adaptations that allowed them to deal more effectively with changes in siege warfare. In order to adequately protect the secular rulers living in them, castles were built as defensive structures. Incidentally, the cathedral may be considered to be the castle’s spiritual counterpart. Therefore, the castle was the center of secular power, and some elements of these structures were designed to reflect this power. During this period, the castle served generally as the residence of a king, or the lord of the territory in which it was built. Medieval castles are one of the most iconic buildings of the Middle Ages, especially in Western Europe.
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