A castle could be a military base, a seat of government, a court, and a stronghold for the surrounding region.

 In the earlier Middle Ages, motte and bailey castles were built. They consisted of an earthen mound, called a motte, topped by a tower (first built of wood, and soon rebuilt in stone to make the towers more sturdy). The bailey was a large area of land enclosed by a shorter mound, placed next to the motte.  These earth and wood castles were not very sturdy, because the wood would rot fairly quickly and was easy for an enemy to burn. So, William the king ordered the construction of stone castles. Stone castles were much more sturdy, did not rot like wood, and also were much more able to withstand any attack by an invader. Walls were very thick, anywhere between 8 and 20 feet in thickness, so they could withstand bombardment or battering from a siege engine.

Over time, the shape of the towers changed as castle builders experimented with designs that were less likely to fall down in battle or from the instability of the structure itself. Originally, towers were simple square shapes, easy to build but also easy to topple down.

The round tower was determined to be a more effective shape for withstanding the impact of a battle. However, it was more difficult to build because the design was more complex. Yet, many castles made use of round towers. Their shape caused cannon balls and other types of missiles to bounce off the walls without doing damage. They also were not vulnerable to undermining. Some castles used what is known as a splayed plinth, which added support at the base of the towers.


These features may have been good during a siege, but the castle itself was not very comfortable. Slits in the walls served as windows, cold, stone floors and walls rarely kept in heat, and water had to be brought by the bucketful throughout the castle
( later in the Middle Ages, water started running through pipes to the kitchen).  Stone floors in the castle's Great Hall were covered with  bone fragments, spittle, animal excrement, beer and grease. These coverings were swept regularly, but new materials would be soon added to cover up the more nasty fragments on the floor.
Straw and rushes were thrown over this waste material to help with the smell. Herbs like basil, sweet fennel, mint and lavender would be added to help with the aroma.

.Vocabulary from Castles:

Word: region
Example: A castle could be a military base, a seat of government, a court and a stronghold for the surrounding region.
Definition: An administrative area, division, or district; the basic administrative unit for local government

Word: stronghold
Example: A castle could be a military base, a seat of government, a court and a stronghold for the surrounding region.
Definition: A fortified place or a fortress

Word: vulnerable
Example: They also were not vulnerable to undermining.
Definition: Susceptible to attack/danger; exposed

Bibliography Books:
Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne
Knights and Castles
A Stepping Stone Book
Random House
2000

Bibliography Sites: Thank you to all of the sites who let me read the wonderful info.!

----- http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle13.htm -----

----- http://www.britannia.com/history/david1.html -----

----- http://www.medieval-castles.net/castle_architecture/list.htm -----

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