The Normans (1066 - 1215) built the first castles in the style of Motte and bailey and later stone castles.

What are Medieval Castles?

Medieval castles are castles built from the time of the Norman Conquest, which began in 1066, to the War of the Roses, which finally ended in 1485 (The start of the Tudor period).

Immediately after the invasion in 1066, the Normans started a massive programme of castle building to protect themselves while they advanced across the rest of the country.

What were the first Norman castles like?

England's first knights, the Normans, built castles in the motte and bailey style to begin with. These castle were quick to build using earth and timber and in many cases the Normans forced people to build them for them.

Later, once William the Conqueror, the leader of the Normans, had firmly established his rule in England, the Normans built huge stone keep castles.

(When William won the Battle of Hastings, he earned himself the title 'Conqueror'. He marched to London and was crowned King in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066.)

Although the Norman castle changed its principal building material (wood), its layout remained essentially unchanged. The motte and bailey gave way to the keep and bailey. The mound and enclosure was replaced by the great tower (keep) and enclosure.

What was the first castle built by William (King William 1)?

Windsor Castle was the first in a series of nine castles that England's King William built around London.

Windsor Castle

How and why did Norman castle building material change?

After winning the Battle of Hastings, the Normans had to defend their newly conquered land as quickly as possible. The first castles they built were made from wood and were know as the Motte and Bailey castle.

Motte and Bailey castles could be erected quickly - some only took a couple of weeks! It is believed that as many as 1000 Motte and Bailey Castles were built in England by the Normans.

However the wooden castles were not very strong and they caught fire easily. So from around 1100 onwards, the Normans began to build castles in stone.