Fortifications

Question 1

what did Roman fortifications look like?

Answer 1

• city walls became fortified (late 3rd to early 4th c.)
• towers used to make the walls stronger & provide better visibility
• vulnerable borders fortified (e.g. Hadrian’s Wall)
• earth walls used to absorb shock & were easy to mend
• ditches made targets vulnerable (easy to attack from above, can’t fire over ditch easily)

Question 2

what did early medieval fortifications look like?

Answer 2

• fewer fortifications attm. (less defensive forms of warfare)
• Celtic hill forts built in inaccessible locations to keep out of raiders paths (e.g. hills easy to defend & hard to climb)
• forts = back up location to avoid raids for days at a time (not intended as residences or siege strongholds)

Question 3

what impact did invasions have on fortifications?

Answer 3

• Scandinavian fortifications (ramparts & ditches) encouraged inc. building across Europe
• Germans used walls & frontier fortresses
• Scots/Irish used stone towers strictly for refuge (not defence)
• France used fortified bridges, palaces, walls, & small independent fortresses

Question 4

what is the significance of castles?

Answer 4

• place for people to withdraw in times of war
• well defended, food supplies, provisions for offensive warfare
• garrisons prevented invaders from est. residences
• served as residences for kings & landowners (sometimes served as admin. centres)

Question 5

what were motte & bailey castles (10th-11th c.)?

Answer 5

• motte = natural or man-made hill surrounded by tree stumps & thorn bushes for defence
• keep/donjon = small square tower on top of hill (usually wood)
• bailey = enclosed area at base of motte where most ppl live (tower is a place of last resort)
• can’t withstand long sieges
• often destroyed or burned down

Question 6

why were castles eventually built in stone?

Answer 6

• stone castles more durable but expensive
• appearance/style depended on location & purpose (not always isolated structures)
• built on high or level ground
• many English castles built from limestone (soft & easily shaped but hardens after exposure to air)

Question 7

was is the significance of ditches & moats?

Answer 7

• used to prevent direct assaults (esp. important for flat ground)
• difficult for anyone to go over, under, or through moats
• moats do not have to hold water, only when a natural water supply is nearby (not all soil can hold water)

Question 8

what are defensive features built into castles?

Answer 8

• slits in tower walkways create vantage points for archers & siege machinery for defender
• small windows used as an advantage (common in 13th-14th c.)
• towers often built w/ iron doors (if one wall is taken the rest are still defensible)
• gate is the most vulnerable spot

Question 9

how did castles reflect status?

Answer 9

• used by kings & nobles to assert wealth & status
• served to intimidate a lord’s subjects
• primogeniture = noble families use sir names based on castle name (e.g. Robert of Belviore)
• land passed down to sons

Question 10

when & why did castles decline?

Answer 10

• height of castles reached in late 13th c.
• late medieval castles built w/ less effective defences (focus on comfort)
• raiders often bypassed castles to focus on laying waste to the land (less needed)
• towns/urban fortifiations became more important