Castle

A fortification intended to protect a feudal lord, his family, and retainers. In Western Europe, castles were first built in the tenth and eleventh centuries by feudal lords who endeavored to fill the lawless power vacuum caused by the demise of centralized kingdoms (such as that of Charlemagne). These early castles consisted of a motte—a conical mound of earth topped by a wooden tower—and a palisaded courtyard called a bailey. Beginning in the twelfth century, kings and their most powerful vassals began erecting stone towers (keeps) in lieu of mottes and replaced the wooden...

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