What were the castles in medieval Western Europe?

Castle is the most distinctive building in medieval Europe, which is a wild place full of conflicts, robberies, confrontations and killings. In this kind of chaos, people need a harbor to escape the storm of war, tools to resist the attack of powerful enemies, and sharp tools to maintain peace on one side. Thus, the castle was born. They are all over Europe, and they can be seen in mountains or rapids, in the depths of dense forests, or on major traffic routes.

The fundamental reason for the proliferation of castles is the lack of strong centralization in most parts of Europe in the Middle Ages and the long-term political fragmentation. Therefore, social conflicts continue to occur at all levels. In order to safeguard and expand their own interests, nobles must practice martial arts. Many knights and nobles have to face not only internal military competition, but also resistance from the people. Therefore, the castle is the epitome of violence in social life, and it is also the result of the militarization of the aristocratic knight class.

At that time, building castles was the most reliable way of defense in the war, and at least the weak side could retreat to castles. Due to the backwardness of military technology, castles have become the safest means of defense. The castle, which is mainly made of earth and stone materials, is enough to resist the rapid attack of cavalry and turn the sudden quick victory into a war of attrition. Therefore, the purpose of the castle is not to kill the enemy's effective strength, but to defuse the enemy's attack, especially in medieval Europe, where lords at all levels took the maintenance of personal and property safety as their core task, which made the castle enter a golden age.

At that time, whoever owned the castle was the owner of the territory, and its social status and family business could be guaranteed. When it comes to English castles, we have to mention William the Conqueror.

1006 After the Norman conquest, William immediately began to build French castles to subdue the Anglo-Saxon resistance. Local residents were requisitioned in large numbers to build castles. 1 out of every nine farmers will take part in hard labor and build fortifications, and 1/3 of their harvest will be used as military supplies. The other eight people have the obligation to cultivate and harvest crops for the workers free of charge.