Castles :: essays research papers

Castles motivate us of a time that was full of adventureand romance. Castles remind us of a time in history in which there was a lack of government and order. Although therewas not mass confusion and anarchy, there was less order.Castles were the basis of feudalism. Castles can be seen as amanifestation of feudal society. Feudalism started with therise of rooks and ended with their end. The castle set thetone as the only homestead that nobility would live in duringthis time. Castles were influenced by and influenced many chivalrous cathedrals in Europe. Although castles servedmany purposes, their primary purpose was military. At thattime, people were not protected by merely shutting andloc superpower a regular wooden door. They needed the protectionof castles and their knights. The lords and constables ofcastles needed serfs to work the land to make receipts inorder to pay rent to the more important nobles. Given thefollowing evidence, it is relatively obvious why castles andcas tle building played an instrumental role in the developmentof Western Europe. Castles are unique to a time in historyknown as medieval times. The word medieval in our times isan insult to anything as is the word feudal. Through the hazeand ruins, one can imagine dungeons, chivalrous knights, andmighty Lords who ruled the land and protected the commonpeasant from barbarians and other invaders. The rise ofcastles marked the rise of feudalism. This was all started bythe crusades. The majority of the knights and nobles went toliberate the holy land from the Moslems. The Crusadesinfluenced castle builders back in Europe. Ideas weregathered from Muslim and Byzantine fortifications. Becauseof the lack of protection in Europe, a castles strengthneeded to be increased because of the ever-present threat ofa Muslim invasion. The end of Feudalism also marked theend of the middle ages and hence the end of the great castleera. Castles integrated the combination of residence andfortress. The fir st castle dates back to King Sargon II ofKhorsabad in ancient Egypt. He erected a grand palace forhimself to protect him and his subjects. The first recordedreferences to castles was the Edict of Pistes by Charles theBald, king of the West Franks. "We will and expresslycommand that whoever at this time has made castles andfortifications and enclosures without our out permission shallhave them demolished by the First of August" (Browncomputer architecture of Castles 13). Other castle laws were theNorman Institutions handed down by William the Conquerorafter he took over England. One law says that no one shall