Defence In the Middle Ages

Defending conquered territory was very vital in medieval times as it could easily be taken away again by other tribes. In response to this castles were built. Castles are a properly fortified military residence. Initially, they were designed and built to hold down conquered territory. They were usually built on earthen mound or on an area where it would be hard and difficult for rivalling tribes to attack. If a mound was not present a …

…it was more difficult to build because the design was more complex. Yet, many castles made use of round towers. Their shape caused cannon balls and other types of missiles to bounce off the walls without doing damage. The curtain wall (the wall which surrounded the main portion of the castle) gradually became a more effective means to stabilize the castle. At first, they were just simple walls, but with time, they became much thicker.