Motte and Bailey Castles - Attack & Defence Motte and Bailey Castles Attack & Defence - The Normans Motte and Bailey Castles - the art of Attack & Defence
- Motte and Bailey Castle - How to attack?
- Motte and Bailey Castle - How to defend?
- The Motte and Bailey Castle - a network of defence or a springboard for attack!
The choice of location of the Motte and Bailey Castle - critical for Control, Attack & Defence The choice of location of a Motte and Bailey castle was critical for control, attack and defence! Speed of construction of the Motte and Bailey castle was also important to the Invaders. Norman Nobles and Officials covered England to find strategic sites to build the first wooden Motte and Bailey Castles ensuring a ring of bases for the Control, Attack & Defence of their newly acquired country. The sites of the castles followed a pattern covering some, or all, of the following requirements: - They made use of existing sites of Roman or Saxon forts and Burhs
- They were built on the highest ground in the area
- They often adjoined Rivers
- They often overlooked Towns
- They overlooked harbours
It can be seen that the choice of one of the above locations for a Motte and Bailey castle was critical for the Norman strategy of control, attack and defence! Motte and Bailey Castles - Attack & Defence Motte and Bailey Castles - The Control, Attack & Defence strategy was as follows: - To act as a fortified post from which an attack could be launched or a strong defence could be made
- To provide a base where men, provisions and horses could be housed
- To overawe and frighten the indigenous population
- Motte and Bailey Castles provided a base from which the Normans could govern and control the surrounding district - and launch a strong attack or defence
Motte and Bailey Castles - The Problems of the Attack ! Attacking a Motte and Bailey Castle took courage! The Layout of a Motte and Bailey Castle was full of defensive features! To mount a successful attack would require that the negotiate the following lines of defence would have to be breached: - Constant attack from projectiles - arrows and stones etc
- Negotiate the outer ditch and embankment
- Storm the gate
- Negotiate the defence systems and forces within the Bailey
- Climb, or crawl up, the embankment of the Motte - these were extremely steep and designed so that a horse could not climb it - attack had to be on foot
- Attack and take the gate of the Motte
- Storm and capture the Tower
- And all of the time be under constant attack from various projectiles - arrows and stones etc
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