What were the disadvantages of a concentric castle?

What were the disadvantages of a concentric castle?

At a glance: the disadvantages of concentric castles

• They were phenomenally expensive to build – this can’t be overstated!
• They took significant time to build – they needed years, rather than just weeks for basic motte-and-bailey castle.

What was a concentric castle and what were its benefits?

Major advantages of a Concentric Castle: Round towers couldn’t be mined as easily. Larger Castles can house a greater number of defendants. Once inside the outer wall an attacker was still visible to defenders in a large number of towers.

What was life like living in a castle?

Life in a medieval castle would have been ordered and organised, full of pomp and ceremony, and also very cold and smelly! Essentially, castles were at the heart of Medieval society. Castles were built in England and Wales after 1066. They cemented a new social system of feudalism in place.

What was the weakest part of a castle?

The entrance to the castle was always its weakest point. Drawbridges could be pulled up, preventing access across moats. Tall gate towers meant that defenders could shoot down in safety at attacks below. The main gate or door to the castle was usually a thick, iron-studded wooden door, that was hard to break through.

What are the key features of a concentric castle?

Concentric castle

• A concentric castle is a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, such that the inner wall is higher than the outer and can be defended from it.
• Concentric castles resemble one castle nested inside the other, thus creating an inner and outer ward.

What is the strongest part of a castle?

Discover the might of the castle gatehouse, the strongest and most defensive part of any castle.

What was bad about stone castles?

-Stone castles were expensive to build. -Attackers could target vulnerable areas by tunnelling through. -The towers could be badly damaged by attackers’ weapons.

What is the purpose of a concentric castle?

The basic idea behind the design was simple – concentric castles were a castle within a castle. This greatly increased the defensive capability of the fortification, as attackers would have to breach not one, but two sets of formidable stone walls in order to capture the castle.

What do you need to know about a concentric castle?

Concentric castles had two or more surrounding walls around the central tower and were made of stone. The word ‘concentric’ means to ‘have a common center,’ such as a circle within another circle. So a concentric castle was like a castle within a castle. This made it very difficult for invaders to get inside.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a castle?

Many different layers created many different obstacles: attackers needed to penetrate at least two walls, and often pass through a heavily-defended gatehouse and barbican A higher, inner wall was a vantage point for archers, firing at the enemy

How many people would have lived in a castle?

How many people would have worked or lived within a castle? Well, it evidently depends on the size of the castle, but, for a site like Goodrich Castle in England, you could expect around 100-150 people to surround the Lord’s family.

What was life like in a medieval castle?

This is the remains of the fireplace in the Lady’s chambers, in Goodrich Castle. In these rooms, they could enjoy privacy, comfort, and usually a greater deal of warmth and sunlight – as heat from the Great Hall would rise to warm up their private chambers.