Castles belonged to the wealthy, important, and powerful people of the land – kings, nobles, and knights. Castles were symbols of status during times of war and in peace. And, they were often the seats of local power and justice.

The top 100 of medieval castles In Europe and Asia more than 10.000 medieval castles can be found. Topcastles.com selected the most beautiful and interesting castles and ranked them in a top 100 list. The construction of this list is explained in the menu background. You can contribute by voting on your favorite castles: find the castle, click.

Medieval Vocabulary

Lord: The proprietor of a manor.

Manor: The district over which a lord had domain and could exercise certain rights and privileges in medieval Europe.

They were designed to be difficult to attack and easy to defend. Castles protected owners from rivals and invaders; however, castles were also used to protect the local citizens.

Early castles were built in the 9th and 10th centuries and were constructed of earth and wood; usually constructed on higher ground. Castles from the 11th century and later were always built of rocks and stones on high ground and often surrounded by water such as a lake of wide, deep water called a moat. Stone castles had massive walls that were between 15 and 20 feet thick.

Noblewomen and their maids generally made the tapestries during the medieval period. They were used as decoration or they would be hung over windows and doorways to keep the cold out.

At a time when most people could not read, the images in the tapestries ensured that history and momentous events were recorded. By the 1400s, artisans were employed to weave elaborate designs for a growing market. It has been estimated that 15,000 people were employed in the craft by this time. Medieval weavers extracted dyes from plants and insects in a range of less than 20 colors.

Medieval tapestries date back centuries and include some of the best-known works such as The Bayeaux Tapestry and the Lady with the Unicorn series. The Lady with the Unicorn series was woven at the turn of the 15th century in the Loire valley, in the medieval style of mille fleurs, which means 'a thousand flowers.' The Bayeaux Tapestry is an embroidered depiction of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 that ended in Norman Conquest. It is 70 meters long, and is embroidered wool on linen.

Medieval CastlesThe word castle comes from the latin word Castellum, they were fortified medieval structures that offered protection to nobility and other classes of people, although there were exceptions where medieval castles were used strictly for strategic positioning.Medieval Castles were a European innovation that originated in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Nobles of those times built castles to control the surrounding areas and to protect their families and wealth from rivals, It was also made it easier to plan and co-ordinate raids on other castles, towns and villages and you could always run back to the safety your own castle.The Medieval castles during the period were divided into castles owned by the king and castles owned by Anglo-Norman Lords. The main castles of the medieval period were those of the king and other nobles and these were the castles of the time that offered the best protection. Urban castles which were also owned by the king were enforced by sheriff like people who were ordered by the king to keep peace in those lands. Early medieval Castles such as Portchester Castle in England Early Medieval CastlesThe oldest types of castles were used as a defense against invading tribes who only had one idea in their mind, to steal everything you had.The first basic forms of castle defenses originated from fortifications that were for the benefit of noble families.The castles which survived the attacks and raids provided the castle’s lord further chances for improvement of the castle and more control of the surrounding lands.

It allowed room for expansion, not just for lands but even administrative functions and unit garrisons.Castle Siege – Medieval Castle AttackIf taking a castle was the mission, most of the time a siege would be laid upon it.A direct attack could be ordered but it was better and more tactically astute to place which would penalize the castles guards morale, food supplies and will to fight.Without relief from an external source, the would eventually submit.A Siege could last weeks, months and in rare occasions the siege could last for a year, if the castles supplies permitted it so.