The builders of Portchester Castle erected their defences upon the ruins of a 3rd century Roman fortress. Dover Castle’s location on a coastal headland meant that it was tricky to besiege, as a Franco-baronial army found to their cost in 1216. It’s for this reason that many castles are situated on the top of hills or cliffs. Placing a fortress in a naturally strong defensive position meant that it was that much harder for attackers to capture it. The strength of a castle was dependent upon many factors - one of the most important ones was its location. (Image source: WikiCommons) Natural Features Dover Castle, one of Great Britain’s most formidable fortresses, is perched strategically atop England’s famous White Cliffs.

Here are 14 common features of castles that were designed to make life most unpleasant for attackers. As such, great efforts were made by builders to ensure that their castles could withstand an enemy onslaught.

IN THEIR DAY, Medieval castles represented the state-of-art in military engineering.Įrected by kings and feudal lords during what we now commonly call the Middle Ages, these foreboding strongholds dominated the territories upon which they stood, quartering garrisons of mounted soldiers used to control surrounding areas.īut more importantly, castles were defensive in nature, being skillfully designed to resist attacks by armies many times larger than those manning its parapets.īut of course, a castle was only ever as strong as its weakest point. (Image source: WikiCommons) “Great efforts were made by builders to ensure that their castles could withstand an enemy onslaught.” The brightest minds of the age devised an array of deviously creative defensive features intended to make them nearly impossible to capture. For 800 years, castles were central to European military thinking.

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