Why were castles built in the middle ages

Any history student would vouch for the fact that the lectures pertaining to Middle Ages, also called the Medieval Period, are studded with talks about the glorious and numerous castled built by the powers of those times from 500 AD to 1500 AD.

It would not be wrong to regard the Middle Age as the age of battles. Nations, authorities and warlords were constantly involved in ward with each other. The castles erected during this period were a symbol of the power of the warlords and stood for the sense of pride. With threats of wars and disturbances in the air, these people were naturally inclined towards investing their resources in castles. Imposing and magnificent castles were also built to serve as the abodes of the Kings and Queens of the Middle Ages. In fact, all the members of the royal family used to live under one roof, in the form of the giant castles of the ruler rather than living in factions.

The Middle Age is also regarded as the age of architecture, especially the one associated with castles. Earlier to 500 AD, castles were generally wooden structures, but the expert architects of the Middle Ages pushed the boundaries of construction and erected numerous stone walled castles. Consequently, the class of architects and builders enjoyed the favours of the royal class in these years.

The mention of castles of the Middle Ages brings to mind the era of the Kings of England, who were instrumental in the construction of many remarkable castles. However, the Middle Ages also saw the rise of many other powers such as those from Spain, Germany and other European countries. The English Castles were constructed with the aim of providing refuge to the rulers from the Viking Raids and French invasions. And when the war situation was lighter, the construction of castles did not slow down at all, as more castle mean more reliable resources. Similarly, the Spaniards went on a castle making spree in the Middle Ages in order to block the invasion attempts made by the Arabs from the Northern part of the country, thus resulting an even greater increase in the number of castles built during the Middle Ages.