If you've ever had the fantasy of living in a castle, you have plenty of opportunities to build your own, or buy one on the market. But these modern castles are homes that look like castles, so you can live out your fantasies. Real castles from the medieval era were not just swanky homes for a king. They were all about war.
Castles were built as fortresses for defending one's realm, and as such they had to accommodate an army for defense plus the vulnerable area residents who sought refuge in an attack. They evolved over time to better defend against marauders and invading armies. Epic History TV goes over the advancements in defense over time that were added to castles to make them better able to withstand a war. In other words, if you want to build yourself an authentic medieval castle, it's going to be a lot more involved than just hiring a construction crew. -via Kottke
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