The medieval castle is as familiar to those who understand life in Britain during the conquest of the island by the Normans as would be the typical Old West fort to those who love stories about cowboys and Indians. These imposing buildings started out mainly as earthworks and timber-fortified structures, though they gradually evolved into the stone behemoths that still exist throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.

A castle is a fortified structure, first of all, and it was built all throughout Europe during the Middle Ages. The world of the wizard also features much the same kind of castle. One of the most interesting is the fortified structure from the medieval period in history. Over about 500 years -- from 1000 A.D. to around 1550 A.D. -- these castles gradually began to dot the European (and British) landscape. They were so well built, in fact, that many outstanding examples still stand today. One can almost imagine a noble knight or lord, standing on the battlements, looking down upon an enemy army, ready to sally forth to do battle.

The earliest examples of the medieval castle -- the motte and bailey from the 11th century -- were timber-framed and had a large number of palisades from which eventually evolved the mammoth concentric medieval castles of the 14th century. This castle is probably the most familiar to those who hear the word "castle" and then imagine what it would look like in their mind’s eye. The world-famous Tower of London is probably the most memorable of the concentric castles still standing.

The medieval castle was characterized more by gradual improvement on the existing idea rather than any great and groundbreaking castle design, though. After all, it was so effective at what it was (a fortress, fortified and ready to send forth a mass of knights and warriors into the surrounding countryside, if needed) that there didn't seem to be much more that could be done to them.

The medieval castle in the 12th and 13th centuries began to spring large numbers of towers throughout its structure. This replaced an older style of defense that mainly relied on natural terrain to keep back invading forces. The early castles, which featured a motte (an earthen mound with a flat top upon which a fortified structure would be placed) and a bailey (a ward or fortified enclosure in which all but the Lord of the castle usually lived), were mainly constructed so that those within could see -- from a relatively high height -- all of the countryside surrounding the castle.

A medieval castle is truly wonderful in terms of taking one back into the Middle Ages, and it's easy enough to stand in one and imagine the swirl of activity that once went on inside.  It often stood watch over a key valley or near a strategic road, and it was reinforced in an impressive manner. During the Middle Ages, literally thousands of them were erected, and there are still many fine examples existing today.