castle architecture
Medieval fortification style
Castle architecture refers to the design and construction principles of medieval fortified structures.
Key features include defensive elements—moats, drawbridges, curtain walls, battlements, and towers—arranged to repel attackers while housing nobility and their retinues.
The style evolved from simple wooden motte-and-bailey fortifications to elaborate stone complexes: The castle architecture of the 12th century emphasized concentric walls.
The term also describes revival styles that imitate these features for aesthetic rather than defensive purposes.
- keepRetain or fortified tower
- gatehouseStructure over an entrance
- parapetLow wall at edge
- murder holeCastle's overhead attack opening
- rampartFortified defensive wall
bailey · masonry · sally port · glacis · barbican · merlon · curtain wall · portcullis · drawbridge · tower · moat · embrasure · ashlar · crenellation · arrow slit · donjon · Romanesque · courtyard