What is the role of the norman castle?
A double role. Firstly, it was a strongpoint defensible against attack from outside the area. In the middle ages war was common – both between kings and inside kingdoms – so a citadel made sense. The locals would, in case of need, camp out inside the walls alongside the regular garrison. Economic factors made it hard to sustain a siege for long, so at first quite a simple fortification would do; they got stronger and more elaborate as time went on. Castles on the Marches (borders) between England and Wales or Scotland were naturally both stronger and more numerous. Secondly, it protected the (Norman) lord and his entourage from possible attack by the (English) peasants. If the lord and his people were encamped in a fortified area it was harder for any local Robin Hood to get at them. Remember, England was occupied by a foreign power, and assimilation took time. After a century or two, this function became obsolescent except in Wales where there continued to be a hostile population to h
