History 2173 Lecture Notes - Siege Engine, Mangonel, Ballista
21 Mar 2013
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Castles had many functions at different times but obviously they were the homes of the great and powerful and the centre of administration and government and the estates of the european elites were scattered. Transportation was very poor and the simplest thing was for lords to store goods where they were collected and to travel around to consume the goods and they were constantly on the move between estates. The castles were built with more than just military conditions because they were homes and they had to be comfortable and were a way of showing status. Having a great hall and second story windows were a sign of wealth even if they were considered weak points from a defence stand point. Peasants were easier to manipulate if they were in awe of your castle and their walls helped protect from unrest at home because there may be discontent among the peasants.
