Editing Medieval fortification (section)

==Construction==
[[File:Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur. 1981.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Mehrangarh Fort]], Jodhpur, which was built between the 15th and 17th centuries]]

[[File:Baba Vida Klearchos 1.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Baba Vida]] medieval fortress built on the banks of the [[Danube]] in [[Vidin]], Bulgaria]]

Construction could sometimes take decades. The string of Welsh castles [[Edward I of England]] had built were an exception in that he focused much of the resources of his kingdom on their speedy construction. In addition to paid workers, forced levies of labourers put thousands of men on each site and shortened construction to a few years.

===Location===
[[image:El Castillo de Predjama.JPG|thumb|200px|right|[[Predjama Castle]] was built next to the cave]]
Nature could provide very effective defenses for the castle. For this reason many castles were built on larger hills, cliffs, close to rivers, lakes or even caves.

===Materials===
Materials that were used in the building of castles varied through history. Wood was used for most castles until 1066. They were cheap and were quick to construct. The reason wood fell into disuse as a material is that it is quite flammable. Soon stone became more popular.

Stone castles took years to construct depending on the overall size of the castle. Stone was stronger and of course much more expensive than wood. Most stone had to be quarried miles away, and then brought to the building site. But with the invention of the cannon and gunpowder, castles soon lost their power.

===Costs===
[[File:Battlement (PSF).jpg|right|thumb|200px|Drawing of battlements on a tower]]
Costs for the walls depended on the material used. Wood would cost very little and was quick to build, but was weak. Stone was strong but very expensive and time-consuming to construct.

===Manpower===
Work was done by teams of craftsmen assisted by local labor. For larger projects, skilled labor would often be brought in from surrounding areas.<ref>Speculum, Vol. 39 No. 3 July 1964</ref>

===Walls===
[[Image:GradSneznik2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Snežnik Castle protected by defensive wall in southern Slovenia]]
The height of walls varied widely by castle, but were often {{convert|2.5|–|6|m|ft|abbr=on}} thick. They were usually topped with [[crenellation]] or [[parapet]]s that offered protection to defenders. Some also featured [[machicolation]]s (from the French ''machicoulis'', approximately "neck-crusher") which consisted of openings between a wall and a parapet, formed by [[corbel]]ling out the latter, allowing defenders to throw stones, boiling water, and so forth, upon assailants below. Some castles featured additional inner walls, as additional [[fortification]]s from which to mount a defense if outer walls were breached.

===Gates===
{{See also|City gate|Barbican}}
[[Image:105 0508ConventoDeCristo2.jpg|thumb|upright|Gate of [[Tomar]] Castle, [[Portugal]]]]
[[File:Jajce – Travnik Gate.jpg|left|thumb|Travnik Gate in present day [[Walled city of Jajce|Jajce]]]]
Any entrance through a wall, being an opening, forms an obvious weak point. To be practical, the entryway would have to accommodate supplies being brought through, yet difficult for attackers to breach. For example, passage over ditches or moats would have to be withdrawn to deny attackers. The use of multiple walls or ditches around an entrance would also make it difficult for defenders to use the entrance practically, necessitating better methods of control. Gates came in many forms, from the simple stone buttress and timber blocks,<ref name="Stoning and Fire at hill fort entrances of southern Britain">{{cite book|author=Avery, Michael|title=World Archeology|volume=18|date=October 1986|issue=2|pages=216–230}}</ref> to the massive and imposing stone archways and thick wooden doors most associated with medieval citadels.

===Killing fields===
A killing field was an area between the main wall and a secondary wall, so when the first wall was breached the attackers would run into the killing field to be confronted by another wall from which soldiers bombarded them. Soldiers would be positioned atop the second wall and armed with any variety of weapons, ranging from bows to crossbows to simple rocks.

===Moats===
{{Main|Moat}}
A moat was a common addition to medieval fortifications, and the principal purpose was to simply increase the effective height of the walls and to prevent digging under the walls. In many instances, natural water paths were used as moats, and often extended through ditches to surround as much of the fortification as possible. Provided this was not so unnaturally contrived as to allow an attacker to drain the system, it served two defensive purposes. It made approaching the curtain wall of the castle more difficult and the undermining of the wall virtually impossible. To position a castle on a small island was very favorable from a defensive point of view, although it made deliveries of supplies and building materials more cumbersome and expensive.

===Keeps===
{{Main|Keep}}
A keep is a strong central tower which normally forms the heart of a castle. Often the keep is the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main habitation area for a noble or lord, or contain important stores such as the armoury or the main well.

===Stairs===
[[File:Stumble steps.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Stumble steps at Maynooth Castle|Stumble steps at [[Maynooth Castle]], Ireland. Note the canting, and the varied tread depth and riser height.]]
Stairs were also constructed to contain trick or stumble steps. These were steps that had different rise height or tread depth from the rest and would cause anyone running up the stairs to stumble or fall, so slowing down the attackers' progress.

===Doors===
[[Image:Horezu oak Reinforced door.JPG|thumb|upright|Reinforced wood door]]
A typical exterior wooden [[door]] might be made out of two or more layers of [[oak]] planks. The grain of the wood would run vertically on the front layer and horizontally on the back, like a simple form of [[plywood]]. The two layers would be held together by iron studs, and the structure might be strengthened and stiffened with iron bands.

The studs themselves were pointed on the front so that attackers would damage their weapons ([[sword]]s, [[axe]]s, etc.) while trying to break through.