Welcome to medieval-castle.com

Medieval castles in Europe were built over a period of more than 500 years - from around 1000 AD to 1550 AD. Indeed they were built so well that many medieval castles (or at the very least their ruins) can still be seen today - a legacy that allows us the privilege of some truly tangible history.

Many people are fascinated by medieval castle history because so many castles are linked to major historical events. Others find medieval castle design of interest as it saw dramatic changes over the years - from early motte and bailey castle design through to large concentric castle building. Indeed, medieval castle design probably reached its peak in the 14th century with the great castles of Wales built by King Edward I of England. In the 500 or more years that medieval castles were built, architects displayed great ingenuity and working on castle plans effectively became a science.

Medieval castles also offer the opportunity to learn about the human side of medieval life - everything from what medieval castle food was like to medieval music and medieval poetry. We take a look at medieval life and consider the people who lived in the castles, why they were there and what the future held for them. We also try to put the castles into perspective and examine how they were both a boon and a danger to the ruling monarch.

With so much history played out in these castles - from political and religious conflicts to family feuds and more! - stories abound about many haunted castles such as Windsor Castle where several ghosts are reputed to have been seen, the most famous of which is Herne the Hunter, referred to in Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives of Windsor'. We have a whole section on haunted medieval castles and cover haunted castles in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Castles, and especially medieval castles, grip the imagination of people of all ages; soaring castle towers, drawbridges, castle keeps , and moats are familiar to most children and a lot of literature has featured or been inspired by medieval castle life. Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" for example has influenced many minds over the years.

Medieval castles make for good educational study and many castles today encourage school visits. Many castles also hold special events with children in mind and we plan to take a detailed look at some of these and the rewards they can bring.

We have built our own, unique and searchable database of medieval castles so that site visitors can look up particular castle details and we will be adding to this on a regular basis.

We also have our own medieval castle blog