During the Middle Ages, castles were used as a fort to help protect the castle as well as the people inside. The castle was built with many protective layers to help attackers stay on the opposite side of the castle and to help the soldiers fight back. The castle was built inside a moat or water that goes around the castle walls. The moat had two purposes, to throw away garbage and keep enemies out of the castle. The castle also had thick stone walls surrounding it. The walls helped defend the people on the inside, but it's most significant purpose was to keep …show more content…
The first thing taken into consideration while building the castle was the size of the land. The land needed to be very spacious in order to store things such as food and military equipment. Castles were also built around rivers or lakes for the use of moats, and many castles were built on steep hills or mountaintops. They were built on high areas to make it easier to spot invaders and make it harder for them to reach the castle. Another important feature of the location of the castle is a strong supply of fresh water. Water is crucial for survival, so building the castle near a good supply of this natural resource was significant. Some castles were built in areas were the natural way of the landed offered defense. Others were built along borders, surrounding enemy states, or along strategic routes. Overall, a castles location was key in helping defend the castle, to provide food and water, and sight enemy