William built hundreds of motte and bailey castles in the i rst few years
he ruled England. Once he was satisi ed that his control of the country
was secure, he took the next crucial step in castle evolution—rebuilding
those earthen and wooden fortii cations, only this time using stronger
and more permanent stone. Rulers and members of the nobility, not only
in the British Isles but also across continental Europe, rapidly followed
suit, erecting their own stone castles.
Imposing and dii cult to capture, stone castles transformed medieval
warfare. In fact, sieges of castles became the most common form of
military action during the remainder of the medieval era. Furthermore,
the evolution of siege weapons and tactics produced a relentless arms
race—each new of ensive advance was matched by a defensive one, and
vice versa. Only when ef ective cannons appeared in the i nal medieval
years were stone castles rendered obsolete, and this development was one
of the principal factors marking the transition from medieval to modern
warfare. All of these critical developments were the far-reaching legacy of
a single, strong, and innovative military leader who boldly led an army
across the English Channel and into the history books.
World History
