A
motte-and-bailey castle is a fortification with a wooden or stone
keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed
courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective
ditch and
palisade. Relatively easy to build with unskilled, often forced, labour, but still militarily formidable, these castles were built across northern Europe from the 10th century onwards, spreading from
Normandy and
Anjou in
France, into the
Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. The
Normans introduced the design into
England and
Wales following their invasion in 1066. Motte-and-bailey castles were adopted in
Scotland,
Ireland, the
Low Countries and
Denmark in the 12th and 13th centuries. By the end of the 13th century, the design was largely superseded by alternative forms of fortification, but the earthworks remain a prominent feature in many countries.