These features had been developed in this way because Dover Castle is situated on early earthwork from when the Romans ruled. The earthworks were basically mud fortifications built up into a wall made of earth. Originally fortified (earthworks) by native Britons before the Romans invaded in AD43, It was built near the site of an 80-foot high Roman lighthouse (or Pharos), which still survives. The first castle was probably a Saxon fort, but after the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror improved the fortifications, building a motte and bailey design castle.
The weaknesses that the siege highlighted was, when Louis' men successfully undermined the barbican and attempted to topple the castle gate, they realised that the north gate was a weak point and so they decided to block up the North gate, and replace it with three D-shaped towers, which would make the defence at ths point much stronger, due to the shape, which deflect projectiles. These modifications included a new hall being built in 1240 and a set of chambers for the king built on the southeastern side of the inner ward. Dover was at the peak of its medieval power during this period. The castle was improved in parallel with the improvement of weapons, methods of attack and castle building techniques. It was one of the most historically significant fortifications throughout England, and its importance was unmatched. It was symbolic of the king's power. The castle is atypical in many ways, firstly it was designed by two people, Maurice the Ingeniator and Hubert de Burgh over many hundred years. This explains the differences in style of the various parts of the castle. The outer curtain wall took over 150 years to complete. During these 150 years, many changes were made in methods of attack and warfare- later sections of the wall reflect the changes in attack and differ from earlier ones.
The outer curtain wall is defended more strongly at certain points and at the weaker points the towers are closer together for instance. Dover castle was built over many hundred years unlike other castles, like Beaumaris in Wales for example- the designs were drawn up and strictly followed (although the castle was never completed). This makes Dover unique, the building and design of the walls changed with the change in warfare techniques, as opposed to other castles through Britain that were built to cope with contemporary attacking methods and were not modified to the extent that Dover was.
These particular modifications were made to make Dover castle even more of a stronghold, they were designed to strengthen the areas of the castle that in the siege of 1216 were shown to be particularly weak.
At the end of the thirteenth century Dover Castle was much more than the typical medieval castle it had been in the twelfth century, it had all the refinements of the contemporary castles of the 1300's. It is unique in that it has status as the key to England, a foothold necessary for any invading army, but at the same time a castle able to withstand the test of invading armies, rebel barons and the change in warfare techniques. Although, unlike most other castles of its time, Dover castle is significantly bigger than other castle, including that of which is built in deal. When the invention of cannons came around, castles like Dover were weakened, in terms of defence, other castles were built low, so cannon fire was less likely to it, but Dover castle isn’t hard to miss, and would have been demolished by cannons. So overall, I would have to say these changes made it more typical, earlier on, but later on during the use of castle it left them untypical.
Dover, in its time was THE most important, in terms of defence of the region and the nation. Dover castle was the first line of defence to any attacker. It is in a direct line of where attackers would come from, so if Dover castle wasn’t strong enough to withstand attack, that would leave the rest of the nation, and other the civilians vulnerable to attack.
The Development of Deal Castle (one of Henry VIII’s Round Castles) suggest that by 1500, traditional castles like Dover had become unsuitable and unfashionable
The Round Castles of Henry VIII: Deal
As technology moved on, and improved over time, more and more traditional castles became less and less effective, at defending off attackers, and being used as a stronghold. This included Dover castle, once called the “key to England”. Inventions, such as the cannon could easily destroy big target, like traditional castles, very easily. The weaknesses of traditional castles had become apparent, and primarily, was that they were a big target, but not strong enough to fend off cannon fire. So when the came to developing newer castles they designed it around this factor.
The weaknesses that had become apparent by 1500, is due to many other example of traditional castle getting blown apart by cannons. In Italy, during the 15th C a castle was destroyed with the use of a siege train. (A long line of cannons), and many others too, so castle designers realised that it was time for them to change the way they built castles. Instead of being large, imposing, and supposedly “strong”, they now needed to be a small target to hit.
These new developments, of castles, were used at Deal. The main difference between traditional castles, like Dover, was that they were obviously far smaller. This made it significantly harder for the cannon fire, to hit the castle; they were also, much lower down, sinking into the ground to get away from getting hit. There was not much need for large walls, or curtain walls, because attackers would no longer be coming close, but shooting from afar. But if there was any closer combat, they were prepared for that too, with an iron studded gate, and if they managed to get through there were murder holes and a cannon facing the attackers. If the attackers somehow managed to infiltrate the main castle they still had to deal with fake stairs, fake room, and all the defenders inside.
Deal castle was influenced by many factors but the greatest of these were due to Henry VIII. In the 1500’s Henry VIII wanted a divorce from Anne Boleyn, but the Catholic Church denied him, because it was considered against the catholic religion, at the time the country was also going bankrupt. So Henry VIII decided to set up his own church, called C of E, and with this he declared himself God’s advocate. He ransacked the catholic churches, took their money and wealth, and later on used the money, he’d stolen, to set up defences. These changes angered the other catholic countries, which declared war on England, because Henry had gone against the Catholic Church. Henry VIII needed castles fast and so he built castles along the south east coast, at Walmer, Sandown and Deal, and other places, along the Goodwin Downs, beyond the Goodwin Sands, which were a weak point to defence of England, where attackers could land.
The developments made at Deal were very typical, later on in the 1500’s,at its time. The developments made were similar to those castles that were specifically made to defend against cannon, and gunfire, to some extent.
Deal and the other castles positioned, along the east coast of England, defending the Goodwin Sands, were very important. It was the main area for attackers, when the developed cannon technology, to attack. Attackers no longer interested on attacker places like the white cliffs of Dover where Dover castle is situated because it was beginning to silt up, and no longer easy to attack, so the Goodwin sands were the easiest place to attack. Dover at this point was no longer the key to England but one of the many defences along the coast to protect mainland England
