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Early Castles
Timeline
864 Charles forbids construction without permission
The French king Charles the Bald forbids the construction of fortifications, including
castles without his permission.
950 Earliest surviving castle in France built
Earliest surviving castle in France built at Doué-la-Fontaine (Maine-et-Loire).
1035 William the Bastard becomes duke of Normandy
William
the Bastard, aged 8, becomes duke of Normandy.
1051 First castles built in England
First castles built in England at Richard's Castle, Ewyas Harold in Herefordshire
and Clavering in Essex.
1066 Duke William invades England
Duke William invades England. Early castles are erected at Pevensey, Hastings
and Dover.
1067-8 William builds castles in the face of rebellion
William faces rebellions all over England, prompting him to build castles in major
towns and cities, such as Exeter, Warwick, Nottingham, York, Lincoln, Huntingdon
and Cambridge.
1069 William lays Yorkshire to waste
A national rebellion against William's rule supported by the Danes and focused
on the north of England prompts a savage reaction from the king. After retaking
York and building a second castle, he lays the county of Yorkshire to waste.
1070-1 William creates power-blocks of supporters
William continues his draconian policy of conquest and dispossesses Englishmen
on a grand scale to create new power-blocks for his trusted Norman supporters.
Roger of Montgomery is made Earl of Shropshire, soon to become the English county
with more castles than any other.
1086 The Domesday Book is compiled
The Domesday
Book is compiled to set a seal on 20 years of chaotic land acquisition.
It mentions around 50 castles. Other documentary sources name a further 50. Altogether,
around 500-600 castles are reckoned to have been built by this date.
1087 William dies
William I dies after falling from his horse at Mantes in France.
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