Who during the Middle Ages could afford to build a castle and how much money did it cost? (10 photos)

The importance of the castle in European history, and not just military history, cannot be overestimated. The castle functioned as a noble or royal residence, a defensive fortification, a base for preparing offensive or defensive operations, as a home and refuge for a whole generation of nobles, etc.





Still from the television series "The Tudors"

However, have you ever wondered how much a castle actually cost during the Middle Ages? This cannot be compared with purchasing a modern ordinary apartment, building a house or even a mansion. This is a whole monumental stone structure, with huge walls, towers and defensive fortifications.

When did the first castles begin to appear in Europe and for whom were they built?



Some historians believe that the main boom in castle construction throughout Europe dates back to the early 10th century, while others note a huge number of buildings in the 12th and 13th centuries. The difference in such historical estimates is partly due to archaeological interpretation, because many wooden castles built in the 10th century were destroyed and destroyed, leaving no visible traces on the surface other than mounds.

Typically, castles were built for major lords, nobles and kings. But the castle was not just the place of a lord fearing attack. Even conquerors actively used them to strengthen and build up their forces.

For example, when William the Conqueror arrived in England in 1066, he immediately ordered a prefabricated castle to be built for him to fortify himself and pave the way for his conquest of England. By the time of his death in 1087, perhaps his closest associates and influential Norman settlers had built themselves up to five hundred small wooden castles in England.





Militarily, wooden castles were simple to build and easily defended, but were vulnerable to arson, damage to walls, etc. Within 100 years, these buildings became a thing of the past, after the active construction of stone castles began in the 11th century, although some of them could have been built in France a century earlier. It is believed that the Count of Anjou, Fulk III Nerra (972–1040), built several stone castles in France back in the 10th century, including the magnificent Montpoupon still standing in France.

When stone castles began to be actively built in Europe, architects and master builders oversaw these projects, which lasted for years and sometimes decades. As a result, an expensive fortress was built, practically impenetrable to the military equipment of that time.



Rulers and nobles now had their own residence, which could be passed down from generation to generation, protect them from attacks by large enemy forces and serve as a base for preparing various military operations.

Independent nobles, noble knights, and castellans (castell keepers) appointed to manage the ruler's castles became increasingly independent and powerful, increasing their influence behind their stone walls. The castle garrison could protect nearby local villages, but it could also threaten them.

The Benedictine monk of Malmesbury Abbey, William, wrote in 1140 that “there were too many castles all over England, each protecting its own district, but, more precisely, devastating it through the constant collection of taxes “for patronage and protection”, as well as demanded payment from the poor for the maintenance of the castle itself and its ruler.”

So how much money would it cost a king or noble to build his own personal castle?



We cannot find out the exact prices for which already built castles were bought or sold at that time, but what we can do is consider the costs that noble people invested in their construction. Thanks to surviving records from 13th-century chronicles, today we have figures that can tell us the exact budget allocated for the construction of a stone medieval castle.

Edward I built castles at an astonishing rate, and the cost of castle construction then doubled than usual. A powerful monarch who had successfully fought against the Welsh, Scots and French received enormous tax revenue by the standards of the time.

He began to implement eight huge projects in Wales: the construction of the castles of Aberystwyth, Caernarfon, Conwy, Flint, Rhuddlan, Builth, Harlech and Beaumaris. All but the last three were combined with fortified entire cities, where hundreds and thousands of people lived.





Caernarfon Castle (built by Edward I) today (scroll right)

A lot of data has been preserved about the total cost of these castles.

The estimated total cost of building Edward I's Welsh castles cost him between £80,000 and £100,000 (an expense that nearly bankrupted the royal treasury), with one historian even pointing out that "a modern British government could spend that kind of money if it were transferred to modern amount for the construction of an entire fleet of nuclear submarines.” The construction of Edward's castles involved approximately 3,000 workers (carpenters, masons, diggers, masons and blacksmiths) under the supervision of a master builder.

1 Edwardian castle cost between £1,000 and £30,000 to build, equivalent to $4,000,000–$120,000,000 today. Construction costs for different castles varied depending on their size, location, logistics and construction time, technology used, and engineers' fees.



It is noteworthy that the average annual income of Edward I during the 35 years of his reign ranged from £25,000 to over £100,000, with the average income including various special taxes and parliamentary grants being around £67,500. Unfortunately for Edward, not to mention the taxpayers, the cost of building a colossal number of castles outstripped his possible finances.

Caernarvon, one of the grandest castles, was never completely finished inside. In Wales, Edward's great castle, Beaumaris, which took 35 years to build, was never completed due to the Scottish campaign launched by the king, which greatly depleted his funds.



Another Edwardian castle, Beaumaris

As you may have noticed, owning a castle was an incredibly expensive pleasure, which could only be afforded by the richest or noble people who had earned the right to receive from the king the right to own one of these castles, for example, after seizing some territory. This was the case with Gilbert de Clare (an Anglo-Norman aristocrat), who in 1138 received from the king the lordship of Netherwent in south-east Wales, along with the castle of Strigoil.

Decline of castle building



However, after Edward's reign, the value of castles rose even more and the nobles' love of royal masonry was undoubtedly tempered by their realization that projects of this scale were no longer within their reach.

Most of the rich people living in the 13th century in England could only afford to build large walls. In France, the counts of Champagne could only afford to buy castles from the poor nobility.

Of the two hundred English barons by the end of the 13th century, about 80 had their own castles, others were content with fortified estates and houses. In an era when the royal income never fell below £10,000 a year, only seven barons earned more than £400. And if during this period of time the number of baronial castles actually fell, then the number of royal castles, on the contrary, more than doubled, from 45 to 95.

After the 16th century, castles declined as a means of defense against military attack, largely due to the invention and improvement of artillery and heavy cannon. This artillery could throw heavy cannonballs with such force that even strong walls could not stand it. Eventually, the medieval castle gave way to fortified towns and forts.