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1. ireland
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Castles in Ulster (Ireland)
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Carrickfergus castle was the most significant castle in medieval Ulster. Using sources available and any evidence found how far could you support this statement? In 1011, Scandinavian raiders came to France and demanded territory. These raiders created conflict and ended up settling in the north or France, this area came to be known as Normandy. The Normans were beginning to grow in numbers. More families were being raised and so the space they took up in France became overcrowded. The Normans now looked for new territory and France’s smaller neighbour was England. England had a surpassing quality the Normans were interested in and this was farming, the Normans lived on farming and the land in England was perfect for farming. In 1066, the Normans made the decision to conquer England. This decision was not eagerly accepted however by the English and so conflict arose. The Battle of Hastings was fought. The Normans won this battle and England was conquered. England suited the Normans but after conquering England they began to look for new territory. England’s neighbour was Ireland. At this time in Irish history the Irish were in inner conflict between provinces. These provinces were known as Ulster, Leinster, Munster and Connaught. There were four provinces and there were five kings. A common conflict by these minor Kings would be about money and their wealth as well as power and other minor details. Ireland was not known to Christianity, in fact Christianity hadn’t even been heard of. When the Pope heard of the prospect of the Normans invading Ireland he encouraged them. This may have been a mistake by the Pope as the Normans were not known to be Christian but the Pope thought that Ireland should be introduced to the Christian faith, and he thought the Normans would be able to demonstrate the bible and it’s teachings, the word of God. The Normans had a keen interest in Ireland and it is most likely that they made a few “contacts.” It wasn’t until in the 13th Century that they were invited to Ireland by Strongbow (Dermit McMurrough) that they came to Ireland to tackle the Irish clans. In a dispute to be most powerful king in Ireland, Dermit McMurrough of Leinster seeked help abroad – England. Richard FitzGilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke or otherwise known as Strongbow (due to his strength and accuracy when fighting with bow and arrow,) obliged to help but with two conditions. One, Dermit’s daughter Eva could be married to Strongbow. Two, when Dermit died Leinster could be given to Strongbow. Dermit obliged and the Normans took over. It is easy to imagine that the Normans were not the most popular people history in the medieval period. They were invading countries, taking over and creating unnecessary power. Once the Normans had taken over a country they needed somewhere to stay, somewhere to keep their troops, to use as a base for other Normans coming to the country and somewhere to store things such as food or weapons. The answer to this problem was to build a castle. The purpose of the castle was to protect themselves, to store things and to use as a base. One thing we have to remember at this time of history is that a castle is not a rich house or palace as such, it is a fortified dwelling for safety and is commonly used for defence in conflict. Castles have evolved greatly over castle history. The first type of castle to be built was called a Motte. This consisted of a mound of earth (either natural or man made) which had a castle made out of wood on top. This was not a successful castle, it had many drawbacks. Þ The castle itself was small, so not roomy for troops and a castle needs natural resources to keep animals for food and to grow vegetables. Þ The castle was made of wood; it was on top of a mound that was not very high.
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