A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for royalty or nobility; from a pleasance which was a walled-in residence for nobility, but not adequately fortified; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defence – though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Use of the term has varied over time and has been applied to structures as diverse as hill forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls, arrowslits, and portcullises, were commonplace. European-style castles originated in the 9th and
Un castillo es un tipo de estructura fortificada construida durante la Edad Media predominantemente por la nobleza o la realeza y por órdenes militares. Los estudiosos debaten el alcance de la palabra castillo, pero generalmente lo consideran como la residencia fortificada privada de un señor o noble. Esto es distinto de un palacio, que no es fortificado; de una fortaleza, que no era siempre una residencia para la realeza o la nobleza; de un placer que era una residencia fortificada para la nobleza, pero no adecuadamente fortificada; y de un asentamiento fortificado, que era una defensa pública – aunque hay muchas similitudes entre estos tipos de construcción. El uso del término ha variado con el tiempo y se ha aplicado a estructuras tan diversas como fortalezas de montaña y casas. Durante los aproximadamente 900 años que se construyeron los castillos, tomaron una gran forma con muchas características diferentes, aunque algunos, como los castillos, cortinas de pared y los murales, fueron originados en Europa.