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Rectangular stone keeps are typical of the permanent castles built by the Normans after their conquest of England in 1066.
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The Tower of Normandy was built by William the Conqueror in 1078-87 AD. It is now a major tourist attraction in London.
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The Castle of Gisors is a castle in the town of Gisors in the department of Eure, France. The castle was a key fortress of the Dukes of Normandy in the 11th and 12th centuries. It was intended to defend the Anglo-Norman Vexin territory from the pretensions of the King of France.
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The Castle of Krak de Chevaliers in Syria was built by the crusading order the Knights Hospitallers from 1142 AD.
It became the Crusader's HQ housing 20,000 soldiers and holding out for 130 years. -
The Castle of Gisors, the wooden structure, was rebuilt using stone in 1151.
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In the high Middle Ages castles design began to include features to make the castles more beautiful. This was a way of signifying the wealth and refinement of the owner.
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Rocca Flea (Flea Castle) was first built in 1242 AD and then rebuilt in 1350 AD showing many of the advanced features' of the High medieval period. It is located in Umbria in Central Italy.
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The Castle of Malbork in Poland was built in 1274 by the Teutonic knights as their head quarters.
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Cannons became common in the 1400s AD so castles lost a lot of their military use. Slowly they evolved to simply become large residences loosing defensive features along the way.
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The Château de Chambord is a famous renaissance castle located in the Loire Valley of France. It was built by King Francis I of France as a private retreat between 1519 and 1547 AD.
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