Difference between Castle and Fort

Key Difference: Castles were built for the primary motive of safety and protection. Forts were built for the primary motive of military purpose.

Castles and Forts are very similar to each other. In fact, they are sometimes used as synonyms. The main difference between both the terms are that the castles were mainly built for the purpose of safety or protection, whereas, forts were built for the purpose of military .

A castle is a huge building that is prepared and contains many defenses. These are the buildings that were seen in previous ages as often inhabited by a nobleman, ruler or King. A castle was mainly built for safety purposes. In the 9th and 10th century, the buildings like castles were built in Middle East and Europe by the Maharajas (Kings) against threatening attacks. The castle architecture is very commonly seen in most of the other castles. The protectors like gatehouses, arrows, etc. were the elements that were surrounded in castle. They were not constructed for the purpose of architecture, but it was constructed to frighten the enemies.

Forts are very similar to castles but they were exclusively used for the military purposes. A fortress is a very large fort. It is type of fortification which is larger than regular forts. They were built for the purposes of military to defend from enemies from the outside countries. It was mainly helpful in the older times when unknowingly war took place. Even now, the forts are very useful in wars or fights between two countries or regions.

Comparison between Castle and Fort:

 

Castle

Fort

Description

(Dictionary.com)

  • A fortified, usually walled residence, as of a prince or noble in feudal times.
  • The chief and strongest part of the fortifications of a medieval city.
  • A strongly fortified, permanently garrisoned stronghold.
  • A large and stately residence, especially one, with high walls and towers that imitates the form of a medieval castle.
  • A strong or fortified place occupied by troops and usually surrounded by walls, ditches, and other defensive works; a fortress; fortification.
  • Any permanent army post.

Derived

Latin word castellum

Latin word fortis

Famous

  • Alnwick Castle
  • Castle Howard
  • Blarney Castle
  • Belvoir Caslte
  • Red Fort
  • Agra Fort
  • Fort William
  • Junagarh Fort

Materials used

Stone or brick

Stone or brick

Image Courtesy: upload.wikimedia.org, upload.wikimedia.org

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