Why in the past were European ships built with high wooden "castles" fore and aft?

to have better view
to manage the deck more easily
to improve ship defense
to improve ship stability
These were built to better resist boarding, commonly used in the naval warfare (especially by pirates). Boarders needed to attack these castles with great difficulty, while archers or harquebusiers could sweep the enemy decks.
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Answers by country

to have better view
to manage the deck more easily
to improve ship defense
to improve ship stability
answers
flagEgypt
15%
0%
76%
7%
13
flagAustria
10%
10%
70%
10%
10
flagGermany
15%
4%
63%
16%
116
flagthe Netherlands
5%
13%
63%
18%
38
flagGreece
8%
4%
62%
25%
24
flagSouth Africa
0%
25%
58%
16%
12
flagRepublic of Ireland
20%
16%
56%
8%
25
flagIsrael
20%
10%
50%
20%
10
flagCanada
12%
7%
46%
28%
39
flagNew Zealand
16%
5%
45%
32%
71
flagSingapore
18%
9%
45%
27%
11
flagPoland
14%
10%
42%
31%
17380
flagthe United Kingdom
15%
6%
42%
32%
234
flagAustralia
16%
8%
41%
31%
48
flagSweden
13%
6%
40%
40%
15
flagthe United States
15%
9%
36%
36%
547
flagFrance
36%
9%
36%
18%
11
flagIndia
11%
15%
32%
37%
135
flagthe Philippines
18%
7%
25%
48%
27
flagUnknown
12%
12%
25%
50%
16