A fortified house is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Generally beginning as a traditional manor house or noble residence it would later be later fortified to a more military styling with the addition of gate houses, stone walls, towers or other such features to create a fortified house.
More generally it can refer to any residence that has had additional fortifications added.

See also

• Tower house
  Tower house
  A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
  
  
• Manor house
  Manor house
  A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
  
  
• Fortified houses in Ireland
  Fortified houses in Ireland
  In Ireland at the end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century, the Fortified House, along with the stronghouse, developed as a replacement for the tower house. 'Fortified Houses' were often rectangular, or sometimes U or L-shaped, three-storey structures with high gables and...