Couldn’t an enemy army just march around the castle and take all of the unfortified farmland/resources? Also couldn’t a castle just be sieged out until the defenders starve?
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Location, location, location
Fortresses and military castles (there were many later non-fortified castles) occupied an important location. Whether it was on the hill over looking the village, on the hill overlooking the river, or on the hill overlooking the mountain pass the castle was always in a spot where it controlled the local area.
You might be able to raid the fields of the village outside the walls but that doesn’t give you much, the food stores are all located in the walled portion of the town. You want to get into the walled area? Castle can shoot you! The whole time you’re pillaging the grain stores of the town? Castle can shoot you
You could go wayyyy around the castle but most armies weren’t going out for a long time. Campaign season was March-October so if you had to spend a month marching around a castle guarding a pass then it could put you off schedule and you could be going into your siege in winter instead of fall and that is going to hurt your army.
You could try to siege the castle and starve it out but it probably has a few months of supplies. Do you? It also has friends out there. If the local lord rallies an army and rides to the castle’s aid you’re now stuck between the castle’s defenders and a new attacking army.
Fortifications aren’t meant to be perfect or impenetrable. Walls alone are useless, but walls buy guards and armies time. Time to get reinforcements or slowly pick away at the enemy or just to wait for winter to starve out the besieging army.
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