What did castles look like in the Middle Ages? Castles usually consisted of a group of buildings that were surrounded by a huge wall and a moat designed to keep attackers out. Castles were often built on the tops of hills so the people inside could see attackers coming from a distance.
What life was really like in a medieval castle?
Life in a medieval castle would have been ordered and organised, full of pomp and ceremony, and also very cold and smelly! Essentially, castles were at the heart of Medieval society. Castles were built in England and Wales after 1066.
Why were castles so important in the Middle Ages?
What Are the Purpose of Castles?
- Other Names for Castles. A castle built as a military stronghold may be called a fort, fortress, stronghold, or stronghouse. ...
- The Example of Castle Ashby. Watching a cricket match on the grounds of Castle Ashby, the casual travel might have little sense of the historical architecture in the background.
- Castle Details Handed Down. ...
When were castles first built a why?
The first castles were built in Scotland in the 11th and 12th centuries, with the introduction of Anglo-Norman influence. These motte and bailey castles were replaced with the first stone-built castles from around 1200.
What materials were used to build a castle?
How to build a medieval castle: 9 top tips
- Choose your site carefully. ...
- Agree on a workable design. ...
- Source a large, and skilled, workforce. ...
- Secure the building site. ...
- Landscape the area. ...
- Lay the foundations. ...
- Fortify your castle. ...
- Deal with water and sewage. ...
- Decorate as required. ...
How long did it take to build castles in the Middle Ages?
two to 10 yearsCastles generally took two to 10 years to build. To learn and understand medieval castle building techniques, let's look at a modern castle building project.
What was the basic design of Middle Age castles?
Stone keep castles typically took the form of freestanding stone towers. Square or rectangular shapes were most popular initially, but many variations later developed such as round keeps (which were better at deflecting artillery fire in the event of a siege), quatrefoil, and even polygonal keeps.
What did they use to build castles?
Many northern European castles were originally built from earth and timber, but had their defences replaced later by stone. Early castles often exploited natural defences, lacking features such as towers and arrowslits and relying on a central keep.
How were castles first built?
The first Norman castles were motte-and-bailey castles, a wooden or stone keep set on an artificial mound called a motte, surrounded by an enclosed courtyard or bailey. This in turn was surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. These fortifications were relatively easy and fast to construct.
How were castles built on mountains?
It was built from the top down. But this description is kind of deceiving. Rather, for this kind of building, it was built by hollowing the stone out from below forming rooms, hallways and crypts. The cut stone was then used to build the exterior walls, reinforcements and buttressing.
How did castle design develop?
The first castles, built in the Early Middle Ages (early Medieval period), were 'earthworks' – mounds of earth primarily built for defence, as enemies struggled to climb them. During the 1000s, the Normans developed these into Motte and Bailey castle designs.
How were castle walls built?
Walls were generally built of stone within wooden frames designed to hold the stone in place while the mortar dried. For thick walls, the wall was usually constructed with a cavity that was filled with rubble rather than being solid stone.
What are castle walls made of?
During the early medieval times, castle walls consisted of simple mud and stone fortifications that were inspired by earlier Roman structures. As the medieval period progressed thick stone curtain walls swept around grand castles connected by imposing towers manned by well-armed castle guards.
What materials were castles made of?
Originally castles were made of wood and timber. Later they were replaced with stone to make them stronger. Castles were often built at the top of hills or where they could use some natural features of the land to help with their defense.
How did they build castles in water?
Around the castle, an earthen wall was built from the same material that was dug out of the foot of the castle. The resultant moat helped increase the relative height of the castle. This earthen wall was supported by a wooden framework. Similar defensive structures are well known from our other neighbouring lands.
How were buildings built in the Middle Ages?
Medieval masons continued many Roman architectural practices, constructing their buildings with rubble (broken, rather than cut stone) walls faced with cut stone blocks or decorative patterns, as seen in the surviving sections of the late-tenth-century cathedral of Beauvais, Notre-Dame-de-la-Basse-Oeuvre.
How do you build a castle?
0:373:15How To Make A Cardboard Castle - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFirst you need to form the balls of your castle. Draw a crenelated pattern onto the top of yourMoreFirst you need to form the balls of your castle. Draw a crenelated pattern onto the top of your cardboard wall. Now you can cut out the walls of your castle.
What were castles like in the Middle Ages?
Since the Middle Ages spans about a thousand years, castles underwent many changes. What began as crude stick and mud constructions became elaborat...
Why were castles originally built?
Across Europe, the Normans built castles for protection. As they invaded more and more land, they quickly built castles to protect the area they ha...
What type of castles were built in the Middle Ages?
The Motte-and-Bailey castle was built on a motte, or a high hill. Usually, a tall tower sat on the hill and several other buildings sat on the flat...
Why were castles built?
Castles built primarily to be military fortifications were powerful structures, engineered with thick walls and narrow entrances to repel enemies, whereas castles intended to be used as domestic or symbolic spaces tended to be more spacious and more highly decorated, with less attention paid to actual military effectiveness. ...
Where did castles originate?
Origins of Castle Design. The earliest fortifications in Europe were hillforts built during the Bronze Age, simple but effective earthworks. The Romans later built fortifications of various types and sizes, from Roman forts to stone walls and towers such as the kind that can be found at Hadrian’s wall in Britain.
What is a motte and bailey castle?
Motte-and-bailey castles, as the earliest incarnation of the medieval castle, were relatively simple structures, consisting of an earthwork known as a motte (atop which would stand a tower) and a bailey, a compound positioned at the base of or next to the motte, usually enclosed by a wall or fence.
Why were stone castles so durable?
Stone castles were also far more durable and did not need repairing and maintenance work nearly so regularly as wooden castles, which were quite susceptible to the elements. Lords who built stone keep castles were able to project a clear image of their wealth and power.
What style of architecture did Norman castles use?
Notably, Norman castles were usually constructed with elements of Romanesque architecture, a style that originated in Normandy in the 11 th century and which is closely associated with rounded arches and huge proportions.
Why is Stone Keep Castle so popular?
Stone keep castles superseded wooden motte-and-bailey castles for two main reasons: the stone was both a better defensive material (stronger than wood as well as being fire-proof) and more prestigious.
Why was securing territory important to feudal society?
In this feudal society, based around land ownership and service, securing possession of territory was crucial to lords and nobles being able to maintain their social, economic and political position. It was into this system that castles developed.
Why were medieval castles not built?
Medieval castles were not built for comfort, they were built for safety . Castles were built to protect the lord. The castle wasn't the most comfortable place to live in, there was no heat in the castles, only the lord and his family would have heat.
What were castles made of?
In the middle ages the castles were built with: Wood. Any type of stone, including flint, sea pebbles, and chalk. The walls of a castle needed to be very strong and sturdy because they were made of stone they were also extremely heavy. The walls were often made of something called Ashlar.
What was the name of the wall that allowed the castle defenders to shoot arrows?
When the ashlar wall was completed it would often be coated over with plaster and whitewash. Another name for castle walls were called curtain wall. Arrow Loops: S lits in the wall that allowed the castle defenders to shoot arrows. Batter: An angled section at the bottom of the wall.
What are hammers and chisels used for?
Hammers and Chisels: used to design the stone blocks into the shape and size necessary for the construction of walls, columns, and towers. Chisels were also used to create detailed designs in the stone for decorative or religious purposes. Scaffolding: This is a temporary structure on the outside of a building.
How long did it take to build a castle?
George built the Welsh castles of King Edward I). Castles generally took two to 10 years to build.
How much did Edward I spend on Warwick Castle?
Castle construction was an expensive undertaking; King Edward I nearly bankrupted the royal treasuries by spending about 100,000 pounds on his castles in Wales.
What do masons use to hold stones together?
The masons on the wall fit the stones together and use the mortar to hold the blocks together. Workers use traditional tools to measure and lay out castle pieces. For example, craftsmen use a long rope with knots placed every meter to measure wood beams and layout pieces.
Where is the Gueledon castle located?
The project, in Treigny in the Burgundy region of France, is called Project Gueledon. The design is based on 13th-century castle architecture -- it consists of a dry moat, curtain walls, corner towers and a large tower keep. Construction started in 1997 and is expected to last about 25 years.
How do stone masons work?
Stone masons then chisel the raw stone into blocks. Workers use man-powered cranes to lift the finished stones to the scaffolding on the castle wall. Other workers make mortar on the site from lime, soil and water. The masons on the wall fit the stones together and use the mortar to hold the blocks together.
Why were medieval castles built?
from Pixabay. The Medieval Castles were built in the Middle Ages as a home of the kings and nobles, to show the power and wealth. Also, castles were a strategic place of retreat ...
What is the Keep of Medieval Castle?
Is a fortified structure inside of the castle, usually the main building made out of a stone with thick walls used as a last resort of defence. Emerged from Normandy and Anjou in the 10th century first Keeps were made from timber, and formed the vital part of Motte and Bailey.
What is a moat in a castle?
Moat. Moat is a deep, broad ditch filled with water or dry, surrounding the castle at the bottom of the curtain wall used as the primary line of defence. Through the years as the castles developed and became more sophisticated, the moats enlarged too and a more significant size moat.
What is a Bailey castle?
Bailey is an enclosed courtyard surrounded by a curtain wall, often overlooked by the Motte. Example of the bailey, Picture by Vince on Flickr.com. A castle could have multiple Baileys depending on the number of vassals and technology, and the strategy of defence.
What are the different types of castles?
If you are a frequent traveller or love historical movies, you’ve probably noticed not all the castles are the same; There are different types of castles; Motte and Bailey Castle. The Rectangular Keep Castle. The Shell Keep 13 century Castle. The Concentr ic Castle. Motte and Bailey Castle.
What was the most sophisticated castle in the 13th and 14th centuries?
Concentric Castle was more sophisticated and strategically built castles during the 13th and 14th century. Combination of shell keep and rectangular keep with more lines of defence; including moats, towers and turrets.
What is the name of the fortified outpost in the castle?
Barbican is a fortified outpost or gateway, such as an outer defence structure situated at the gate of a castle or a medieval city. With Barbican built outside the castle and connected with a protected bridge called “ neck ,” the archers could stop slow down a direct attack on the gates or weak points of the castle.
Origins of Castle Design
Early Medieval Castles
- Motte-and-bailey Castles
Motte-and-bailey castles, as the earliest incarnation of the medieval castle, were relatively simple structures, consisting of an earthwork known as a motte (atop which would stand a tower) and a bailey, a compound positioned at the base of or next to the motte, usually enclosed by a wall or f…
High Medieval Castles
- Stone keep castles
Stone keep castlessuperseded wooden motte-and-bailey castles for two main reasons: the stone was both a better defensive material (stronger than wood as well as being fire-proof) and more prestigious. Stone castles were also far more durable and did not need repairing and maintenan… - Norman Castles
The Normans were the descendants of Norse raiders who settled in northern France in the early 10th century. Through the invasion of England, Duke William the Conqueror of Normandy brought castles to Britain – William actually constructed a whole series of castles in the country to pacif…
Late Medieval Castles
- Gothic Castles
Stone keeps and concentric castles continued to be built into the late medieval period, but there was also a new development – gothic castles. Gothic architecture, which developed out of the earlier Romanesque, was a style characterized by tall, thin arches with pointed peaks, used in do…
Early Modern Castles
- Star Forts
As the medieval period drew to a close, the development of gunpowder artillery had revolutionized warfare, and the old fortifications of the middle ages simply could not withstand the increasingly powerful cannon that armies were equipped with. The castle was therefore superseded by the ar…