In the Middle Ages, castles were a wall against bandits and intruders. They acted as the foundation in defensive construction. Castles were all made different with a common goal to prevent violent groups from penetrating it. They housed residences, economies, royalty, and peasant populations. They are a vital component of the Middle Age’s society. One of the first type of castle designs, the motte and bailey castle, features two main parts. Used first by the Normans in 1066 (people from modern-day Normandy France), it has the raised centerpiece which is the motte. Due to the steepness of the motte, it was nearly impossible to “run up the sides.” On top of that, there was a trench dug out surrounding the motte, sometimes even containing water like a moat. This stopped intruders even further from being able to climb to the top as they had no where to get a starting footing. The only way to get to the motte was through a bridge somewhere in the bailey. To make an attack even harder, the height of these defensive structures ranged from “25 feet (8 [meters]) to over 80 feet (24 [meters]).” The motte even had a fence at its top surrounding it. Within the fence was a “fortified tower” set on a flat piece of land that allowed a full view of surrounding areas in order to check for secureness. …show more content…
This is where most of the everyday tasks took place agriculturally and at the homestead in dwellings. The defense mainly took place here. Architecture revolving around the ability for archers to fight determined a lot of the layout for the bailey. “Any point on its circumference (outer edge) would be within bowshot of the tower” or motte. The bailey was sufficient until the 1100s and 1200s where new innovations took place causing this castle model is mainly go into extinction. In spite of this, many motte and bailey castles were transformed using new
The first castles were built with dirt and wood, but later they added stone. The Normans built keeps into their castles. The keep of a castle is the safest place in the castle in case of attack. Moats were built around castles to prevent attackers from digging under the castle, and to prevent ladders from reaching the castle wall. They are most often thought of as being filled with water, but they could also be dry. Castles also had a draw
There were many advantages in building motte and Bailey castles. Firstly they were easy and quick to build, unlike stone castles which could take up to 20 years to build. This was useful because this meant that the Normans could build a castle quickly and could therefore establish enough protection, to build stone castles. Secondly Motte and Bailey castles were constructed out of wood and this was easy to acquire, unlike stone which had to be transported all the way from France. This was useful because it meant that a Motte and Bailey castle was easy to build and would hardly
This picture shows some arrow slits. As you walk around the castle you see things like arrow slits and gun loops in the walls showing they were probably built in case of an attack. Around the outer and inner gateway walls there are portcullis grooves which were
As knights increased their social standing, with some becoming nobles, the idea of owning a castle became a common idea. War was often a way for one side to gain large amounts of wealth, which allowed more castles to be built. This allowed for the development of many different types of castles.
The Siege of a Castle was a guarantied victory, but it took a long time of patience. Patience was the key to victory with this strategy, however it was scarce in the battlefield, because of the angry, impatient soldiers waiting to get home to their families. The city walls were suppose to be fortifying a position that could not be easily overrun, and that it could be strong enough to enable the defense to maintain that position for a long period of time. Siege of a fort, castle, or city walls had four basic concepts. The Sieging technique was directly directed towards these four. In order for the attackers to get inside they would have to go over the wall, tear a passage through the wall, dig a tunnel underneath it, or just wait until the defenders surrendered.
They discarded the economy, they provided for themselves, and they were all put into different estates. The most remnants of the middle ages are in Europe, where you can find old castles and villages. This research report will discuss Knighthood, Castles, Medieval Weapons, and warfare. Knighthood Merriam Webster's definition of knighthood is “the rank, dignity, or profession of a knight. A knight’s job was to protect the king, protect the castle, and to fight in wars.
Castles were the core of a society in the Middle Ages, acting as a fort and defense. One of the first castles meant to as a defense fort was the motte-bailey castle, one of the earliest fortifications of the Middle Ages. The motte and bailey castle date back to the early ‘s, . This design would have the castle upon an elevated set of land known as the motte. The motte was surrounded by a defensive ditch which also separated the motte from the palisade, this was known as the bailey. A bridge connected the motte to the lower bailey, this construct was meant to guarantee that the keep, the stronghold or center of the kingdom, was harder to get to during invasions. Surrounding the entire kingdom was a wooden fence that contained a girded and barbed
“If you are going to build something in the air it is always better to build castles than houses of cards.”(Lichtenberg). Castles are meant to hold up in defensive times to protect the people and country. “Why should we strive, with cynic frown, to knock their fairy castles down?” (Cook). At first, castles were built for military and government means. As centuries went on, hostilities subsided, and wealth started to flow during Renaissance, nobility and royalty started to create vanity castles that were used to be summer houses, hunting houses and royal houses. Castles are used mostly for defense, they protect the nobility from danger, and they were used as a fortress to protect the country. The castles were large enough to be seen over many
However, marauding pagans often decimated native tribes who lived beyond the protection provided by the castle network. Eventually, the knights in an effort to provide protection resettled the natives behind the castles.
Noblemen who lived in the castle required servants, chamberlains, chaplains, and cooks to assist them in their daily life. The servants would perform tasks such as cleaning, washing and serving the meals. The chamberlains would control the events of the great hall while a chaplain would carry out his duties in the chapel, and the cooks would prepare the meals. The lady of the castle would oversee the lessons of the children and the household work. Entertainment played a major role in medieval life; castle lords would host tournaments and games. "We can only imagine that, though the people worked hard during the Middle Ages, they also compensated by
Built in 1628, the castle strengthened England’s hold on the area. In fact, this is one of the biggest castles in Wales. It also boasts of the strongest defensive system of any British Castle. More so, the castle was enlarged several times. It also has a moat, two impressive drawbridges, round towers and massive walls. You will also see 4 full size replicas of medieval artillery guns. Furthermore, the exhibits inside have details of its involvement in the wars between the English and Welsh. In fact, tourists take a boat ride across the lake to get an inspiring view of the castle.
The building of a castle was a monumental task; it required many laborers and took many years to complete. When a lord had decided to build a castle, he would hire a Master Builder to design and build the castle. He would choose a design for the castle. The castle was meant to be the fortress of the lord so it had to be strong. Castles had many different types of defense to protect the Lord and his family. The many types of defense that castles had meant that those attacking had to develop ever more strategic and powerful ways to attack the castle.
“As the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world it was originally constructed completely of timber in the Norman’s motte and bailey style of building with a wooden keep, wooden stockade, a ditch, and a moat surrounding it. Then in the late 12th century when Henry the II rebuilt both the stockade and the keep as stone fortification to better protect those inside” (Royal Collection Trust, “Who built the Castle?”). It contained all the key elements of medieval Normal architecture with its thick, high walls, large, secure front gate with a rounded arch, small, high windows, a keep containing a dungeon, a main hall, a chapel, and open space where workers and shops would normally reside. The surrounding walls were equipped with crenelations which provided protection for archers in combat and then a moat (usually containing water) surrounded the walls to deter enemy
Dungeons seem to interest people the most when it comes to Medieval castles. Prisoners were put inside these dungeons to die and were forgotten about . Prisoners were put in there cells and if they tried to escape it would be impossible without help from the outside because the walls were extremly dense. Dungeons were usally underground to keep prisoners away from people as they sat in the
OSU Theatre put on a production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, a comedy that involves love scandals, psychics, and specters. The plot of the story revolves around the main character Charles Condomine. As an author looking for inspiration, he hosts a séance at his home, hoping to gather material for his next book. Charles’ plan backfires however, and the ghost his annoying and temperamental first wife, Elvira, is inadvertently summoned during the séance. Comedy ensues as Elvira makes continual attempts to disrupt Charles's marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who cannot see or hear the ghost.