Table of Contents
They ranged from simple wooden enclosures to vast stone palaces. A castle allowed a lord to control the surrounding land. It also kept his family and riches safe from rivals while he was away at war, fighting as a knight for the king. Forts were not the same as castles.
What was it like to live in a castle?
What was it like living in a castle? Even when it wasn’t under attack, living in a castle was hectic, noisy and they were often packed full of people. Castles were large, dark, draughty and cold. Windows were often small, with wooden shutters or (if the nobleman could afford it), leadlight glass-panes.
What were castles like and why were they important during the Middle Ages?
Castles could serve as a centre for local government, administration and justice. They were also used by powerful lords to display their wealth and power through lavish architectural styles and decoration. Castles were not only built and used by the crown.
What were castles in the Middle Ages used for?
Castles were common in Europe during the Middle Ages and were often the homes of royal families or other powerful people. The main purpose of castles was to protect the people who lived there from invasions. They were also a status symbol to show other people how important a family was.
How was a castle built in the Middle Ages?
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.
Do castles have toilets?
The toilets of a castle were usually built into the walls so that they projected out on corbels and any waste fell below and into the castle moat. Even better, waste went directly into a river as is the case of the latrines of one of the large stone halls at Chepstow Castle in Wales, built from the 11th century CE.
How did they keep castles warm?
Thick stone walls, tiny unglazed windows and inefficient open fires made the classic castle something of a challenge to keep warm. By heating the stones as well as the chamber, and directing the smoke away from the room, these fireplaces made life in a medieval castle a considerably more comfortable affair.
What are the 4 types of castles?
Use the links below to read through the information on each of the four different types of Medieval castles; Motte and Bailey, Concentric, Shell Keep and Square Keep.
What were the 4 main reasons that castles were built?
Medieval castles were built from the 11th century CE for rulers to demonstrate their wealth and power to the local populace, to provide a place of defence and safe retreat in the case of attack, defend strategically important sites like river crossings, passages through hills, mountains and frontiers, and as a place of May 17, 2018.
How did castles defend themselves?
The top of the castle walls were the battlements, a protective, tooth shaped parapet often with a wall walk behind it for the soldiers to stand on. The defenders could fire missiles through gaps (crenels). The raised sections between, called merlons, helped to shelter the defenders during an enemy attack.
What are 5 features of Norman castles?
Can’t findeverythingat your castle? So you’re ina Norman castle. The ‘Motte’ – the. mound where the castle was built. This hadsteep sides to make it tricky for the enemy to run up. Curved, arched. doorways – arches were in fashion back then. Small, narrow. Large, stone. building blocks. and thick walls. It’s dark.
What are the 3 types of castles?
The three main types of castles are the motte and bailey castle, the stone keep castle, and the concentric castle.
What is the oldest castle in the world?
The oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world, Windsor Castle is a royal residence located in Berkshire, England. Originally built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror, the lavish castle has been used by succeeded monarchs ever since.
Where are castles usually located?
Location: Castles were usually built on top of a hill if one was handy. That way, the guards would spot attackers approaching. If there was no hill, a castle would be built at the ford of a river, or the entrance to a bay or harbor. But hill tops were best.
Why did they stop building castles?
Why did they stop building castles? Castles were great defences against the enemy. However, when gunpowder was invented the castles stopped being an effective form of defence. The medieval castle with its high vertical walls was no longer the invincible fortification it had been.
Which castle is the biggest in the world?
Malbork Castle in Poland is the largest castle in the world if measured by land area, encompassing 1,539,239 square feet. Built by the Teutonic Knights beginning in 1274, the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is comprised of three castles surrounded by walls.
Where did castles poop?
In a medieval castle, a garderobe was usually a simple hole discharging to the outside into a cesspit (akin to a pit latrine) or the moat (like a fish pond toilet), depending on the structure of the building.
How did people wipe before toilet paper?
All the Ways We’ve Wiped: The History of Toilet Paper and What Came Before. Among tools people used in the past were moss, sponge on a stick, ceramic pieces and bamboo ‘spatulas. ‘ Among tools people used in the past were moss, sponge on a stick, ceramic pieces and bamboo ‘spatulas.
Did Kings really live in castles?
The most important person in a castle was the owner —the king, lord, knight or lady. But they didn’t live there all the time. These were usually in the safest part of the castle, and only trusted servants or honoured guests were allowed in.
How did they keep food cold in the 1500s?
Freezing and Cooling In castles and large homes with cellars, an underground room could be used to keep foods packed in winter ice through the cooler spring months and into the summer. More common was the use of underground rooms to keep foods cool, the all-important last step of most of the above preservation methods.
How did they keep warm in the olden days?
How did people stay warm in the dead of winter? Like us, they wore cloaks, scarves, boots and gloves (not the five fingered kind we know, but a more mitten like style). Homes were often smokey from a stone hearth fire that was ventilated by a hole in the roof.
Were Castles clean or dirty?
Castles were very difficult to keep clean. There was no running water, so even simple washing tasks meant carrying a lot of bucketfuls of water from a well or stream. Few people had the luxury of being able to bathe regularly; the community was generally more tolerant of smells and dirt.
