In my blog for my grandkids, one of my grandsons
wanted me to write about castles. His is going to be imaginary, with a diamond drawbridge,
a lava mote and alligators in armor. It got me wondering what it would be like
to live in a medieval castle. It is important to note that there is a
difference between a castle and a palace. Castle were made primarily for defense,
whereas a palace is a fancy living space for royalty.
Medieval castles did not really come with a standard
floor plan, but they do have many parts in
common. Across Europe there were 3
or 4 basic plans, but the surrounding terrain, water availability, and other
environmental factors often dictated how they were designed.
The first thing you might notice is the wall around
the castle, often called a curtain wall.
It was normally made of stone. This wall could be up to two meters thick. It
normally surrounded the whole castle. There would be openings high on the wall
for windows. Many walls had the toilets built right into them. The waste would
usually drop down into a moat. There
were usually small, angled, openings in the wall called arrow slits or arrow loops where archers could fire at
attackers without being out in the open. On the top of the wall was a parapet, a small wall about chest height
where the archers could stand. Every few feet or so were higher sections called
merlons, for soldiers to hide behind.
There might even be openings called Machicolations
that hang out away from the wall where soldiers could drop rocks or boiling oil
onto an enemy. There were often towers built into the wall. They served as lookout
areas, defensive structures, living quarters, and even prisons.
The only entrance in the wall was the main gate. It was guarded at all times
and usually had huge wooden doors that could be barred from the inside. It
usually included a gate of iron bars that could be raised and lowered. In most
castles there was also a draw bridge that spanned the moat. It could be lifted
to stop entry and also further help protect the gates.
The moat was usually a lake or deep pit that encircled
the castle. It could be filled with water, or even oil that was lit on fire
during a siege. The drawbridge was the only safe way across. Since the toilets
emptied into it, it would not be pleasant trying to cross through it.
Inside the castle you would usually find a kitchen, a chapel, and a great hall
which served as a banquet room. There could be stables and another fortified area called a keep. These were all housed in an area called the bailey, which was the hub of castle life
and also contained shops and possible other living areas.
There was usually some source of water inside the
castle. Since a river running under your castle wall could be a security risk,
a spring or well would be preferable. If a river was the only option, there
might be a secret tunnel to the river so water could be available during a siege.
Stairs in castles were almost always circular due to conservation
of space. They always turned clockwise, which favored the defenders stopping
soldiers coming up. Although the majority of the soldiers were right-handed,
this design would be less of a hindrance to someone who fought left-handed.
As much as it would seem romantic to visit a medieval castle
during their heyday, I imagine the smells would be alarming. Common people usually
never bathed and the elite may have only bathed weekly. Couple that with the
moat, and you realize that herbs, flowers, rose gardens weren’t just for looks.
Still, I think they would be fun to visit and just imagine.
(https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-medieval-castles/)
