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Researched by Kale J.
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Research Summary
Eleventh century castles were made out of wood. It was usually on piled up earth surrounded by a moat. In the 12th century they started building castles out of stone, but surrounded by a moat. Because of the stone castles’ great weight, they had to be built on a hill or on flat ground. They also have very thick walls, with four turrets at the top corners and very small windows, but at the lower levels they are just slits. For defense, stairs go to the second floor, then lead up to the fore building beside the great tower. The main castle stands behind the inner bailey where the kitchen, granary, and other storerooms are.
“Castle workmen were supervised by the master mason and his trusted
assistants.” It took a boy many years to become a mason. First
he was an apprentice, and then he was a journeyman (and paid by the day).
Then to become a mason, he has to make a masterpiece by approval from the
mason’s guild. If the mason’s guild thought it was good enough, he
would become part of the mason’s guild. The masons also used their
huts as meeting places. Very skilled master masons had to make
churches and cathedrals, and also castles. They traveled through
Europe, spending lots of time away from home.
Since the entrance is the most vulnerable spot for a trebuchet attack
it is built stronger and has a Keep-Gatehouse. It has two huge machicolated
towers to defend the entrance, which is also defended by the drawbridge,
an iron-studded door, and two portcullises. If the enemy enters the passage
they are attacked by loopholes on each side, and murder-holes in the ceiling.
The constable of the castle lives in the gatehouse with his personal followers
because he might not trust the mercenaries. As another defense, a
work called a barbican is built on a far side of the moat. It has
all the regular defenses and the enemy who overcomes them still has to
cross the causeway and withstand open fire from the gateway, towers, and
walls.
There are two types of soldiers: knights and footmen. Knights were a higher class, usually owned land, and were typically paid. The knights fought on horseback, and their horses usually wore armor. The knights had the regular armor and wore chain mail from their head to their feet and covered their whole body. Then they put on steel armor that covered their legs, arms, and body. They also wore a helmet. They had a belt to carry the sword in its sheath and carried a shield. This equipment was very expensive. “Together, they might cost the equivalent of a hundred years wages for an ordinary farm laborer. Knights had to provide all this out of the profits of their estates, and bring a number of soldiers with them into battle. Foot soldiers fought on ground and wore less armor than the knights. They always carried a spare sword. They carried pikes, staves, or a bow and arrow. The archers and crossbow-man wore less armor because they stayed up in the towers. Foot soldiers got paid less.
In the 1500’s castles stopped being built as fortresses but instead as show places. Castles stopped being built because they could send out men and have battles on flat ground. New castle designs were inspired with the idea of being more civilized living. There was a change in thinking rather than fighting. Most importantly they’re costly to build, and they could not stand with cannon fire.
Undermining is when the people attacking the castle dug under one of the castles walls and they built support so it wouldn’t cave in. They got under the wall and threw a lot of wood at the end, put it on fire, and ran out. When they are out the fire got to the support, broke it, and the wall was destroyed.
Weapons for Attacking Castles
Mangonel: A rope is attached to the spoon like cradle holding a huge rock. The rope is wound pulling the cradle back, when released the boulder goes hurling in the air.
Trebuchet: Its similar to the mangonel, the difference is it has a larger arm and a counter weight that when released sends the rock flying and shoots longer and has to be built far away.
Battering ram: Also acts as a shelter. Every man working the siege
weapons were in lots of danger of attack from the defenders in the castle.
So they built a shelter and roof covered by leather hides that could hold
arrows. In the battering there is a log that hangs from the roof
and has a cap that attacks close up on the castle walls.
Cannon: Cannons were made in the fourteenth century but were not really
used until the fifteenth century. It fired a huge stone or
metal shot a long distance to blow holes in the castle.
A solar is the Lord’s bedchamber. It is the most luxurious room in the castle; which has a four-poster bed with fine hangings and a coat of arms above. The room has a few chests, one with clothes and one for documents, silver plates and coins, a stool, a stand for a torch or candle, an ewer and basin, food, and a mat on the floor. The fireplace provides warmth for winter and the window provides sunlight.
In the times of motte and bailey, defense was often passive, a garrison held out wishing relief would come and the enemy would just run away. With a building of more advancement defense is more active. The men at arms can move very fast on the wall. Overhanging hoardings and machicolations enable the defense to attack an enemy hitting away at the base of the walls. The walls are made extra thick to counter a bomb or battering ram. The gateway likely to be the main target, is built stronger with murder holes and a barbican. A garrison can fire a counter attack by sneaking out of a gateway to get the enemy from behind while they attack the main gateway or use a postern gate called a sally port.
People who built the castles worked very hard.
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