| Castles remind us of a time that was full of | | | | construction material. Stone became the only |
| adventure and romance. Castles remind us of a | | | | material to build one's castle out of because |
| time in history in which there was a lack of | | | | it made castles much stronger against attack. |
| government and order. Although there was not | | | | The tower of London is an example of a |
| mass confusion and anarchy, there was less | | | | masonry castle. The ideal stone for castles |
| order. Castles were the basis of feudalism. | | | | was the fine limestone of Caen in Normandy. |
| Castles can be seen as a manifestation of | | | | This limestone was soft when first quarried, |
| feudal society. Feudalism started with the | | | | but gradually became hard as it was exposed |
| rise of castles and ended with their end. The | | | | to air. To insulate against the cold stone |
| castle set the tone as the only homestead | | | | walls of castles, the women made tapestries |
| that nobility would live in during this time. | | | | for the walls. The tapestries almost always |
| Castles were influenced by and influenced | | | | contained a story relating to the castle. One |
| many medieval cathedrals in Europe. Although | | | | of the most famous tapestries is the Bayeux |
| castles served many purposes, their primary | | | | Tapestry. It depicts the Norman knights |
| purpose was military. At that time, people | | | | before Hastings in 1066. Since they were now |
| were not protected by merely shutting and | | | | using stone, castle builders were able to |
| locking a regular wooden door. They needed | | | | integrate defenses into the castles.Castles |
| the protection of castles and their knights. | | | | needed to have defenses. They were not made |
| The lords and constables of castles needed | | | | impregnable. They were made so that it would |
| serfs to work the land to make revenue in | | | | take an enormous amount of artillery and |
| order to pay rent to the more important | | | | money to take the castle. They were made so |
| nobles. Given the following evidence, it is | | | | that it would take a large amount of time to |
| relatively obvious why castles and castle | | | | take a castle. The castle of Newcastle at |
| building played an instrumental role in the | | | | Tyne was far from impregnable in 1173, but it |
| development of Western Europe.Castles are | | | | was strong enough to make an ill-prepared |
| unique to a time in history known as medieval | | | | Scottish King William think twice about a |
| times. The word medieval in our times is an | | | | siege: "Well sees the king of Scotland that |
| insult to anything as is the word feudal. | | | | he will never complete the conquest of |
| Through the haze and ruins, one can imagine | | | | Newcastle on Tyne without military engines" |
| dungeons, chivalrous knights, and mighty | | | | (Ibid 80). Some defenses used by castles were |
| Lords who ruled the land and protected the | | | | machiolations. Machiolations were projecting |
| common peasant from barbarians and other | | | | battlements to protect against arrows and |
| invaders. The rise of castles marked the rise | | | | other weapons. They were at the top of the |
| of feudalism. This was all started by the | | | | wall surrounding the castle. Arrowslits or |
| crusades. The majority of the knights and | | | | arrow loops were slits that were cut into |
| nobles went to liberate the holy land from | | | | stone to allow sharpshooters a place to |
| the Muslims. The Crusades influenced castle | | | | shoot. They were angled so that the |
| builders back in Europe. Ideas were gathered | | | | sharpshooter was protected from oncoming |
| from Muslim and Byzantine fortifications. | | | | projectiles. Another defense used was Greek |
| Because of the lack of protection in Europe, | | | | fire. This was an incendiary device that was |
| a castle's strength needed to be increased | | | | used against wooden attack machines. The |
| because of the ever-present threat of a | | | | ingredients of Greek fire are a mystery. It |
| Muslim invasion. The end of Feudalism also | | | | is thought that it contained some of the |
| marked the end of the middle ages and hence | | | | following components: crude oil, refined oil, |
| the end of the great castle era.Castles | | | | naphtha, pitch, resin, sulfur, quicklime, and |
| integrated the combination of residence and | | | | bitumen. This deadly mixture was put on an |
| fortress. The first castle dates back to King | | | | arrow and then shot onto one of the attacking |
| Sargon II of Khorsabad in ancient Egypt. He | | | | machines and it gave explosive results. Greek |
| erected a grand palace for himself to protect | | | | fire was probably developed in the seventh |
| him and his subjects. The first recorded | | | | century by the Byzantines for naval warfare. |
| references to castles was the Edict of Pistes | | | | Greek fire was a morale builder for the |
| by Charles the Bald, king of the West Franks. | | | | defenders during a siege. The Lord of |
| "We will and expressly command that whoever | | | | Joinville described Greek fire as "This Greek |
| at this time has made castles and | | | | fire was suck that seen from the front as it |
| fortifications and enclosures without our out | | | | darted towards us it appeared as large as a |
| permission shall have them demolished by the | | | | vessel of verjuice, and the tail of the fire |
| First of August" (Brown Architecture of | | | | that streamed behind it was as long as the |
| Castles 13). Other castle laws were the | | | | shaft of a great lance. The noise it made in |
| Norman Institutions handed down by William | | | | coming was like that of a thunderbolt falling |
| the Conqueror after he took over England. One | | | | from the skies; it seemed like a dragon |
| law says that no one shall raise castles in | | | | flying through the air. The light this huge, |
| Normandy without the Duke's license.An ideal | | | | flaming mass shed all around it was so bright |
| castle site was one that had natural | | | | that you could see right through the camp as |
| obstacles for defense such as steep hillsides | | | | clearly as if it were day. Three times that |
| and water. Castles that were built on rocks | | | | night the enemy slung Greek fire at us from |
| or islands were especially effective. An | | | | their petraries, and three times they shot it |
| example of this is Bodiam in Sussex which was | | | | from their arbalestres a tour" (Ibid |
| the home of Sir Edward Dalyngrigge in 1385. A | | | | 88).Weapons were used against castles during |
| moat offered good protection, but building on | | | | a siege included the trebuchet, mangonel, |
| a lake or river offered better protection. | | | | belfry, ballista, ram, and bore. The |
| The site should not be too remote. It should | | | | trebuchet was a big machine that flung |
| have water and building material readily | | | | artillery like a catapult. The mangonel was |
| available nearby. A site should have a good | | | | similar to the trebuchet but smaller and more |
| climate, good pasture, and ample fertile | | | | maneuverable. Its strength was based on the |
| land. If a castle had all these things, it | | | | tautness of the hemp, rope, or tightly |
| would increase its chances of surviving a | | | | twisted animal sinew. Artillery used by these |
| siege.A large majority of early castles | | | | weapons include rocks, fireballs, and dead |
| followed the motte and bailey design. These | | | | animals to spread disease. The belfry was a |
| designs utilized earth and timber. A motte | | | | mobile tower which was built higher than the |
| and bailey design is a design where the keep | | | | castle walls in order to scale them during |
| is on a hill or motte behind the bailey which | | | | siege. The ballista was essentially a large |
| is the open area of the castle similar to a | | | | crossbow that hurled rocks and other large |
| town square. A bridge usually connected the | | | | boulders. The ram was a device that did what |
| motte to the bailey. The motte was a great | | | | its name says. It was used to knock the |
| mound of earth or rock. Sometimes it was | | | | portcullis or gate down. The bore was a |
| artificial, but the majority of the time it | | | | device used by the attackers during a tactic |
| was authentic. At its base there was a deep | | | | known as mining. They mined from their camps |
| trench that resembled a moat. This was used | | | | to the castle walls. They would set up a |
| as defense. Surrounding the motte was a wall | | | | support then start a fire to break down the |
| of timber. The motte also contained the keep | | | | castle walls. The defenders of the castle |
| which is where the lord of the manor and his | | | | also used this tactic to counter the |
| family lived. The keep was the innermost part | | | | attackers siege. They would watch the moat to |
| of the castle. It was the last defense | | | | see the vibrations caused by the attackers |
| against attack. The keep has also been | | | | shovels. Then they would start a counter |
| referred to as the donjon. This is where the | | | | mine. This was the most effective tactic used |
| French got the word dungeon meaning the jail | | | | in a siege but it was the most dangerous. It |
| or place to hold prisoners. Surrounding the | | | | was dark, had contaminated or little air and |
| entire premises was a wooden fence that was | | | | there was always a threat that the tunnel |
| at least ten feet in height. These wooden | | | | would cave in or be caved in by the castle's |
| stakes were then implanted in the ground for | | | | garrison.Castles were not just fortresses but |
| support. The fence sometimes stood upon posts | | | | also residences of the nobility. It is this |
| to allow men to get through. During a siege, | | | | balance of military and residential qualities |
| the perimeter would be covered with wet | | | | which make a castle so different from other |
| animal skins to curb the threat of arson. | | | | fortifications. Castles had all the best |
| Most motte and bailey castles were built | | | | furnishings and colors. They had chapels |
| before William the Conqueror's conquest in | | | | because Europe was a Christian continent. |
| 1066.Walter the Archdeacon wrote a biography | | | | They occasionally had more than one. On the |
| of John, bishop of Therouanne about 1130. In | | | | castle property were things like gardens, |
| it he describes Merchem Castle near Dixmude: | | | | parks, vineyards, dovecotes, fishponds, |
| "There was, near the porch of the church, a | | | | mills, and stables. Castle were not as |
| fortress which we may call a castle... | | | | primitive as we think them to be. They had |
| exceedingly high, built after the custom of | | | | some of the conveniences that we have today. |
| that land by the lord of the town many years | | | | They had a form of a toilet. It was a toilet |
| before. For it is the habit of the magnates | | | | made of stone. People who wished to use it |
| and nobles of those parts... to raise a mound | | | | had to bring some material to protect |
| of earth as high as they can and surround it | | | | themselves from the cold stone. The waste |
| with a ditch as broad as possible. The top of | | | | would eventually drain to a river by way of |
| this mound they completely enclose with a | | | | an underground pool. These cesspits would |
| palisade of hewn logs bound close together | | | | often have to be cleaned out by dung |
| like a wall, with towers set in its circuit | | | | farmers.Not all castles were extravagant |
| so far as the site permits. In the middle of | | | | fortresses that housed kings and all his |
| the space within the palisade they build a | | | | subjects. Many castles were just built for |
| residence, or, dominating everything, keep" | | | | the lord, his family and a few servants. |
| (Brown Architecture of Castles 21)Castle | | | | Other castles that were not well protected or |
| designers saw a need for improvement because | | | | had no threat of attack were called fortified |
| wood and earth were not strong and were not | | | | manors. The design of a castle was taken very |
| effective protection against fire. There was | | | | seriously by the lords. There is reference to |
| also a need for bigger, grander castles | | | | Aubree, wife of the Count of Bayeux, |
| because noble visitors did not travel alone | | | | executing on the spot, Lanfred, her master |
| so a castle would have to have enough room | | | | mason after he completed her castle. She did |
| for the occasional visitor and his or her | | | | this because she was so pleased with it that |
| group. The architects who designed castles | | | | she didn't want him to build one like it for |
| were known as master masons. They saw that | | | | anyone else.Castles were the basis of |
| stone would be a more effective building | | | | feudalism. They controlled the land and all |
| material. Although it was cold and hard to | | | | within it. A castle was a lord's response to |
| work with, it provided the much needed | | | | a mounted cavalry charge. Castles were |
| protection against fire. These newer castles | | | | effective centers of military power and |
| are called enclosure castles. Like motte and | | | | territorial lordship whether or not the king |
| dailey designs, enclosures castles had a wall | | | | or prince was there. Castles are an important |
| protecting the perimeter of the manor. | | | | part to history. They are phenomenal |
| However these castles were not built upon | | | | structures that still influence modern houses |
| hills or mottes. The keep of the castle was | | | | today.You may visit and for instant access |
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