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Medieval Castles - An Essay

Castles remind us of a time that was full bailey. With this new style of castles
of adventure and romance. Castles remind came a new construction material. Stone
us of a time in history in which there became the only material to build one's
was a lack of government and order. castle out of because it made castles
Although there was not mass confusion and much stronger against attack. The tower
anarchy, there was less order. Castles of London is an example of a masonry
were the basis of feudalism. Castles can castle. The ideal stone for castles was
be seen as a manifestation of feudal the fine limestone of Caen in Normandy.
society. Feudalism started with the rise This limestone was soft when first
of castles and ended with their end. The quarried, but gradually became hard as it
castle set the tone as the only homestead was exposed to air. To insulate against
that nobility would live in during this the cold stone walls of castles, the
time. Castles were influenced by and women made tapestries for the walls. The
influenced many medieval cathedrals in tapestries almost always contained a
Europe. Although castles served many story relating to the castle. One of the
purposes, their primary purpose was most famous tapestries is the Bayeux
military. At that time, people were not Tapestry. It depicts the Norman knights
protected by merely shutting and locking before Hastings in 1066. Since they were
a regular wooden door. They needed the now using stone, castle builders were
protection of castles and their knights. able to integrate defenses into the
The lords and constables of castles castles.Castles needed to have defenses.
needed serfs to work the land to make They were not made impregnable. They were
revenue in order to pay rent to the more made so that it would take an enormous
important nobles. Given the following amount of artillery and money to take the
evidence, it is relatively obvious why castle. They were made so that it would
castles and castle building played an take a large amount of time to take a
instrumental role in the development of castle. The castle of Newcastle at Tyne
Western Europe.Castles are unique to a was far from impregnable in 1173, but it
time in history known as medieval times. was strong enough to make an ill-prepared
The word medieval in our times is an Scottish King William think twice about a
insult to anything as is the word feudal. siege: "Well sees the king of Scotland
Through the haze and ruins, one can that he will never complete the conquest
imagine dungeons, chivalrous knights, and of Newcastle on Tyne without military
mighty Lords who ruled the land and engines" (Ibid 80). Some defenses used by
protected the common peasant from castles were machiolations. Machiolations
barbarians and other invaders. The rise were projecting battlements to protect
of castles marked the rise of feudalism. against arrows and other weapons. They
This was all started by the crusades. The were at the top of the wall surrounding
majority of the knights and nobles went the castle. Arrowslits or arrow loops
to liberate the holy land from the were slits that were cut into stone to
Muslims. The Crusades influenced castle allow sharpshooters a place to shoot.
builders back in Europe. Ideas were They were angled so that the sharpshooter
gathered from Muslim and Byzantine was protected from oncoming projectiles.
fortifications. Because of the lack of Another defense used was Greek fire. This
protection in Europe, a castle's strength was an incendiary device that was used
needed to be increased because of the against wooden attack machines. The
ever-present threat of a Muslim invasion. ingredients of Greek fire are a mystery.
The end of Feudalism also marked the end It is thought that it contained some of
of the middle ages and hence the end of the following components: crude oil,
the great castle era.Castles integrated refined oil, naphtha, pitch, resin,
the combination of residence and sulfur, quicklime, and bitumen. This
fortress. The first castle dates back to deadly mixture was put on an arrow and
King Sargon II of Khorsabad in ancient then shot onto one of the attacking
Egypt. He erected a grand palace for machines and it gave explosive results.
himself to protect him and his subjects. Greek fire was probably developed in the
The first recorded references to castles seventh century by the Byzantines for
was the Edict of Pistes by Charles the naval warfare. Greek fire was a morale
Bald, king of the West Franks. "We will builder for the defenders during a siege.
and expressly command that whoever at The Lord of Joinville described Greek
this time has made castles and fire as "This Greek fire was suck that
fortifications and enclosures without our seen from the front as it darted towards
out permission shall have them demolished us it appeared as large as a vessel of
by the First of August" (Brown verjuice, and the tail of the fire that
Architecture of Castles 13). Other castle streamed behind it was as long as the
laws were the Norman Institutions handed shaft of a great lance. The noise it made
down by William the Conqueror after he in coming was like that of a thunderbolt
took over England. One law says that no falling from the skies; it seemed like a
one shall raise castles in Normandy dragon flying through the air. The light
without the Duke's license.An ideal this huge, flaming mass shed all around
castle site was one that had natural it was so bright that you could see right
obstacles for defense such as steep through the camp as clearly as if it were
hillsides and water. Castles that were day. Three times that night the enemy
built on rocks or islands were especially slung Greek fire at us from their
effective. An example of this is Bodiam petraries, and three times they shot it
in Sussex which was the home of Sir from their arbalestres a tour" (Ibid
Edward Dalyngrigge in 1385. A moat 88).Weapons were used against castles
offered good protection, but building on during a siege included the trebuchet,
a lake or river offered better mangonel, belfry, ballista, ram, and
protection. The site should not be too bore. The trebuchet was a big machine
remote. It should have water and building that flung artillery like a catapult. The
material readily available nearby. A site mangonel was similar to the trebuchet but
should have a good climate, good pasture, smaller and more maneuverable. Its
and ample fertile land. If a castle had strength was based on the tautness of the
all these things, it would increase its hemp, rope, or tightly twisted animal
chances of surviving a siege.A large sinew. Artillery used by these weapons
majority of early castles followed the include rocks, fireballs, and dead
motte and bailey design. These designs animals to spread disease. The belfry was
utilized earth and timber. A motte and a mobile tower which was built higher
bailey design is a design where the keep than the castle walls in order to scale
is on a hill or motte behind the bailey them during siege. The ballista was
which is the open area of the castle essentially a large crossbow that hurled
similar to a town square. A bridge rocks and other large boulders. The ram
usually connected the motte to the was a device that did what its name says.
bailey. The motte was a great mound of It was used to knock the portcullis or
earth or rock. Sometimes it was gate down. The bore was a device used by
artificial, but the majority of the time the attackers during a tactic known as
it was authentic. At its base there was a mining. They mined from their camps to
deep trench that resembled a moat. This the castle walls. They would set up a
was used as defense. Surrounding the support then start a fire to break down
motte was a wall of timber. The motte the castle walls. The defenders of the
also contained the keep which is where castle also used this tactic to counter
the lord of the manor and his family the attackers siege. They would watch the
lived. The keep was the innermost part of moat to see the vibrations caused by the
the castle. It was the last defense attackers shovels. Then they would start
against attack. The keep has also been a counter mine. This was the most
referred to as the donjon. This is where effective tactic used in a siege but it
the French got the word dungeon meaning was the most dangerous. It was dark, had
the jail or place to hold prisoners. contaminated or little air and there was
Surrounding the entire premises was a always a threat that the tunnel would
wooden fence that was at least ten feet cave in or be caved in by the castle's
in height. These wooden stakes were then garrison.Castles were not just fortresses
implanted in the ground for support. The but also residences of the nobility. It
fence sometimes stood upon posts to allow is this balance of military and
men to get through. During a siege, the residential qualities which make a castle
perimeter would be covered with wet so different from other fortifications.
animal skins to curb the threat of arson. Castles had all the best furnishings and
Most motte and bailey castles were built colors. They had chapels because Europe
before William the Conqueror's conquest was a Christian continent. They
in 1066.Walter the Archdeacon wrote a occasionally had more than one. On the
biography of John, bishop of Therouanne castle property were things like gardens,
about 1130. In it he describes Merchem parks, vineyards, dovecotes, fishponds,
Castle near Dixmude: "There was, near the mills, and stables. Castle were not as
porch of the church, a fortress which we primitive as we think them to be. They
may call a castle... exceedingly high, had some of the conveniences that we have
built after the custom of that land by today. They had a form of a toilet. It
the lord of the town many years before. was a toilet made of stone. People who
For it is the habit of the magnates and wished to use it had to bring some
nobles of those parts... to raise a mound material to protect themselves from the
of earth as high as they can and surround cold stone. The waste would eventually
it with a ditch as broad as possible. The drain to a river by way of an underground
top of this mound they completely enclose pool. These cesspits would often have to
with a palisade of hewn logs bound close be cleaned out by dung farmers.Not all
together like a wall, with towers set in castles were extravagant fortresses that
its circuit so far as the site permits. housed kings and all his subjects. Many
In the middle of the space within the castles were just built for the lord, his
palisade they build a residence, or, family and a few servants. Other castles
dominating everything, keep" (Brown that were not well protected or had no
Architecture of Castles 21)Castle threat of attack were called fortified
designers saw a need for improvement manors. The design of a castle was taken
because wood and earth were not strong very seriously by the lords. There is
and were not effective protection against reference to Aubree, wife of the Count of
fire. There was also a need for bigger, Bayeux, executing on the spot, Lanfred,
grander castles because noble visitors her master mason after he completed her
did not travel alone so a castle would castle. She did this because she was so
have to have enough room for the pleased with it that she didn't want him
occasional visitor and his or her group. to build one like it for anyone
The architects who designed castles were else.Castles were the basis of feudalism.
known as master masons. They saw that They controlled the land and all within
stone would be a more effective building it. A castle was a lord's response to a
material. Although it was cold and hard mounted cavalry charge. Castles were
to work with, it provided the much needed effective centers of military power and
protection against fire. These newer territorial lordship whether or not the
castles are called enclosure castles. king or prince was there. Castles are an
Like motte and dailey designs, enclosures important part to history. They are
castles had a wall protecting the phenomenal structures that still
perimeter of the manor. However these influence modern houses today.You may
castles were not built upon hills or visit and for instant access to over
mottes. The keep of the castle was 45,000 plus term papers and essays. You
incorporated into the wall surrounding may have all of these quality papers for
the property. These castles still had a only $19.95.




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