fun facts about castles in the middle ages

Great leaders such as Joan of Arc and Charlemagne . England is currently home of 1500 castle sites, but many more are lost to time. Between 1315 and 1317 (with the aftermath lasting over a decade), excessively wet summers caused bad crops and a devastating famine. Castles, traditionally, have no toilets built-in. Every single one of these design elements was meant to keep enemies out and down. This meant that most outwards facing castle windows were very thin. It is usually thought of as being barbaric and uncivilized. The oldest castle still standing today is French its the Chateau de Doue-la-Fontaine, and its been part of the landscape since 950. They consumed drinks offermented grain. An army that had access to such a base near a point of conflict held a profound advantage over an attacking force, because they could strike out in skirmishes against a mostly vulnerable aggressor. The castle was a very boring place. Toilets were small rooms with benches and holes. Lords decided what crops should be planted and where so that there would always be food available for himself and those who worked under him at any given time during each year's growing season. During the early 15th century, the Iberian Peninsula countries started sponsoring exploration beyond the European boundaries. The introduction of gunpowder made castles less secure against attacks. One of the most notable aspects of medieval times is the knights in shining armor. It was the primary water source for those within the confines of the fortress, so steps were taken to ensure it didnt dry out or fall victim to the nefarious tactics of enemy forces. This makes the fact that some doubled as fish farms even more disgusting Urine-infused fish, anyone? The contents ofthe toilets would godown the gutters into the cesspool orthe ditch. dinners and six-packs. But in medieval times they were a sign of power, wealth and feudal reign. 7. Middle Ages Facts & Worksheets - KidsKonnect Here are some interesting Castle Facts that hopefully make you want to visit one. 10 Facts About Medieval Castles | History Hit While everyones aware of the main gate of a castle with its drawbridge, there was a more secret entrance: the postern. The image that castle interiors were all stone brick is very inaccurate, and the reason people assume this is because the lime painted whitewashed plaster that covered these walls has worn away over time, leaving bare stone. Q. The purpose of a castle was not only to keep people out, but to aggressively repel them. Thats because there has always been some debate over what a castle actually is. The are three main types of castles: The motte and bailey castle, the stone keep castle, and the concentric castle. Fact: Eating Was the Primary Means of Entertainment. Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Castles - Listverse Castle is the word derived from the Latin, castellum means fortified place. The largest historical trebuchet was called Warwolf, and could throw a 90 kilogram projectile over 300 meters. Fact: No Toilets (at least not as we know them). Your email address will not be published. On the other hand, castle occupants descending the stairs would be given the advantage of a staircase designed with their sword-arms in mind. The castle is one of the finest and best preserved 15th Century keeps in Scotland, but dont worry about sleeping on the floor or having to use a garderobe! Skibbereen Heritage Centre. These castles were built for protection using readily available. Here are some facts you can spout if youre in the mood to one-up your tour guide. A. Up until the Middle Ages, the Great Halls were used not only to entertain and eat, but also as sleeping quarters for the household. An increase in trade, new technologies, and improved farming techniques led to better food production methods. Youd normally have to use a hole in your bedroom called a garderobe, which is both gross and draughty. The postern would usually sit at the base of a castle wall and was therefore protected by the battlements above. 1347 AD, The black death: Plagues started spreading across Italy. They prevent anyone from walking up to the front gates, as a drawbridge was typically required to cross. 1000 AD, The feudal systems and city-states: many Italian cities, including Rome, became city-states. Animal court (Image credit: All About History magazine) Life in medieval times could be tough, and this didn't just apply to humans. The gatehouse contained a series of defences to make a direct assault more difficult than battering down a simple gate. There weren't any plastic or synthetic materials back then, so everything had to be made from scratch. During the Macedonian Renaissance, a classical learning process blossomed between the 9-11th centuries. What did they eat? It is usually depicted that the medieval folk were filthy, which is not true. Serfs might get one big meal per week if they were lucky enough. Inside the castle walls, floor coverings consisted of straw rushes and, later, sweet smelling herbs to mask the smell of animal excrement, grease, rotting food and beer. Sometimes a motte covered an older castles or hall, whose rooms became underground storage areas and prisons beneath a new keep. They would rule the local land and all the people who lived there. Castles, initially, were built in the 9th and 10th centuries, which is after the fall of the Carolingian Empire resulted in its territory being devided among individual lords and princes. In the innitial of the 13th century, Crusader castles were mostly built by military orders. Castles were built for dual purposes specifically, they were used to help protect the people within them from the threat of invasion however, they were also used as huge displays of wealth and grandeur. If you want to find out more about these magnificent historical buildings, then here are 11 facts aboutcastlesyou might not know. Believe it or not, it didnt take that many people to properly defend a castle. 1. It is also known as the Dark Ages because it was a time of cultural and economic deterioration. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published. For more information on ourstunning range of castlesavailable for rent,get in touch today. Castles weren't always used as defenses. Very often, there were only huge rooms and several secret passages. This period is marked by the spread of Christianity throughout the continent, the rise of new civilizations in Asia and Africa, and the beginning of the Renaissance era. Oh, and maybe a dragon or two. This is not to say that castles couldnt be taken or destroyed, because historically many were. It should be noted that the historical castles you can find that have large windows on the outside and near ground level were retrofitted in later restorations, such as the low windows on the Chateau de Roquetaillade. The same castle was defended for 7years bythe Lancasters until they were forced togive upin1468. Medieval Castles | Castle Facts For Kids | DK Find Out Other foods like meat, cheese, and eggs were usually saved for special occasions. A gatehouse would usually have overhanging battlements or flanking towers at its front, and a portcullis (a large wooden grate that could be raised and lowered when needed) over the entrance. Life during medieval times was difficult. This prevented them from effectively wielding their swords, as the wall stopped them from freely moving their arms. Itwas like watching the news every evening. Inthe early Middle Ages, everyone that lived inthe castle slept inthe same room: the nobles, the warriors, and the servants. This was a purposeful design element that served an incredibly practical purpose; the idea was incoming siegers would ascend the stairs, but be given a huge disadvantage in the way of their sword arm, as most people are right-handed. However, the oldest standing castle is Chteau de Dou-la-Fontaine in France, built in 950 AD. Also note, there is some debate as to what constitutes a castle, as some structures claim to be castles even as they are definitively not so. As centuries went on, hostilities subsided, and wealth started to flow during Renaissance, nobility and royalty started to create vanity castles that were used to be summer houses, hunting houses and royal houses. It was a useful barrier against enemy forces, preventing them from tunneling underground no one wants to drown in a muddy tunnel. Fact: They Were Built Strictly for Defense. Known as bossed stones, these protrusions date back to before the ancient Roman Empire. Thanks tomovies, wewere certain that the inside walls ofcastles were grey and dark. Ifalord wanted toentertain his guests, hewould cover the food with gold leaf orserve apie full oflive frogs. The word castle comes from a Latin word meaning "fortress". Did Vikings Use Crystals To Navigate The High Seas? Castle stairwells run clockwise for a reason. By the 14thcentury when stone was used, the price rose to 100,000. Photo Credit: Richard Croft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. 66. Those charged with defending the castle were always looking to one-up the enemy. Just looking at all the apparatus and features of a castle gives you a pretty good idea of its purpose: moats, turrets, ramparts, murder holes, gun and arrow loops, etc. Some were kept in functional state for 4 or 5 centuries! 10 Medieval Castle Facts To Think About From Your 1-Bedroom Apartment The peasants lived in small villages surrounded by walls to protect them from the lords and their armies. Because of that, the majority of warfare was moved to open fields, leaving castles to be used for other purposes (government centers, prisons, temporary barracks, etc.). Some were kept in functional state for 4 or 5 centuries! The last comment and 1 other comment(s) need to be approved. Note the intentional use of the term site, as many of these castles are ruined to the point of invisibility, while over 800 have some remnants, and more than 300 are still standing and structurally intact to a large degree. Those in the castles werent going anywhere, and if there was no sign of immediate reinforcements the attackers could take their time in building barricades, sometimes fully encircling the defending castle with a wooden wall. It covers the time from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Sounds similar to the way every elected U.S. President has added a new feature to the White House (most recently with President Obamas basketball court). Lindos Castle. The Middle Ages, or Medieval Times, in Europe was a long period of history from 500 AD to 1500 AD. There were some witch trials in the Middle Ages, and these became more widespread in German-speaking lands in the 15th century, but those doing the prosecuting were almost always civic authorities . Oldest standing castle in Europe is Chteau de Dou-la-Fontaine. 768 AD, The rule of Charlemagne: the new Frank King, Charlemagne expands his empire with the expansion of Christianity. Called the sally port, this was a gated entrance watched over by the castles defenses. While more common on French castles, they were used to attack enemies from above. Unlike the main entrance, the postern didnt need to be large enough for wagons and therefore could have sharp internal corners, nullifying the access needed for battering rams, or it could be securely blocked off with metal grates. Everyone wanted to know what life was like as a knight and what kinds of adventures they went on. 840 AD, Kingdom . If you go by the traditional definition, there are still impressive numbers of them countrywide. Now these sort of accommodations are much more discreet, yet there are plenty of ways to let the world know youre successful than to build a pile of stone that is visible from far distances (Donald Trump notwithstanding). 4. Later it was renovated with stones and was given a few additions by way of some outer walls and a round tower by a generous Henry II. But if placed on an advantageously steep, high, or secluded hill, the castle could become nearly impregnable through sheer inaccessibility. The Catholic church in the Medieval period was the most powerful and dominant institution in Europe and influenced the monarchs. A few that stand out: murder holes were holes in the ceiling through which scalding liquids would be poured on the enemy. Pope Leo III crowns the King as the 'Emperor of Romans.' Q. Medieval times were a time of change for many cultures. Such rooms had bigger windows, sothere was more sunlight. Originally castles were built of wood and earth but stone was later used as it provided more protection from invaders. A person would address royalty by using their title and a form of the word 'you.'. This means by attacking, surrounding and isolating them. The ghost here doesnt have any specific form but is referred to by locals as The Elemental. Just like their two-legged owners, all manner of animals from. The name "court" comes from the fact that most kings held . Fairy tales depict them as the way in which princes climb the tower to rescue their princesses, but they actually served a more strategic purpose. Any Roman temple would get converted to the Christian church, and the city walls were still used. With many events in history, the Middle ages have played an enormous role in shaping our western world. 2. Air Force 1 x Tiffany & Co. "1837" But if the trebuchet was big, it could do far more. Castle Facts Facts about Castles Interesting and Fun Facts about Castles For a long time, the majority of castles were made from wood. Most people in the Middle Ages led difficult lives. Such a back door, called the Postern or Sally Port, wasnt so much secret as it was small and very easily defended. While the initial upfront cost was immense, the maintenance also required a lot of funds. While initially cheap and easy to build, as they were made from earth and wood, the price skyrocketed when it was realized stone and mortar would provide better protection from attacks. And itwas always the womens responsibility tomake this. They were created that way to make combat more difficult for right-handed invaders who had to ascent on those stairs and use their weapons. Middle Ages for Kids: History of the Medieval Knight - Ducksters The Middle Ages is often referred to as the 'Dark Ages.'. The majority of people were peasants, who worked on the land..
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