The Construction of Castles
Although many of us have a vivid picture in our mind of what a castle should look like -- elaborate, made of stone with beautiful, ornate carvings, this was not always the case. Stone, mortar and wood were the three main materials used to construct the castles of the middle ages. Castles served a very utilitarian role in feudal society. They served as protection, a visible landmark and a source of pride among the communities in which they were built.
Early castles relied on the surrounding landscape to provide much of the protection and were made of wood and built on hills. Although very effective against spears and arrows, wood proved too easy to burn, so beginning in the 12th century, stone castles began to be built. The first castle was built by William the Conqueror of Normandy in 1066. A castle could take between 2 to 12 years to build and would often take thousands of workers to complete. Some bigger castles took up to 20 years to complete such as the Tower of London.
Castles were rarely the most comfortable place to live. The lord and his family were usually the only ones with heat and amenities. These castles were built for safety, not comfort. The walls were between 20 and 40 feet high and 7 to 20 feet thick and didn't have windows, just little slits in the walls. The floors were cold stone and the walls didn't keep in heat.
The most important reason the castles were built was for protection and defense. The castle's moat was one line of defense. It could either be wet or dry. Using strategic moats were often the castle's first way of defending against an attack army. The drawbridge was another way to defend the castle. Almost always made of wood, drawbridges could be removed by hand before an attack or pulled up by soldiers using ropes or chains. After the 16th century, castles declined as a mode of defense mostly because of the invention of gun powder along with the improvement of heavy cannons and mortars. They could throw cannons with so much force that nothing could hold up to them.
Today, many castles are in ruins while others have been built so well they are still around for us to enjoy. Some have been fully restored like the Tower of London, the Warwick Castle, and the Bodiam Castle in England, where anyone can go and learn about the middle ages. There is even a castle on the coast of California, Hearst Castle, that people can visit. It was built by the famous publisher William Randolph Hearst.
By: Isabel P.
Resources:
http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/castle5.htm
http://www.medieval-castles.net/castle_history/
http://medieval-castles.org/index.php/castle_faq_frequently_asked_questions
Early castles relied on the surrounding landscape to provide much of the protection and were made of wood and built on hills. Although very effective against spears and arrows, wood proved too easy to burn, so beginning in the 12th century, stone castles began to be built. The first castle was built by William the Conqueror of Normandy in 1066. A castle could take between 2 to 12 years to build and would often take thousands of workers to complete. Some bigger castles took up to 20 years to complete such as the Tower of London.
Castles were rarely the most comfortable place to live. The lord and his family were usually the only ones with heat and amenities. These castles were built for safety, not comfort. The walls were between 20 and 40 feet high and 7 to 20 feet thick and didn't have windows, just little slits in the walls. The floors were cold stone and the walls didn't keep in heat.
The most important reason the castles were built was for protection and defense. The castle's moat was one line of defense. It could either be wet or dry. Using strategic moats were often the castle's first way of defending against an attack army. The drawbridge was another way to defend the castle. Almost always made of wood, drawbridges could be removed by hand before an attack or pulled up by soldiers using ropes or chains. After the 16th century, castles declined as a mode of defense mostly because of the invention of gun powder along with the improvement of heavy cannons and mortars. They could throw cannons with so much force that nothing could hold up to them.
Today, many castles are in ruins while others have been built so well they are still around for us to enjoy. Some have been fully restored like the Tower of London, the Warwick Castle, and the Bodiam Castle in England, where anyone can go and learn about the middle ages. There is even a castle on the coast of California, Hearst Castle, that people can visit. It was built by the famous publisher William Randolph Hearst.
By: Isabel P.
Resources:
http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/castle5.htm
http://www.medieval-castles.net/castle_history/
http://medieval-castles.org/index.php/castle_faq_frequently_asked_questions