DK Findout! Castles - Philip Steele

Castles

Author: Philip Steele
Consultant: Dr Jenny Benham

Senior editor Satu Hämeenaho-Fox LuteContents
Assistant editors Shambhavi Thatte, Andrew Korah
4 What is a castle?
Senior art editors Ann Cannings, Nidhi Mehra 6 Wooden castles
Project art editors Nehal Verma, Emma Hobson 8 Stone castles
10 The Great Hall
DTP designers Jagtar Singh, Sachin Gupta 12 Concentric castles
Picture researcher Sakshi Saluja 14 Castle defences
16 Besieged!
Jacket co-ordinator Francesca Young 18 Meet the expert
Jacket designer Dheeraj Arora 20 Dungeons
22 Feudal society
Managing editors Laura Gilbert, Alka Thakur Hazarika 24 Lords and ladies
Managing art editors Diane Peyton Jones, 26 Working in a castle
Romi Chakraborty 28 Peasant life
Delhi team head Malavika Talukder 30 Animals
Pre-production producer Heather Blagden
Producer John Casey Heraldic
Creative director Helen Senior shield
Publishing director Sarah Larter

Educational consultant Jenny Lane-Smith

DIGITAL OPERATIONS, DELHI
Assistant editor Tooba Shafique
Production co-ordinator Manish Bhatt

DK CREATIVE, DELHI
Editor Abhijit Dutta
Art editor Mohd Zishan
Managing editor Monica Saigal
Deputy managing art editor Ivy Sengupta
First published in Great Britain in 2019 by
Dorling Kindersley Limited
80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL

Copyright © 2019 Dorling Kindersley Limited
A Penguin Random House Company

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior

written permission of the copyright owner.

A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.

eISBN: 9780241410127

A WORLD OF IDEAS:
SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW

www.dk.com

Dagger

2

32 Dressing a knight 56 Myths and legends
34 Name your weapon!
36 Tournaments 58 Facts and figures Peregrine
38 Food and feasts 60 Armour and helmets falcon
40 Entertainment
42 Prayer and worship 62 Timeline of the castle age
44 Castles in Europe
46 Moorish castles 64 Glossary
48 Crusader castles
50 End of an age 66 Index
52 Japanese castles
54 Fantasy castles 68 Acknowledgements

69 Quiz

70 Quiz answers

Château de Gisors Farmer

3

What is a castle?

Rulers built castles between about 1,100 and
500 years ago, in Europe and parts of Asia.
Their massive stone towers loomed over places
from valleys to seashores. Castles were built for
defence but were also home to many people.

Regional power Bodiam
Castle, East
A castle was a power base. Sussex, UK
It could be used to guard

a route, to prevent an
invasion, or to keep control

over a rebellious region
of the country.

Administration

Castles could be used to
rule in ways that weren’t
military. Taxes were stored,
law cases were heard, and

meetings were held in
castles. Some were part

of a town.
4

Imprisonment Residence

Castle dungeons were often A castle was a place to live.
used to lock up enemies of It might be the home of a
the king, such as traitors, king or a powerful lord.
rebels, or prisoners of war.
Some rulers had many
It was hard for them to castles and travelled
escape or be rescued.
between them.

Defence Impress

The soldiers inside the castle Castles helped noble families
were called the garrison. show off their wealth and
power. Some castles were
They were there to defend it painted white, to look even
from attack. A well-designed more splendid.
castle could be kept safe by 5

quite a small garrison.

Wooden castles Bailey

The Normans began building castles with The bailey was
timber in the 9th century bce. This castle an enclosed flat
design is called “motte-and-bailey”. The first area with a hall, an
“keeps” or towers stood on top of a mound armoury, workshops,
called a motte. Below the motte was an open and stables and
area called a bailey. The whole site was sheds for animals.
protected by fences and ditches.

Palisade

Palisades are defensive fences
or walls made from wood.

They surrounded the motte,
the bailey, and the keep.

Moat

A ditch around the castle
could be filled with water
but was often dry and filled
with pointed stakes. This
made it harder for armies

to attack the outer wall.

Drawbridge

Bridges across the
ditches could be raised

when the castle was
under attack.

6

Keep

The main fortification was
generally a square wooden
keep, or sometimes just a
hall or a watchtower.

Motte

The motte, or
mound, could be a
natural hill or else
made of heaped up
soil. This steep
approach to the
keep made it
difficult to attack.

Stairway

The keep could be
reached by a steep,
timber stairway. If
the bailey was taken,
the people could run
to the keep.

Advantages Disadvantages

• Wooden castles could • Wood and thatch could
be built quite quickly. be easily burned down
during a battle.
• Castle builders could
make use of whatever • Wooden castles did not
materials were have strong enough
available locally, such walls to resist a fierce
as trees and soil. attack.

• They were cheap to • Wood rots, while stone
build and maintain. walls can last for
hundreds of years.

7

Stone castles The keep at
Goodrich was a
From the 11th century, wooden castles were square tower with
replaced with stronger, stone defences. The thick walls built
mound was now always topped with a stone keep, of sandstone.
a high tower which was very hard to attack. Over
the ages, more and more stone defences were
built around the keep.

! WOW!

Castle walls
could be up to
6m (20ft) thick

at the base.

Building a castle Carpenters
Woodworkers used
Hundreds, or even thousands, of labourers and hammers, saws, chisels,
craftspeople worked to build a castle. They had and axes, to make beams,
no modern power tools or diggers, just muscle joists, and floorboards.
power. Stone had to be mined and transported
to the site by boat or ox-cart. Chisel and
hammer
8
Axe

Goodrich Castle, Hertfordshire Château de Gisors The eight-sided
After the Normans conquered England The Norman rulers of England keep was built
in 1066, they built a wooden castle on built more than 25 castles to in 1123 by
this site. A century later it was replaced protect their original King Henry I
by a stone keep, followed by outer homeland of Normandy of England.
walls and a gatehouse. against the French. A
wooden castle in Gisors
This castle was attacked was rebuilt in stone.
in 1646, during the English
Civil War. It was badly
damaged, but its ruins
still stand today.

Scarborough Castle, Yorkshire

This castle was rebuilt in stone for Henry II,

between 1157 and 1169. It guarded the

Yorkshire coast against attacks from

the Scots and the French. The stone keep

was square and

three storeys tall.

Masonry
tools

Treadwheel crane Metal Blacksmith’s furnace
tongs
Masons Blacksmiths
Workers called masons shaped Smiths hammered away on their
stones into walls and arches. Heavy anvils as they made and repaired
lifting was done by wooden cranes, tools, chains, and nails.
powered by treadwheels that
people turned with their feet.

9

The Great Hall

The largest room in the castle was called the
Great Hall. It was the centre of the household,
where meetings, war conferences, or sometimes
trials for criminals took place. It was a reception
hall for important guests and was where banquets
and entertainments were held.

Servants Salt vessel
Household servants The nef was an ornate
such as pantlers, table decoration
who took care of shaped like a ship. It
the food pantry, was used to hold salt
attended the feast or spices. People on
to serve the nobles. the less important
tables were said to be
“below the salt”.

High table
Royalty, nobles, or other
important visitors dined
here, while lesser ranks
ate at lower tables.

10

Carved beams ! WOW!
The ornate beams and
roofs of the Great Hall A seven-course
were masterpieces banquet held at
of carpentry and Tours, France, in
woodwork. 1457 entertained

150 guests.

Entertainers
Musicians might
play at a feast or
accompany a dance.

Tapestry
Wall hangings such
as rich tapestries
showed off the wealth
and good taste of the
lords and ladies.

Give the dog a bone!
Favourite hounds might
be treated to a scrap
during the meal.

11

12 Concentric castles

Over time, castle builders added more and more defences. These Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey
made it harder for the enemy to swarm over walls, smash through King Edward I of England
walls, or dig under them. By the 1300s the best castles were ringed defeated the Welsh in 1282.
by moats and outer walls, with high inner walls and towers. We call He built a ring of castles
these ring designs “concentric”. around North Wales to
prevent rebellion. The last
Inner wall of these was Beaumaris.

The second layer Getting in
of defences had
huge towers and This castle could be accessed
walls that were from the sea. It had a
higher than the
outer ones. drawbridge, an outer
gate or barbican,
and a massive
inner
gatehouse.

Inner bailey

The square inner bailey or
ward offered access to the
towers and walls, living
quarters, chapel, kitchens,
and water well.

Keep Moat
This stronghold was
the final defence for Curtain wall Outer bailey The moat was filled
with sea-water. It
any attacker to The area between made it hard for any
overcome. walls and the towers attacker to get close
to the castle walls.
The outer or “curtain” with their archers
wall was the first ring was called the outer Crossbows
fired a short
of defence, topped bailey or ward. arrow called
by a walkway. a quarrel.

! WOW!

Castles were Crossbowmen
built with narrow
windows called A well-designed castle didn’t need
loops for archers many troops to defend it. Concentric
to fire through. castles were designed so that every
inch of ground could be covered by
crossfire from crossbowmen. They
could easily spot attackers from the
top of towers and walls.

13

Castle Portcullises
defences
This heavy grid of wood and iron
The power of a castle depended was used to seal off the gatehouse.
on its physical strength and how
fierce it looked. The building It was lowered if the castle was
needed to be able to resist attack under attack. Sometimes two
or capture in times of war or portcullises were used together, to
rebellion. Its whole structure was trap the enemy in between.
designed to slow down or kill any
enemies who dared to attack it.

Upright merlons BATTLEMENTS
provided cover.
Walls and towers were topped by walkways called
Crenels were gaps battlements, guarded by walls called parapets.
for firing arrows. Archers stood behind the parapet
to fire at the enemy.

Parapet

This overhang had chutes
called machicolations, for
dropping stones or hot
sand onto the enemy.

14

MURDER HOLES Water stopped the enemy from
getting too close to the walls. Moats
Holes in the ceiling of the gatehouse were were large ditches, often filled with
used for dropping nasty things such as water and sometimes the contents
rocks on any enemies below. There were
slits in the sides for arrows or spears. of the toilets!

Drawbridges

Drawbridges across moats and ditches
could be raised to stop any unwelcome
guests getting into the castle.

TOWERS

Towers were good lookout points, and were
very strongly built. They were awkward for
invaders too – just try fighting your way up

these narrow, spiral stairs with a sword!
15

Besieged! Hoardings
These wooden
The best way to capture a platforms were
castle was to surround it used by defenders
with troops and then cut to drop rocks on
off its supplies of food and attackers’ heads.
water. This was called a
siege. Heavy weapons called
siege engines were used to
attack the castle’s walls and
the people inside.

Battering ram Trebuchet
A heavy wooden This gigantic catapult
beam tipped with with a long arm hurled
iron was swung rocks and other missiles
against weak spots at the castle.
such as doors.

16

Arrow loops Combat
These slits allowed Attackers climbed
defending archers to the walls using
fire down at the enemy ladders. They faced
without becoming a fierce fighting at the
target themselves. top – if they made it!

Belfry Reaching the walls
This tower on wheels Attackers filled in
made it easier for sections of the moat
attackers to climb so that they could
the walls. get close to the walls.

Pavises Undermining the walls
Attackers fired longbows or Tunnels were dug under
crossbows fom behind these the castle’s defences. The
big ground shields. roofs were held up with
wooden props. When
these were set on fire, the
tunnel – and the tower
above it – collapsed.

17

Meet the expert

Libby MacInnes is the Trebuchet Master at
Warwick Castle, Warwick, UK. She tells us
about what it takes to build a real-life war
machine, the mighty trebuchet.

Q: What exactly is a trebuchet? Q: How did you build the reconstructed
A: A trebuchet is a type of siege engine trebuchet at Warwick Castle?
used in the medieval ages. It uses a lever A: Trebuchets were made from around
(the arm) to lift a heavy counterweight in 300 pieces of wood. These were made in
the middle. When the lever is released, carpentry (woodworking) workshops and
gravity causes the counterweight to fall transported using carts and boats, then
downwards, lifting the lever quickly and constructed at the castle. It took around
launching its load into the air. 15 people two weeks to build.
Q: How big was a trebuchet? Q: What is your favourite part of your job?
A: Trebuchets were made in many A: I would have to say it is pulling the
different sizes. The trebuchet at Warwick trigger for the trebuchet! We can have
Castle is the biggest in the world at hundreds of people watching at our daily
18 m (60 ft) tall and weighing 22 tonnes shows. I love to hear their sound of awe
(24 tons). This would have been a large as the rock is flung at 250 km an hour
trebuchet in the medieval period. (150 miles an hour).
Q: How do you know what a medieval Q: Do you have a favourite story from
trebuchet would have looked like or Trebuchet history?
how it worked?
A: Weapons were of course top secret A: King Edward I built the largest
technology and so there is very little trebuchet in history, called “Warwolf”.
evidence of what they looked like. He planned to use it in 1304 when he
However, we do have a few drawings and attacked the Scots at Stirling Castle.
descriptions from history. The oldest When his enemy surrendered, he refused
known drawing dates from 1187. We to accept it. He destroyed the castle
gatehouse before letting them surrender.
were able to work out how trebuchets He then charged the Scots for rebuilding
looked and worked using these sources. the castle that now belonged to him!

18

War machine Libby Libby preparing the trebuchet to fire.
watches the Warwick Arm
Castle trebuchet,
called “Ursa”, fire ! WOW!
its missile.
A trebuchet
could fire a rock

up to 300m
(1000 ft).

19

Dungeons Cold and dark
Dungeons were
Many castles throughout history usually in the
have served as prisons. With their underground part
thick walls and armed guards, of the castle. There
escape or rescue was difficult or might be a window
impossible. People who defied the with bars on it but
king or the Church were thrown otherwise very little
into damp, underground warming sunlight.
dungeons, full of rats and
with very little light or food.

The dungeon of Château
de Chillon, Switzerland
This castle dungeon dates
back to 1005. In 1816 the
poet Lord Byron wrote a
poem called “The Prisoner
of Chillon” about a monk
who was imprisoned
in its dungeons.

Prison castles Dürnstein Castle, Traitors’ Gate
Austria
Some castles became Tower of London
more famous as prisons Dürnstein Castle The Tower of London was used as a
than as places for lords Richard I of England was prison up until the 20th century.
and ladies to live. These held captive at Dürnstein Prisoners who had rebelled against the
fearsome fortresses held Castle and Trifels Castle, monarch were taken into the dungeons
prisoners for the lords of Germany. His ransom was by boat through the Traitors’ Gate.
other castles without a 100,000 pounds of silver.
dungeon of their own.

20

! REALLY?
A dungeon where
prisoners were forgotten

forever was called an
oubliette.

Chained up
Heavy chains
attached to an iron
ring could be used to
restrain the prisoner.
These manacles
could cause injuries
and make it difficult
to rest.

Princes and Princes in Lady Jane Grey
princesses the Tower
Edward V and his Would-be queen
Noble or royal prisoners younger brother Lady Jane Grey, at the
were often well treated. Richard were age of only 16 or 17,
Their families would pay held in the Tower was caught up in plots
huge ransoms to get of London. They to be Queen of
them back. However, disappeared England. She was
some unlucky royal in 1483. executed at the Tower
prisoners died in prison. of London in 1554.
Princes in the
Tower

21

Feudal society Monarch

About 900 years ago, European society was A king or sometimes
organised in a strict order called the feudal a queen ruled. This
monarch granted castles
system. Land was granted to people in and land to nobles, in King
return for services and loyalty to the return for loyalty and
person above you in society. The castles military support.
were power bases that helped to enforce
this social order.
Bishop Bishop

Bishops were powerful and some
had their own castles, too. They
! WOW! sometimes argued with kings
about powers held by the
If a knight Church.

didn’t want to
fight for the king,
he had to pay a Clergy

Both nobles and poor people
took up a religious life and
hefty fine. became part of the clergy.

Some lived well, while others Friar Nun
took vows of poverty. The
clergy had their own law courts.

Law and order Court
As the better kings improved bailiff
law and order, lawyers and court
officials such as bailiffs were kept
busy. A lot of laws were to do
with buying and selling goods, Seamstress

made by craft workers.

Servants Servants

Some poor people worked as
servants and maids at the
castle and in wealthier
people’s houses.

22

Serfs and villeins

Some peasants called serfs and villeins had very
limited rights. They could not leave the land they
worked on without permission from the lord of the
castle. Being a serf was like being a slave because
you did not get paid for your work.

Queen Vassal lords
Nobles
Even powerful lords
were vassals, which Serfs harvesting under the eye of a supervisor
meant that they
had to swear
loyalty to the
monarch.

Knight Knights

Some knights became very powerful,
but others were less well off. Knights
fought in the service of their lord,
rather than for a national army.

Craft workers
Male merchants and craft workers were
Merchant’s organised into clubs called guilds,
wife which controlled the trade. Many
women also made trade goods but
Farmers weren’t allowed in the guilds.
Tradesman

Peasants

Almost all poor people worked
to make food. They paid their
taxes by sending the lord grain
or flour. Some peasants had
their own land to work on,
but many were serfs.

23

24 Lords and ladies

The lord and lady were the most powerful people in the castle
but they did not have complete power over their lands. A lord’s
right to own a castle was only granted to him by the king on
condition of his loyalty and his military support. In turn, the

lord demanded loyalty from his own followers.

Ladies
A lady’s rights were limited
Lords Headdress and she had to dress according
Hair was tucked
A lord’s power and rank under a cloth to strict laws and fashions.
was shown by the way he called a coif. A She did not get to choose who to
dressed. There were strict linen strap called marry. Marriages were arranged
laws about who had the a barbette went
under the chin. to increase a noble
right to wear certain family’s power.
materials, such as
furs or silks.

Tunics
Embroidered
tunics were
worn over
a linen
undershirt.

Waist belts with Keys of the castle
decorative buckles A lady took care
Belts were worn of the castle while
to hold in loose her husband was
tunics and tuck away at war. She
in extra fabric. was then called
the châtelaine.
Hose
Woollen leggings Pouch
called hose were A pouch hanging
worn by both men from the belt
and women. could be used
as a pocket.

25 Leather shoes Long dresses
Nobles’ shoes would be Full-length dresses
made of the finest leather. were worn throughout
the Middle Ages.

Working in Nurse
a castle A nurse fed and looked
after the children for
All sorts of people worked in a the lady of the castle.
castle, from people who made Children were
weapons, to cooks, maids, and sometimes sent
cleaners. When the lord or king to live with other
was there, it was very busy. When families when
an enemy army came near, many they were older.
ordinary people hid within
the castle walls. Child
Children wore
small versions
of adult clothes.

Cook ! WOW!
Cooks and their assistants toiled
away in the kitchens before a big The smelliest
banquet. Boys called scullions job in the castle
fetched water from the well was cleaning out
and did the washing up. the toilet shafts

Cauldrons and cesspits!
Stews were
prepared in iron Spit
cauldrons hung Meat for roasting was
from pot hooks. rotated on a metal
rod called a spit.
26

Goose feathers s et at an angle Arrowhead
Wooden war arrows
Fletcher were about 7.7 cm
A fletcher’s job was (3 in) long and had
to fit feathers (called long, narrow points
fletchings) to the made of iron.
arrows. These made
the arrow spin in Embroidery
flight, which made Ladies often spent
them more accurate. many hours working on
beautiful embroidery.
They made rich wall
hangings and
coverings for
use in castles
and churches.

Butler Stitching
A butler was in charge of Embroiderers
the buttery, where butts stitched dyed
(casks of wine or ale) were woollen thread
stored. He reported to the onto linen cloth.

lady of the castle before
a banquet.

Lady of the castle
A châtelaine’s duties
included giving orders to
the servants about what
food and wine to serve.

27

Peasant life ! WOW!

Life for poor people in medieval times was In 1381,
hard, especially for serfs, the poorest kind the mighty
of peasant who had very few rights. Ordinary Tower of London
men and women had to work hard in the was captured
fields to produce food for the nobles in the by peasants!
castle, as well as for themselves. In the 14th
century, peasants across Europe rebelled Harvesting
against the nobles.
Farming work followed
the seasons. The peasants
ploughed long strips of land
in April, sowed the seed in
May, made the hay in June,
and harvested crops in
August and September.

Animals

In November, cattle, pigs, and sheep
would be killed for their meat. The meat
was salted to make it last, as fridges had
not yet been invented. Geese provided
eggs and meat, and were cared for by
young peasant girls.
28

Castle

The castle often controlled a huge
area of land, including all the peasants
who lived there. Nobles became rich by
selling the food grown by the peasants.

Windmill

From the 1180s, more and more
windmills were built in northern
Europe. Water and wind power were
used to grind grain to make bread.

Flail
A flail was used to beat
stalks of wheat until the
grains separated from the
inedible stems and husks.

Chapman

Merchants or pedlars, known
as chapmen, travelled from
village to village, selling small
items such as ribbons.

Taxes

Taxes were sums of money
or food that people had to
pay to the lord, the king,
or the Church. The king
might demand extra taxes
to pay for a war.

Medieval coins

29

Animals Beekeeping
Beehives were
Animals played an important part in kept so the castle
everyday castle life. Horses were used for always had honey
riding into battle, as transport, and when and beeswax.
hunting. The king and nobles hunted
animals such as deer or wild boar in the
forests. Oxen hauled heavy loads and
ploughed the fields.

Friesian horse Dogs
These heavy horses
are descended from Dogs were bred for
medieval warhorses. hunting, herding
animals, and guard
Horses duties. Small pet dogs
were also popular.
The best warhorses were
called destriers. Everyday Irish
riding horses were known wolfhound

as palfreys. Merchants
used baggage horses

called sumpters.

30

Bees Falcons Pereg

Bees provided Falcons and hawks were rine falcon
honey, the only way to trained to hunt rabbits
sweeten food at the time. and other small creatures.
Honey was also used The birds were kept in a
in making medicines. wooden building known

Candles were made as “the mews”.
from beeswax.

Pigeons English longhorn cow

Carrier pigeon Pigeons were kept
in huts called dovecotes

and bred for eating.
They were also trained to

carry messages over
long distances.

Stags Hunting party
In some places,
The male red deer, or only the king
hart, was hunted by nobles was allowed to
for sport. Its meat, called hunt deer.
venison, was shared amongst
them with higher-ranked Cows and oxen

people getting more. Cattle were raised on the
castle lands, providing meat,

milk for making cheese
or butter, and skin for

making leather.

31

Dressing a knight

Knights were soldiers who rode on horseback. From the
1000s they became valued as troops and also as high-ranking
members of society. They fought in suits of armour. At first
this was mail, a mesh made from interlinking iron rings.
By the 1400s the whole body was covered in close-fitting
plates of steel.

Protective layer Coif
This hood protected
Padded shock absorbers the head inside the
cushioned the body helmet.
against blows from
axes, maces, Helping hands
lances, and A servant or
shields. perhaps a squire
(a trainee knight)
Padding coat might help the
This quilted knight get kitted
undercoat was out before the
called an aketon battle or joust.
or gambeson.
It was made of Chausses
linen or wool. Mail leggings
protected the legs
and thighs from
slashing swords.

32

Sword The great helm
The sword was designed A typical European
for slashing. It had a flat, helmet looked rather
double-edged blade, like a bucket. Inside,
with a central groove. it was padded with
Mail gloves cloth and leather.
These were mittens made
from fine mail, with the Armoured knight
four fingers together and
a separate thumb. Mail was tough and flexible,
but it could be pierced. A
Outer layer heavy blow from a mace
This knight wears a short could cause severe
mail jacket, or haubergeon bruising and injury.
(how-bur-jon). A tunic, with
a split for mounting a horse, Battlefield ID
was called a hauberk. A knight’s coat-of-arms
was shown on the shield
Putting on and on the surcoat. It
the armour helped battlefield officials
called heralds identify a
Mail fabric was knight, even when his
made up of iron or face was hidden.
steel rings. Each ring was
linked to four others and Shield
hammered together. A shield could deflect
blows in battle, or be
Surcoat used as a weapon itself.
A loose robe called a
surcoat could be worn Scabbard
over the mail shirt. This sheath held the
blade of a sword. It hung
from a belt or a shoulder
strap called a baldric.

33

Match the objects with the descriptions. 4

1

Broad
stabbing blade

2 3

Made from
bendy yew
wood

A B C

Pole-axe Halberd Dagger

This small, powerful axe was A weapon with a wide blade A stabbing knife used
fitted to a wooden shaft. The used by footsoldiers against in close hand-to-hand
spike could pierce armour mounted knights. Soldiers combat. It could be easily
and the blade could be used used the hooked part to drag hidden for a secret attack.
to slice and slash. knights off their horses.

Name your weapon!

A medieval battle was brutal. Longbows could injure an enemy
soldier up to 200 m (660 ft) away. Mounted fighters, called the
cavalry, used lances, slashing swords, battle axes, and maces.
Footsoldiers used pole weapons to try to dismount the knights,
whose heavy armour made them slow on the ground.

34

Long wooden 5 Short blade
shaft so soldiers for stabbing
could attack from
arm’s length 6

A long, deadly Heavy bulb
blade of steel that could
crush skulls

D EF

Mace Longbow Sword
Medieval archers used the Swords could be used
The mace was a kind of club longbow to fire deadly showers in close combat by both
with a heavy, round head. of arrows into the enemy lines footsoldiers and knights.
It was used by both before the two sides closed in Some were designed for
footsoldiers and knights. battle. Welsh archers were thrusting and stabbing,
famous for their skills. others for slashing.
! WOW!
Battle of the bows
At the Battle of
Agincourt in 1415, Genoese archers were the
English archers fired masters of the crossbow.
1,000 arrows per They fought for the French
against the English at the
second. Battle of Crécy. However,
crossbows were much slower
to reload than longbows, and
the English triumphed.

Battle of Crécy, 1346

Answers: 1B 2F 3E 4A 5C 6D 35

Tournaments Jousting

The medieval tournament was a display The joust recreated a real
of riding and fighting skills. Knights battle. Two mounted knights
competed to be the winners. The first thundered towards each other in
tournaments were held at about the full armour. Their long, blunt lance
time stone castles began to be built in the might break on the opponent’s
11th century. By the 1500s, they had shield, or a knight might be
become grand and colourful spectacles. knocked off his horse. It was

very dangerous.

Clashes of arms

Popular forms of combat
included fights between teams of
mounted knights, or mass brawls

on foot. Some were violent
free-for-alls in which every

man fought for himself.

36

Heraldic symbols Heraldic designs

By the end of the Middle Ages Lady’s favour
tournaments were places to show
off fancy armour, plumed helmets, A lady might agree for a
and flags. Heraldic symbols were a particular knight to fight as
noble family’s favourite images of a champion of her honour,
power, such as dragons and castles. wearing her scarf or ribbon in
They appeared on surcoats, shields, the joust. This was part of the
and horses’ coverings.
knight’s code of honour,
known as chivalry.

37

Food and feasts Cutlery

In the Middle Ages, food was grown close to People took their own
where people lived. Country people would knives or spoons to a meal.
often pay their taxes “in kind”, which meant
sending in food to the castle. If bad weather Forks became popular in
or a marauding army destroyed the crops, Italy in the 1300s and then
many people went hungry.
spread to the rest of
Europe.

Food for the peasants Pottage Stew
Pottages were thick
Everyday meals might be just a stews of vegetables
crust of gritty bread with cheese, or or meat.
a bowl of thin porridge. Peasants also
caught fish and rabbits, and raised
geese to roast for special feasts.

Cheese

Trenchers Bacon
Food was often
served on a trencher,
a round, flat piece of bread.
In the days before refrigeration, foods
were preserved by salting, smoking,
pickling, or drying.

Pickled herring

38

Food for the lords Spices
Spices were beginning
A special banquet would be held in the Great to be imported from
Hall for a visiting lord or bishop. It might Asia, at great expense.
include wild boar, venison (deer meat), swan,
wild birds, fish, and fine white bread.

Peppercorns Nutmeg

Saffron

Boar’s head
with apples

Cinnamon Ginger

Elaborate
decorations
Food was served
in all sorts of
decorative ways
to make it look
as expensive as
possible.

Roasted almonds Pheasant meat

Apple pie

Berry and rose petal
rice pudding

39

Entertainment

Medieval festivals such as May Day were celebrated
with music and dancing. Entertainers such as

acrobats and jugglers travelled from one castle to
another to perform. The surrounding towns put
on “mystery plays” in which local people acted
out stories from the Bible.

INSTRUMENTS The lute came
Medieval people had no recorded music! to Europe from
It was performed live on harps, lutes, the Middle East.
flutes, trumpets, drums, or bagpipes.
Many of these developed over the ages
into the instruments we know today.

Rebec A musical
pipe
Woodwind called the
instruments recorder
became
popular in
the 1200s.

Bow Minstrels and
troubadours
40
Minstrels (musicians) might perform in
the Great Hall of the castle during a
feast. From the 1100s to the 1350s,
poets called troubadours toured the
castles of southern France, singing of

Lute chivalry and courtly love.

Court jester MUMMERS
During winter festivals such as
The jester was a Christmas, performers called mummers
bit like a modern would roam the streets or go from house
stand-up comedian. to house, making music. They wore
He was kept by the devil masks or headdresses shaped like
nobles to make fun
of powerful people, animal heads.
tell jokes, and talk
entertaining nonsense.

Country people liked jolly dances with Indoor games
a lot of spinning around, clapping, and
stamping. Villagers might dance in a Chess was invented in India, but the
ring, holding hands. At the castle, the European board game developed between
nobles preferred stately dances, pacing,
pointing toes, skipping, and curtseying. about 1100 to 1475. Its pieces reflect
medieval life, with castles, knights,

kings and queens, and bishops.

Chess piece

41

Prayer and HuthgeuToeersmddeperlPaoarfyitnhene1s1K1fno9iug. nhdtsed
worship
Warrior monks
During the Middle Ages, most of Europe,
apart from Muslim Spain, was known as Between 1096 and 1291,
Christendom. Every part of daily life was popes called for “Crusades”,
affected by religious beliefs. The centre holy wars usually fought
of religious life in a castle was the chapel, against Muslims. Knights
where people went to pray and hear gathered together into
readings from the Bible. religious groups such as
the Knights Templar and
AJwoaIotMenusrhfovbgsttaoareeeatbknbnnrnnaibtnenkisf-mezoaiSgycynetrtoasidlstg-oisriMvsafetan.aeinlreaeipTsocdndls,ohhuormwcdleeneirolkedldoiniisermgenntblfriaarauousNonsolcuioltdloaalsdenfesnrraifdtmmndaiableepgibaosswt.seen.hnteoysdkeawpuyoslrlctafewwhhis’syeearsse went to fight abroad.

Mont-St-Michel,
Normandy, France

42

Bible Cross
Bibles were The name “Crusaders”
written in came from the Latin word
Latin. crux, meaning “cross”.

Chalice
Precious silver cups called
chalices were filled with wine
and used in the service.

The chapel

Most castles had their
own chapels, where lords
and ladies could pray and
worship God. Before a
squire became a knight,
he had to take part in
a “vigil”, where he spent
the whole night praying.

Priest
Religious services were
overseen by the castle’s priest.

Religious wars Carcassonne, a Cathar stronghold Cathars are forced out of
Carcassonne in 1209.
As well as wars against
other religions, there 43
were many bitter conflicts
between Christians. From
1209 to 1229 the pope
waged a crusade against
the Cathars, a Christian
group in southern France.
Knights carried out
massacres (mass killings)
against the Cathars.

Castles in Europe

The Middle Ages were a time of brutal warfare,
which meant that thousands of castles were built
across the kingdoms of Europe. Castles were crucial
during battles to be king, wars over land and religion,
and peasants’ revolts.

Marksburg Castle FACT FILE

This famous castle towers » Built in: 1117
high above the River » Location: Braubach,
Rhine. It has seen many
conflicts, up to World Rhineland-Palatinate,
War II. It has been rebuilt Germany
several times – but never
destroyed.

CTLFbihryhoeicnsnâlhiccmthaeesabstraoiltnelu”dg.wiDieGanrusatrmbhiinuarlgionllatuaaggbrsehydideKagteitonoigeinlneR1ttie2ccr0hht3auhr–tdee1!2cI,a0“s4tthlaee

FACT FILE

» Built in: 1196–98
» Location: Les Andelys,

Normandy, France

44

Fénis Castle

Wliut xihtuahrdifoaitunsscoytwhbanantvtmilneamenyeaynrcdtasst,otFleépsnr.oisIvnliodtoehkews1imn3e9o.0res,

FACT FILE

» Built in: 1242-1420
» Location: Aosta Valley,

Italy

Będzin Castle FACT FILE

Before Będzin, there » Built in: 1348
was a wooden castle » Location: Silesian
which was destroyed
when the Tatars invaded Highlands, Poland
in 1241. The stone
castle was built by
King Casimir “the
Great” of Poland.

FACT FILE Manzanares el
Real New Castle
» Built in: 1475 This fine castle replaced
» Location: Community of an older fortress (the “Old

Madrid, Spain

Castle”). It was built when
the Middle Ages were
coming to an end, so it
came to be used more as
a luxurious palace than
for defence.

45

Moorish castles Salon de Embajadores
This square tower is
From the year 711, the Moors, a Muslim group 45 m (150ft) high. It
from northwest Africa, invaded Spain and Portugal. contains a splendid
They founded a country called al-Andalus and throne room, built
fought their way into France. They built many in 1334–54.
castles. By 1492, these lands had been reconquered
by European Christian armies.

Alhambra, Spain
From 889 to the 1400s,
this fort became a castle
and a palace. It towers
over Granada, Spain.

Beautiful Arches Domes
defences The Moors were skilled Domes and arched ceilings
architects and craft workers. with intricate designs created
Many Moorish castles Arches were built in curves
have strong, square towers, wonderful spaces inside
linked to city walls. Later, and keyhole shapes. council chambers, throne
they developed into
palaces, with beautifully rooms, and mosques.
decorated courtyards,
fountains, and gardens.

46

Reddish bricks Palace of Charles V
The bricks of the The Alhambra was
castle have a reddish surrendered to the
tinge, which is how it Christian rulers of
got its name – Alhambra Castile in 1492. This
means “red castle”. huge palace of King
Charles V was built
in 1527–68.

El Cid

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar
(c.1043–99) was a nobleman
of Castile and a great soldier.
He sometimes fought against
the Moors, but sometimes on
the same side. The Moors
called him “El Cid”, the Lord.

Windows Tiles Statue of El Cid
Criss-cross latticework filtered Inside walls were covered in
out the blazing Spanish sun colourful tiles, with complicated
or allowed in a gentle breeze. geometrical patterns to dazzle
the eye. Some walls displayed
Splashing fountains cooled calligraphy (beautiful writing).
the hot air.

47

Crusader Castles

Many castles still stand in southwest Asia and the Krak des Chevaliers
Middle East from the time of the Crusades (1096–1291). This castle in Syria
was first built by the
These wars were fought between Western European Emir of Homs in
Christians and Muslim armies. They were about religion 1031. It was captured
and control of trade and land. Both sides used castles, by Crusaders in 1099.
which were often captured.

Big slope
These steep walls or “taluses”
shored up the towers against
earthquakes and made it hard
to undermine or climb.

Lands and knights Crusading orders
Religious orders of
The Holy Land in the Middle East knights included the
was sacred to Jews, Christians, and Knights Hospitaller,
Muslims. New kingdoms created by who held the Krak des
invading Crusaders were referred to Chevaliers, and the
as Outremer(“overseas”). Crusaders Knights Templar, who
called the Muslims “Saracens”, had their base at the
while the Muslims called the Temple Mount, a holy
Europeans “Franks”. place in Jersualem.

48 Knight Templar