Medieval European Castles: Overview

Q: What is a castle and why live in one? 

A: If you lived in Medieval Europe life was tough.  People lived under a form of government called Feudalism in which a Feudal Lord protected the people who worked the land.  Most people were peasants and worked on farms.  They needed the protection of the lord because robbers and invaders were plentiful.  If the lord was rich and powerful enough he lived in a castle.  The castle was a fortress house for the lord and his soldiers to live in.  It also provided protection to his people in times of war.

Q: When and where did this happen? 

A: This happened in the Medieval Ages from 1001 C.E. to 1500 C.E. (or the 11th to 16th centuries).  When we think of castles we tend to think of big stone forts built after 1200 C.E. in Western Europe such as in modern day France, England, Wales, Spain, and Germany.  Castles were built everywhere, though, from England all the way to Japan.  The way they were built and how they look vary from place to place.

Q: What are some famous castles? 

A: Some of the most famous castles in Europe are in Wales and the United Kingdom.  The Tower of London, Windsor, Warwick, Bodiam, and Caerphilly are just some of the most famous castles.

Q: What did castles look like?

A: Each castle looked different.  They were all unique meaning no two looked exactly the same.  But, every castle has the same basic parts.  It has a gate, outer wall, and keep.  When castles started to be made from stone they got bigger and had better defenses and more places.  Look at the two pictures below.  The one on the left shows a map of Bodiam Castle in Sussex, England.  Bodiam is a perfect example of a moated castle or a castle with a moat.  It has a big moat as a first line of defense.  Then it has a thick outer wall for defenses, a drawbridge and gate, courtyard, chapel, great hall, kitchen, living spaces, and much more.

The picture at the right shows an imaginary castle.  This one looks different from Bodiam but it shares some things in common.  It has a moat, a barbican or outer gatehouse, a thick outer wall called a curtain wall, towers, well, keep, chapel, and living spaces.

Learn how castles were built in Castle construction (coming soon!).

Bibliography

1) Bryonia for the photo of Bodiam Castle at the top.
3) Medieval Art and Architecture for the Bodiam Castle floor plan at left.
4) Castles for Kids for the imaginary castle picture at right.
5) Life in the Middle Ages: The Castle by Kathryn Hinds pages 11-13, 16-17.
6) Usborne Starting Point History: What Were Castles For? by Phil Roxbee Cox pages 2-7.

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