Medieval Castle Presentation By: Mackenna Daum, Michelle Levin, Sophia Doering-Powell, and Jamila Jamaly
Introduction Our castle s purpose is to defend our manor lord. The castle is under attack because our home, southern Germany, is at war with other kingdoms. We are under attack because there is often conflict between the small kingdoms of Medieval Europe, which leaves the castles to often be attacked. The attack began with the opposing knights putting our castle under siege. Right now, our castle has taken some very bad attacks, some from catapults and some from the knights that are now storming the castle.
Castle Construction The reason we build castle are to protect our nobles and manor lord. The castle is made up of the following parts: Arrow Loops, Ashlar, Bailey, Barbican, Bartizan, Bastion, Battlements, Buttress, Corbel, Courtyard, Curtain Wall, Drawbridge, Dungeons, Donjon, Embrasure, GateHouse, Great Hall, Hoarding, Keep, Machicolations, Merlons, Moat, Motte and Bailey, Murder Hole, Oubliette, Palisade, Portcullis, Postern, Rampart, Ward, Yett.
Castle Defense In our castle, we used many strategies to defend it. We used items like catapults, which were used to fire at invaders. They often shot out rocks to crush the enemy, or the soldiers would load dead animal parts to throw and give the attackers deadly diseases.
We also used arrow loops, which were narrow openings in a castle wall for archers to shoot arrows out of and attack the enemy. Even though they were very small, the archers still had enough room to place their bows and fire them without any problems whatsoever.
The drawbridge was a movable bridge located in the front of the castle that was used to keep invaders and danger away out of the castle walls. It could be raised and lowered with ropes and pulleys, or by manpower. Drawbridges were also surrounded by moats.
The gatehouse was the living quarters over the main gate of the castle. There were many obstacles inside the gatehouse, so it was very hard to enter if you were an intruder.
Finally, we have a portcullis on our castle. The portcullis is the main gate that leads up to the castle. It could be raised and lowered to ensure the safety of the people inside the walls of the castle.
Defense Strategies There are many different defense activities that can be used to defend a castle. One of those strategies is the outer curtain wall, or outer bailey. It kept unwanted people/attackers out of the castle. Another defense strategy was the moat. It was a large,deep hole that surrounded the castle and was also filled with water. If attackers tried to get across without a drawbridge, they would fall in and drown. Another defence strategy was the gatehouse leading up to the entrance of the castle. It was a fortified entrance that made it very hard to enter through the castle if you were an intruder. A gatehouse had many obstacles, like murder holes, arrow slits, a drawbridge, and many different gates.
Castle Attack There are many methods that our enemies could use to attack our castle. They may put our castle under siege, which is when they prevent entry of necessary resources, like food and water, forcing everyone inside to starve until they finally surrender. They may also use battering rams to break down the doors and let the attackers inside. Finally, they could use ladders to climb over our tall walls and ambush everyone inside.
The Role of the Knight Knights were vassals or lesser nobles that fought for a lord in return for land. They were expected to live by a code of conduct, also known as chivalry. Under this code, they had to show bravery, loyalty, and honor. They had to demonstrate a religious faith and be willing to defend the Catholic Church. They were expected to protect other people, such as women, children, and the weak. It was also expected of the knight to show courage in every battle and to do whatever it took to protect their lords and kingdoms.
www.stormthecastle.com Sources http://medieval-castles.org/index.php/castle_defenses http://www.castlewales.com/arrow.html http://www.ancientfortresses.org/castle-drawbridge.htm http://www.lordsandladies.org/under-siege.htm http://www.historyonthenet.com/ McDougal Littel World History textbook http://www.exploring-castles.com/