Field Course: Level 1 Introductory note for the teachers This field course takes place outdoors, inside the lower bailey of the Castle Guillaume-le-Conquérant of Falaise. This course is organized so that each pupil can individually comprehend the way a medieval castle functions through direct observation. The average duration for this course is an hour. It is supervised by the teachers or by accompanying adults and is introductory to the guided tour inside the keeps, which is led by the castle s guide. There are three kinds of material: - a map of the castle - some illustrated sheets - a lexicon So as to ease the learning process and the movements inside the castle, it is advised to split the classes into two or three groups, according to the number of pupils. For each group, the sheets are to be used in different orders: - Group A (sheets 1, 2, 3 + attack sheet) - Group B (sheets 2, 1, 3 + attack sheet) - Group C (sheets 3, 2, 1 + attack sheet)
INTRODUCTORY SHEET OBSERVATION COURSE - LEVEL 1 February 2005 Welcome to the Castle Guillaume-le le-conquérant of Falaise Attack of the castle of Falaise by Richard III of Normandy - 15th century (BNF) To complete the course, you have at hand: - A map of the castle - Three sheets matching three observation points marked on the map. - An «Attack!» sheet - A lexicon in which you will find, among other things, the proper definitions for the words underlined in the sheets.
Sheet number 1 In front of the Porte Saint Nicolas Check on the map, it s step number 1. You are at the castle s entrance. spot? The entrance-gate is protected by towers. How many of them can you... On top of the tower, can you see arrow slits? (Circle the right answer) Yes No What do you see behind this entrance-gate? (Circle the right answer) A yard A house A Town
Sheet number 2 Inside the lower bailey Check the map, it s step number 2. Nowadays, the lower bailey is almost empty, but the walls around it are still standing. There are still a few great buildings inside: the keeps, which you can see west of the bailey. What are the keeps shapes? (Circle the right answers; there are 2) Which of the keeps is the highest? WRITE DOWN ITS NAME HERE: What do you see on top of the keeps? WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU SEE: To get to the keeps, there is a bridge. What does it span? (Circle the right answer). - a ditch covered with grass? - a moat?
Sheet number 3 Inside the tower, Check the map, it s step number 3 Walk down the few steps. What kind of people used to live there? (Circle the right answer) Soldiers? A family? A blacksmith? Look up and try to figure out the shapes of the openings, using the drawings below (Circle the right answer). Count the number of openings in the tower WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU SEE HERE: Are these openings all at the same level? WRITE DOWN THE ANSWER:
On the wall, there is a drawing carved in the stone: it s a graffiti. Using the drawings, single it out (Circle the right answer). During the visit of the keeps, you may spot other «graffitis», so be on the lookout! Put back the words inside the crossword puzzle below: DITCH * KEEP * UPPER BAILEY * LOWER BAILEY * SIEGE * CROSSBOW * BASTION *
ATTACK! You are about to attack the castle. Using the pictures : What will you use to attack a gate? (circle the right answer) A spear A battering ram A shield What will you use to climb to the of the castle s walls? (circle the right answer) A ladder A «cat» A belfry How would you protect your men for them to get right to the foot of the castle without being injured? (circle the right answer) A crossbow A «cat» A «tonnelon»
LEXICON Arrow slit: narrow slit inside the wall of a fortification, from where a soldier can shoot arrows or bolts to his attackers. Assault: a quick and violent attack. Battlements: an earth levee or a strong wall surrounding a stronghold or a fortified castle. Bastion: a triangular building with a tip projecting outward from the castle and designed to flank fortified battlements. Castle/City walls: a ring of battlements running around a town (there are still parts of it around the town of Falaise) or a castle. Ditch: a trench with steep slopes designed to slow the progress of the attackers. Enclosure : The area of a castle that contains the outer bailey, the inner bailey and the keeps. Fortified Gatehouse: a gate fortified with two towers linked by a main body, which houses both the drawbridge s manning room and the portcullis (see this word). Inner bailey : The area of the castle that contains the keeps, defended by a fortified gatehouse and used as an obstacle to protect the keeps. Keep: the main tower of a fortified castle. It was the last entrenchment for the garrison when the castle was being attacked. It could sometimes as well accommodate the lord. Moat at: a large ditch filled with water. Outer bailey: a part of the castle that does not contain the keeps, but that is fortified nevertheless (you are located at this moment inside the lower bailey of the castle of Falaise). Inside this bailey, there were usually the houses of the castle s inhabitants (the lord and his family, the soldiers of the garrison, some servants...), a chapel, as well as the outhouses (workshops, stables, barns...). The population living around could take refuge inside the bailey.
Portcullis: heavy moving grid sliding vertically along grooves, so as to close a passage-way. Postern: a small exit door concealed inside the castle walls designed to allow some form of communication outside the fortifications, when the castle was under siege. Sapping: a tunnel dug underneath a construction in order to make it collapse. Siege: an operation that consists in surrounding and blockading a stronghold in order to seize it. Stockade: a wooden fence that is more or less robust; it can serve as a defensive feature. Tower: a building higher than it is wide and that can protect the castle or city walls (see this word). Upper bailey: a fortified yard adjoined to the lower bailey. That is where the keep stands. It is often separated from the rest of the castle by a ditch or a moat (see those words).