Unit 3.2 the medieval castle

Collins Medieval Britain history for Year 7

1. Unit 3.2 The M edieval Castle By Ms. Farida

2. Words to learn Terminology Definition Siege Surrounding an enemy castle allowing nobody to go in or come out Breach A gap in a wall or line of defense, made by attacking army Concentric castles A castle with rings of two or more curtain walls

3. Disputes and war Medieval England was often in a state of war. Kings fought other kings. Barons fought other barons. Sometimes, barons would unite and fight their own king. Due to this instability, English kings and barons needed strong, well defended castles in which their families and armies could seek protection The castle was the ultimate symbol of power in the medieval world.

4. Classic castle – Motte and bailey At first these were simple motte and bailey castles which were easy and quick to build. A ditch would be dug , and the soil from the ground would be used to create an artificial hill called motte . On top of the motte a wooden tower would be built. Beneath the tower would be a small courtyard called bailey

5. Classic castle – Motte and bailey When castle was attacked, inhabitans would seek shelter in the tower. Motte and Bailey tower were quick and cheap to built (wood are easy to get) However wood soon begin to rot due to heavy winter and hot summer. Some groups of rebellion used fire and its easily to be burnt down So it was soon replaced with larger, stronger stone castles

6. Defending castle The chief aim of castle design was to make it impossible for enemies to enter. During the medieval period, a number of clever ideas were developed to improve a castle’s defense

7. Castle defense Castle part Defense Curtain walls Outer wall of castle, 12 meters thick Moat A ditch dug to prevent siege weapons from reaching the wall Gatehouse Towers on both side at entrance gate Murder holes Gaps in the roof : to throw stones, waste materials and boiling water from the top Drawbridge A lifted bridge from gatehouse over the moat Arrow slits Long and thin windows just wide enough to fire an arrow out of it Crenellations Teeth like gaps on top of castle wall allowed defenders to fire arrows and hide behind it Keep A large stone building inside curtain wall with small slits window. Strongly defended.

8. Attacking a castle Each new technology developed for defending castle would be matched my new technology developed for attack.

9. 1. Mangonel A large catapult that used elastic spring to fire rocks at castle wall in a short distance.

10. 2. Trebuchet A more advanced catapult used a counterweight and sling, it could throw large rocks at a great distance with strong force perfect for breach

11. 3 . Battering ram Made from large tree trunk and given metal tip to batter down castle door. Sometimes its hung from a frame with huge wheels for mobility

12. 4 . Siege tower Also known as a belfry : a large wooden tower with ladder inside could be wheeled up to castle wall and used to climb up and over

13. 5 . Undermining Digging tunnel beneath a castle wall and collapsing the castle by exploding the tunner beneath

14. 6. Siege If all else failed, an army would simply surround a castle allowing nobody to come in or out. The inhabitants inside the castle would slowly running out of sources and starved to death until they surrendered

15. Developments in castle building Castle designs kept improving . Missiles from catapult could knock a hole in flat walls but would glanced off curved walls This technology is called ‘Concentric castle s” based on what they have seen in Byzantium and islamic world during the Holy Crusade

16. Concentric castles Have two layers of curtain walls Archers could defend inner curtain wall and could fire at the enemy army as they attacked outer curtain wall In 15 th century, the medieval castle became obsolete with the presence of gun powder from China With this new technology , Cannons were used to blow castle stone defense.

17. Cannons By late 15 th century , gun powder was brought from China by foreign traders. Many cannons were installed around the castle

18. The end