Castle walls. Main elements of a medieval castle

As mentioned above, medieval castles and each of their components were built according to certain rules. The following main structural elements of the castle can be distinguished:

Courtyard

fortress wall

Let's consider them in more detail.

Most of the towers were built on natural hills. If there were no such hills in the area, then the builders resorted to arranging the hill. As a rule, the height of the hill was 5 meters, but there were more than 10 meters high, although there were exceptions - for example, the height of the hill on which one of the Norfolk castles near Thetford was placed reached hundreds of feet (about 30 meters).

The shape of the territory of the castle was different - some had an oblong shape, some - square, there were courtyards in the form of a figure eight. Variations were very diverse depending on the size of the host state and the configuration of the site.

After the site for construction was chosen, it was first dug in with a moat. The excavated earth was thrown onto the inner bank of the moat, resulting in a rampart, an embankment called a scarp. The opposite bank of the moat was called, respectively, the counterscarp. If it was possible, then the ditch was dug around a natural hill or other elevation. But, as a rule, the hill had to be filled, which required a huge amount of earthwork.

The composition of the hill included earth mixed with limestone, peat, gravel, brushwood, and the surface was covered with clay or wooden flooring.

The first fence of the castle was protected by all sorts of defensive structures designed to stop an enemy attack that was too swift: hedges, slingshots (placed between pillars driven into the ground), earthen embankments, hedges, various protruding structures, for example, a traditional barbican that protected access to lift bridge. At the foot of the wall there was a ditch, they tried to make it as deep as possible (sometimes more than 10 m deep, as in Trematon and Lass) and wider (10 m - in Loches, 12 - in Dourdan, 15 - in Tremworth, 22 m - - in Kusi). As a rule, ditches were dug around the castles as part of the defensive system. They made it difficult to access the fortress walls, including siege weapons such as a battering ram or a siege tower. Sometimes the moat was even filled with water. In shape, it more often resembled the letter V than U. If a ditch was dug right under the wall, a fence was erected over it, the lower shaft, to protect the sentinel path outside the fortress. This piece of land was called a palisade.

An important property of a moat filled with water is the prevention of undermining. Often, rivers and other natural bodies of water were connected to ditches to fill them with water. The ditches needed to be periodically cleared of debris to prevent shallowing. Sometimes stakes were placed at the bottom of the ditches, making it difficult to overcome it by swimming. Access to the fortress, as a rule, was organized through drawbridges.

Depending on the width of the moat, it is supported by one or more pillars. While the outer part of the bridge is fixed, the last segment is movable. This is the so-called drawbridge. It is designed so that its plate can rotate around an axis fixed at the base of the gate, breaking the bridge and closing the gate. To set the drawbridge in motion, devices are used, both on the gate itself and on its inside. The bridge is raised by hand, on ropes or chains passing through the blocks in the slots of the wall. To facilitate the work, counterweights can be used. The chain can go through the blocks to the gate, located in the room above the gate. This gate can be horizontal and rotated by a handle, or vertical and driven by beams horizontally threaded through it. Another way to raise the bridge is with a lever. Swinging beams are threaded through the slots in the wall, the outer end of which is connected by chains to the front end of the bridge plate, and counterweights are attached to the rear inside the gate. This design facilitates the rapid lifting of the bridge. And, finally, the bridge plate can be arranged according to the rocker principle.

The outer part of the plate, turning around the axis at the base of the gate, closes the passage, and the inner part, on which the attackers may already be, goes down into the so-called. a wolf pit, invisible while the bridge is down. Such a bridge is called overturning or swinging.

In Fig.1. The diagram of the entrance to the castle is presented.

The fence itself was made up of thick solid walls - curtains - part of the fortress wall between two bastions and various side structures, collectively called

Fig.1.

towers. The fortress wall rose directly above the moat, its foundations went deep into the ground, and the bottom was made as gentle as possible to prevent possible undermining by the attackers, and also so that shells dropped from a height would ricochet off it. The shape of the fence depended on its location, but its perimeter is always significant.

The fortified castle did not at all resemble an individual dwelling. The height of the curtains ranged from 6 to 10 m, the thickness - from 1.5 to 3 m. However, in some fortresses, for example, in Chateau Gaillard, the thickness of the walls in places exceeds 4.5 m. Towers, usually round, less often square or polygonal , were built, as a rule, on the floor above the curtains. Their diameter (from 6 to 20 m) depended on the location: the most powerful - in the corners and near the entrance gate. The towers were built hollow, inside they were divided into floors by ceilings made of wooden boards with a hole in the center or on the side, through which a rope passed, used to raise shells to the upper platform in case of protecting the fortress. The stairs were hidden by partitions in the wall. Thus, each floor was a room where the warriors were located; in the fireplace, arranged in the thickness of the wall, it was possible to make a fire. The only openings in the tower are the archery slits, long and narrow openings widening inwards (Fig. 2).

Fig.2.

In France, for example, the height of such loopholes is usually 1 m, and the width is 30 cm outside and 1.3 m inside. Such a structure made it difficult for enemy arrows to penetrate, but the defenders were able to shoot in different directions.

The most important defensive element of the castle was the outer wall - high, thick, sometimes on an inclined plinth. Worked stones or bricks made up its outer surface. Inside, it consisted of rubble stone and slaked lime. The walls were placed on a deep foundation, under which it was very difficult to dig.

At the top of the fortress wall was the so-called sentinel path, protected from the outside by a battlemented parapet. It served for observation, communication between the towers and protection of the fortress. A large wooden board, held on a horizontal axis, was sometimes attached to the battlements between two embrasures, crossbowmen took cover behind it to load their weapons. During the wars, the sentinel path was supplemented with something like a folding wooden gallery of the desired shape, mounted in front of the parapet. Holes were made in the floor so that the defenders could shoot from above if the attackers were hiding at the foot of the wall. From the end of the twelfth century, especially in southern regions France, these wooden galleries, not very durable and easily flammable, began to be replaced by real stone ledges built along with the parapet. These are the so-called mashikuli, galleries with hinged loopholes (Fig. 3). They performed the same function as before, but their advantage was greater strength and the fact that they made it possible to throw down the cannonballs, which then ricocheted off the gentle slope of the wall.

Fig.3.

Sometimes several secret doors were made in the fortress wall for the passage of infantrymen, but always only one large gate was built, which was invariably fortified with special care, since it was on them that the main blow of the attackers fell.

The earliest way to protect the gates was to place them between two rectangular towers. A good example of this type of protection is the arrangement of gates in the Exeter Castle of the 11th century that has survived to this day. In the 13th century, square gate towers give way to the main gate tower, which is a merger of the two former ones with additional floors built on top of them. Such are the gate towers in the castles of Richmond and Ludlow. In the 12th century, the more common way to protect the gate was to build two towers on both sides of the entrance to the castle, and only in the 13th century did gate towers appear in their finished form. Two flanking towers are now connected into one above the gate, becoming a massive and powerful fortification and one of the most important parts of the castle. The gate and entrance are now transformed into a long and narrow passage, blocked at each end by porticoes. These were doors sliding vertically along the gutters cut in stone, made in the form of large lattices of thick timber, the lower ends of the vertical bars were sharpened and bound with iron, so the lower edge of the portico was a series of sharpened iron stakes. Such lattice gates were opened and closed using thick ropes and a winch located in a special chamber in the wall above the passage. Later, the entrance was protected by mertieres, deadly holes drilled into the vaulted ceiling of the passage. Through these holes, anyone who tried to break through to the gates by force, poured and poured objects and substances common in such a situation - arrows, stones, boiling water and hot oil. However, another explanation seems more plausible - water was poured through the holes in case the enemy tried to set fire to the wooden gate, since the most the best way to penetrate the castle was to fill the passage with straw, logs, thoroughly soak the mixture with combustible oil and set it on fire; they killed two birds with one stone - they burned the lattice gates and roasted the defenders of the castle in the gate rooms. In the walls of the passage there were small rooms equipped with shooting slots, through which the defenders of the castle could hit from close range with bows a dense mass of attackers who were trying to break into the castle. In Fig.4. various types of shooting slots are presented.

In the upper floors of the gate tower there were quarters for soldiers and often even living quarters. In special chambers there were gates, with the help of which a drawbridge was lowered and raised on chains. Since the gate was the place that was most often attacked by the enemy besieging the castle, they were sometimes supplied with another means of additional protection - the so-called barbicans, which began at some distance from the gate. Usually the barbican consisted of two high thick walls running parallel outward from the gate, thus forcing the enemy to squeeze into a narrow passage between the walls, exposing themselves to the arrows of the archers of the gate tower and the barbican's upper platform hidden behind the battlements. Sometimes, to make access to the gate even more dangerous, the barbican was set at an angle to it, which forced the attackers to go to the gate on the right, and parts of the body not covered by shields turned out to be a target for archers. The entrance and exit of the barbican was usually very fancifully decorated.

Fig.4.

Each more or less serious castle had at least two more rows of defensive structures (ditches, hedges, curtain walls, towers, parapets, gates and bridges), smaller in size, but built on the same principle. Quite a considerable distance was left between them, so each castle looked like a small fortified city. Freteval can again be cited as an example. Its fences are round in shape, the diameter of the first is 140 m, the second is 70 m, the third is 30 m. The last fence, called the “shirt”, was erected very close to the donjon in order to block access to it.

The space between the first two fences was the lower courtyard. A real village was located there: the houses of peasants who worked on the master's fields, workshops and dwellings of artisans (blacksmiths, carpenters, masons, carvers, carriage workers), a threshing floor and a barn, a bakery, a communal mill and a press, a well, a fountain, sometimes a pond with live fish, washroom, counters of merchants. Such a village was a typical settlement of that time with randomly arranged streets and houses. Later, such settlements began to go beyond the castle and settle in its vicinity on the other side of the moat. Their inhabitants, as, indeed, the rest of the inhabitants of the seigneury, took refuge behind the fortress walls only in case of serious danger.

Between the second and third fences there was an upper courtyard with many buildings: a chapel, housing for soldiers, stables, kennels, dovecotes and a falcon yard, a pantry with food supplies, kitchens, a pond.

Behind the "shirt", that is, the last fence, the donjon towered. It was usually built not in the center of the castle, but in its most inaccessible part; it simultaneously served as the dwelling of the feudal lord and the military center of the fortress. Donjon (fr. donjon) - main tower medieval castle, one of the symbols of the European Middle Ages.

It was the most massive building that was part of the castle buildings. The walls were gigantic in thickness and were set on a powerful foundation, capable of withstanding the blows of picks, drills and battering rams of the besiegers.

In height, it surpassed all other buildings, often exceeding 25 m: 27 m - in Etampes, 28 m - in Gisors, 30 m - in Uden, Dourdan and Freteval, 31 m - in Châteauden, 35 m - in Tonquedek, 40 - in Locher, 45 m - in Provins. It could be square (Tower of London), rectangular (Loches), hexagonal (Tournoel Castle), octagonal (Gizors), four-lobed (Etampes), but more often there are round ones with a diameter of 15 to 20 m and a wall thickness of 3 to 4 m.

Flat buttresses, called pilasters, supported the walls along their entire length and at the corners, at each corner such a pilaster was crowned with a turret on top. The entrance was always located on the second floor, high above the ground. An external staircase led to the entrance, located at a right angle to the door and covered by a bridge tower, installed outside directly against the wall. For obvious reasons, the windows were very small. On the first floor there were none at all, on the second they were tiny and only on the next floors they became a little larger. These distinguishing features - the bridge tower, the outer staircase and the small windows - can be clearly seen at Rochester Castle and Headingham Castle in Essex.

The forms of donjons are very diverse: in the UK, quadrangular towers were popular, but there were also round, octagonal, regular and irregular polygonal donjons, as well as combinations of several of these shapes. The change in the shape of donjons is associated with the development of architecture and siege technology. A round or polygonal turret is better able to withstand projectiles. Sometimes, when building a donjon, builders followed the terrain, for example, placing a tower on an irregularly shaped rock. This type of tower arose in the 11th century. in Europe, more precisely in Normandy (France). Initially, it was a rectangular tower, adapted for defense, but at the same time being the residence of the feudal lord.

In the XII-XIII centuries. the feudal lord moved to the castle, and the donjon turned into a separate structure, significantly reduced in size, but stretched vertically. From now on, the tower was located separately outside the perimeter of the fortress walls, in the most inaccessible place to the enemy, sometimes even separated by a moat from the rest of the fortifications. It performed defensive and sentinel functions (at the very top there was always a combat and sentinel platform, covered with battlements). It was considered as the last refuge in the defense against the enemy (for this purpose there were weapons and food warehouses inside), and only after the capture of the donjon the castle was considered conquered.

By the 16th century the active use of cannons turned the donjons towering above the rest of the buildings into too convenient targets.

The donjon was divided inside into floors by means of wooden ceilings (Fig. 5).

Fig.5.

For defensive purposes, its only door was at the level of the second floor, that is, at a height of at least 5 m above the ground. They got inside by stairs, scaffolding or a bridge connected to a parapet. However, all these structures were very simple: after all, they had to be removed very quickly in the event of an attack. It was on the second floor that there was a large hall, sometimes with a vaulted ceiling - the center of the seigneur's life. Here he dined, had fun, received guests and vassals, and even administered justice in winter. One floor above were the rooms of the owner of the castle and his wife; climbed up a narrow stone staircase in the wall. On the fourth and fifth floors there are common rooms for children, servants and subjects. The guests slept there. The top of the donjon resembled the upper part of the fortress wall with its battlemented parapet and sentinel path, as well as additional wooden or stone galleries. To this was added a watchtower to monitor the surroundings.

The first floor, that is, the floor under the great hall, did not have a single opening that went out. However, it was neither a prison nor stone bag, as archaeologists of the last century assumed. Usually there was a pantry where firewood, wine, grain and weapons were stored.

In some donjons in the lower room, in addition, there was a well or an entrance to a dungeon dug under the castle and leading to an open field, which, however, was quite rare. By the way, the dungeon, as a rule, served to store food during the year, and not at all to facilitate a secret flight, romantic or forced Lapin R.I. Donjon article. Encyclopedic Fund of Russia. Access address: http://www.russika.ru/.

Of particular interest in the framework of the work is also the interior of the donjon.

DONJON INTERIOR

The interior of the lord's dwelling can be characterized by three features: simplicity, modesty of decoration, and a small amount of furniture.

No matter how high (from 7 to 12 meters) and spacious (from 50 to 150 meters) the main hall was, the hall always remained one room. Sometimes it was divided into several rooms by some kind of drapery, but always only for a while and due to certain circumstances. Trapezoidal window openings separated in this manner and deep niches in the wall served as small living rooms. Large windows, rather high than wide, with a semicircular top, were arranged in the thickness of the walls in the same way as tower loopholes for archery.

No matter how high (from 7 to 12 meters) and spacious (from 50 to 150 meters) it was, the hall always remained one room. Sometimes it was divided into several rooms by some kind of drapery, but always only for a while and due to certain circumstances. Trapezoidal window openings separated in this manner and deep niches in the wall served as small living rooms. Large windows, rather high than wide, with a semicircular top, were arranged in the thickness of the walls in the same way as tower loopholes for archery. In front of the windows there was a stone bench, which served to talk or look out the window. Windows were rarely glazed (glass is an expensive material used mainly for church stained-glass windows), more often they were covered with a small lattice of wicker or metal, or they were covered with glued cloth or an oiled sheet of parchment nailed to the frame.

A hinged wooden sash was attached to the window, often internal rather than external; usually it was not closed, unless they slept in a large hall.

Despite the fact that the windows were few and rather narrow, they still let in enough light to illuminate the hall on summer days. Evening or winter sunlight replaced not only the fire of the fireplace, but also resin torches, tallow candles or oil lamps, which were attached to the walls and ceiling. Thus, internal lighting always turned out to be a source of heat and smoke, but this was still not enough to defeat dampness - a real scourge of a medieval dwelling. Wax candles, like glass, were reserved only for the richest houses and churches.

The floor in the hall was covered with wooden boards, clay or, more rarely, stone slabs, however, whatever it was, it was never left uncovered. In winter, it was covered with straw - either finely chopped, or woven into coarse mats. In spring and summer - reeds, branches and flowers (lilies, gladioli, irises). Fragrant herbs and incense plants such as mint and verbena were placed along the walls. Wool carpets and embroidered bedspreads were generally used for seating only in bedrooms. In the great hall, everyone was usually located on the floor, spreading skins and furs.

The ceiling, which is also the floor of the upper floor, often remained unfinished, but in the 13th century they began to try to decorate it with beams and caissons, creating geometric patterns, heraldic friezes or ornate ornaments depicting animals. Sometimes the walls were painted in the same way, but more often they were simply painted in some particular color (red and yellow ocher were preferred) or covered with a pattern that imitated the appearance of hewn stone or a chessboard. Frescoes are already appearing in princely houses depicting allegorical and historical scenes borrowed from legends, the Bible or literary works. It is known, for example, that King Henry III of England liked to sleep in a room whose walls were decorated with episodes from the life of Alexander the Great, a hero who aroused special admiration in the Middle Ages. However, such a luxury remained available only to the sovereign. An ordinary vassal, inhabitant of a wooden dungeon, had to be content with a rough bare wall, ennobled only by his own spear and shield.

Instead of wall paintings, tapestries with geometric, floral or historical motifs were used. However, more often these are not real tapestries (which were usually brought from the East), but mostly embroidery on thick fabric, like the so-called “Queen Matilda carpet”, stored in Bayeux.

Tapestries made it possible to hide a door or a window, or to divide a large room into several rooms - "bedrooms".

This word quite often meant not the room where they slept, but the totality of all the tapestries, embroidered canvases and various fabrics intended for interior decoration. Going on a trip, they always took tapestries with them, because they were the main element of decorating an aristocratic home, capable of giving it personality traits.

Furniture in the XIII century existed only wooden. She was constantly moved (The word "furniture" comes from the word mobile (fr.) - movable. (Note. Lane)), because, with the exception of the bed, the rest of the furniture did not have a single purpose. So, the chest, the main type of furniture, served simultaneously as a cabinet, table and seat. To perform the latter function, he could have a back and even handles. However, the chest is only an extra seat. They mostly sat on common benches, sometimes divided into separate seats, on small wooden benches, on small stools without a back. The chair was intended for the owner of the house or an honored guest. The squires and women sat on bundles of straw, sometimes covered with embroidered cloth, or simply on the floor, like servants and lackeys. Several boards laid on the goats made up a table; for the duration of the meal, it was arranged in the center of the hall. It turned out to be long, narrow and somewhat taller than modern tables. Companions sat on one side, leaving the other free to serve dishes.

There was little furniture: in addition to chests, in which dishes, household utensils, clothes, money and letters were shoved at random, sometimes there was a wardrobe or sideboard, less often a sideboard where the richest placed precious dishes or jewelry. Often, such furniture was replaced by niches in the wall, hung with draperies or closed with doors. Clothes were usually not folded, but rolled up and scented. They also rolled letters written on parchment before putting them in a linen bag, which served as a kind of safe, where, in addition, one or more leather wallets were kept.

For more full view about the furniture and decor of the main hall of the donjon, we still need to add a few caskets, some knick-knacks and some cult accessories (relics, sprinklers). As we can see, in this respect it is very far from abundance. There was even less furniture in the bedrooms: the men had a bed and chest, the women had a bed and something like a dressing table. No benches or chairs, sitting on straw covered with cloth, on the floor or on the bed. The huge square bed looked more wide than long. One usually did not sleep.

Even if the owner of the castle and his wife had separate bedrooms, they still had one common bed. In the rooms of children, servants or guests, the beds were also shared. Two, four or six of them slept on them.

The bed of the lord usually stood on a raised platform, with his head to the wall, his feet to the fireplace. A kind of vault was created from a wooden frame, where a canopy was hung to isolate the sleeping people from the outside world. The bedding was almost indistinguishable from modern ones. A feather bed was laid on a straw mattress or mattress, and a bottom sheet was laid on top of it. She was covered with a top sheet that was not tucked in. On top lay a duvet or wadded blanket, quilted like modern ones. The bolster and pillowcases are also similar to those we use today. White embroidered sheets were made of linen or silk, woolen bedspreads were lined with ermine or squirrel fur. For less prosperous people, burlap was used instead of silk, and twill was used instead of wool.

In this soft and spacious bed (so wide that it was possible to make it only with the help of a stick) they usually slept completely naked, but with a cap on their heads. Before going to bed, they hung clothes on a rod driven into the wall like a hanger, protruding almost to the middle of the room parallel to the bed, they left only a shirt on themselves, but they took it off already in bed and, having folded it, put it under the pillow to put it on again in the early morning before getting up.

The fireplace in the bedroom was not heated all day. It was bred only in the evening during the family vigil, which took place here in a more intimate atmosphere than in the great hall. In the hall there was a truly gigantic fireplace, designed for large logs; in front of him stood several shops, which could accommodate ten, fifteen or even twenty people. A conical hood with protruding posts formed something like a house inside the hall. The fireplace was not decorated with anything; the custom of placing a family coat of arms on it appeared only at the beginning of the 14th century. In some, more spacious rooms, two or three fireplaces were sometimes built, but not at opposite walls, but all together in the center of the room; for their hearth they used a single flat stone of enormous size, and the exhaust hood was erected in the form of a pyramid of brick and wood.

The donjon could well be used only for military and economic purposes (observation posts on the tower, a dungeon, a storehouse of provisions). In such cases, the feudal lord's family lived in the "palace" - the living quarters of the castle, standing apart from the tower. The palaces were built of stone and had several floors in height.

medieval castle residential interior

At the mention of castles of the Middle Ages, picturesque walls entwined with ivy come to mind, beautiful ladies in high towers and noble knights in shining armor. But it was not these lofty images that motivated the feudal lords to build impregnable walls with loopholes, but harsh reality.

During the Middle Ages, Europe experienced many changes. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the processes of migration of peoples began, new kingdoms and states appeared. All this was accompanied by constant conflicts and strife.

feudal nobleman, who had a knighthood, to protect himself from enemies, and even the closest neighbors could become them, was forced to strengthen his home as much as possible and build a castle.

Wikipedia offers to distinguish between a castle and a fortress. Fortress - walled area land with houses and other buildings. The castle is smaller. This is a single structure, which includes walls, towers, bridges and other structures.

The castle was the private fortress of a noble lord and his family. In addition to the direct function of protection, it was an indicator of power and wealth. But not all knights could afford it. The owner could be a whole knightly order - a community of warriors.

How and from what materials were medieval castles built?

Construction of a real castle was a laborious and costly process. All work was carried out by hand and sometimes lasted for decades.

Before construction began, a suitable site had to be selected. The most impregnable castles were erected on the cliffs of steep cliffs. However, more often they chose a hill with an open view and a river nearby. The water artery was necessary to fill the ditches, and was also used as a way to transport goods.

A deep ditch was dug on the ground and a mound was formed. Then, with the help of scaffolding, walls were erected.

challenging task was the construction of a well. I had to dig deep down or gouge the rock.

The choice of material for construction depended on many factors. Of decisive importance were:

• terrain;
• human resources;
• budget.

If there was a quarry nearby, the structure was built of stone, otherwise wood, sand, limestone or bricks were used. For the outside, we used facing materials, for example, processed stone. The elements of the walls were connected with lime mortar.

Although glass was known in those days, it was not used in castles. Narrow windows were covered with mica, leather or parchment. Inside the living quarters of the owners of the castle, the walls were often covered with frescoes and hung with tapestries. In the rest of the rooms, they limited themselves to a layer of lime or left untouched masonry.

What elements did castles consist of?

Precise lock configuration depended on local traditions, landscape, wealth of the owner. Over time, new engineering solutions appeared. Previously built structures were often completed and rebuilt. Among all Medieval fortifications, several traditional elements can be distinguished.

Moat, bridge and gate

The castle was surrounded by a moat. If there was a river nearby, it was flooded. Wolf pits were arranged at the bottom - depressions with stakes or sharp rods.

It was possible to get inside through the moat only with the help of a bridge. Huge logs served as supports. Part of the bridge rose and closed the passage inside. The mechanism of the drawbridge was designed in such a way that 2 guards could handle it. In some castles, the bridge had a swing mechanism.

The gate was double-leaf and closed transverse beam that slides into the wall. Although they were knocked together from several layers of durable boards and upholstered with iron, the gate remained the most vulnerable part of the structure. They were protected by a gate tower with a guard room. The entrance to the castle turned into a long narrow passage with holes in the ceiling and walls. If the enemy was inside, a stream of boiling water or resin poured on him.

In addition to wooden gates, there was often a lattice, which was closed with a winch and ropes. IN emergency, the ropes were chopped off, the barrier fell sharply.

An additional element of the protection of the gate was the barbican - the walls coming from the gate. Opponents had to squeeze in into the passage between them under a hail of arrows.

Walls and towers

The height of the walls of the medieval fortification reached 25 meters. They had a powerful base and withstood the blows of battering rams. The deep foundation was designed to protect against undermining. The thickness of the walls to the top decreased, they became sloping. At the top, behind the battlements, was a platform. Being on it, the defenders fired at the enemies through slot-like holes, threw down stones or poured resin.

Double walls were often built . Overcoming the first hurdle, opponents fell into a narrow space in front of the second wall, where they became easy prey for archers.

At the corners of the perimeter there were watchtowers that protruded forward in relation to the wall. Inside, they were divided into floors, each of which was a separate room. In large castles, the towers had a vertical partition for strengthening.

All the stairs in the towers were spiral and very steep. If the enemy penetrated the inner territory, the defender had an advantage and could throw the aggressor down. Initially, the towers had a rectangular shape. But this interfered with the review during the defense. Replaced by round buildings.

Behind the main gate was a narrow courtyard, which was well shot through.

The rest of the interior space the castle was occupied by buildings. Among them:

In large knightly castles, there was a garden inside, and sometimes a whole garden.

The central and most fortified structure of any castle is the donjon tower. In the lower part there was a storehouse with food supplies and an arsenal with weapons and equipment. Above was the guard room, the kitchen. The upper part was occupied by the dwelling of the owner and his family. A throwing weapon or catapult was installed on the roof. The outer walls of the donjon had small ledges. There were restrooms. Holes opened outward, waste fell down. From the donjon, underground passages could lead to a shelter or neighboring buildings.

Mandatory elements of a castle in the Middle Ages was a church or chapel. It could be located in the central tower or be a separate building.

The castle could not do without a well. In the absence of a source of water, the inhabitants would not have held out for several days during the siege. The well was protected by a separate building.

Living conditions in the castle

The castle provided the need for security. However, other benefits of its inhabitants often had to be neglected.

Little light penetrated inside the premises, since the windows were replaced by narrow loopholes, which were covered with dense materials. living rooms they were heated with fireplaces, but this did not save them from dank dampness and cold. harsh winter the walls froze through. Using the latrines during the cold season was especially uncomfortable.

Residents often had to neglect hygiene. Most of the water from the well went to maintain life functions and care for animals.

Over time, the structure of castles became more complex, new elements appeared. However, the development of gunpowder guns deprived the castles of the main advantage - impregnability. They were replaced by fortresses with more complex engineering solutions.

Gradually, the castles of the Middle Ages, many of which have survived to this day, turned into architectural monuments and remind of the era of chivalry.

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The position of the defenders of the besieged castle was far from hopeless. There were many ways in which they could push back the attackers. Most of the castles were located in hard-to-reach places and was designed to withstand a long siege. They were built on top of a steep hill or surrounded by a moat or trench. The castle always had an impressive supply of weapons, water and food, and the guards knew how to defend themselves. However, in order to survive the siege, a born leader was needed, versed in the art of war, defensive tactics and military cunning.

The battlemented parapet Guards continuously watched the surroundings from behind the battlements, behind which a path ran over the walls of the castle. Means of defense If the defenders knew in advance about the approach of the attackers, they prepared to defend themselves, stocking up on provisions and providing shelter to the surrounding residents. Villages and fields around were often burned so that the besiegers would not get anything. The locks were designed according to the highest technical standards of those times. Wooden castles caught fire easily, so they were built of stone. Stone walls withstood siege shells, and ditches prevented enemy attempts to dig a tunnel into the fortress. Wooden paths were made on top of the walls - from them the defenders threw stones at the attackers. Later they were replaced by stone battlements. The spread of cannons brought about radical changes in the construction of castles and in the methods of warfare. Loopholes Defenders could safely shoot at the enemy from the loopholes and because of the jagged parapet on the walls of the castle. For the convenience of archers and musketeers, the loopholes expanded inwards. It also made it possible to increase the sector of fire. But it was difficult for the enemy to get into a narrow loophole, although there were well-aimed arrows who were specially trained for this purpose.

Loopholes Existed different types loopholes: straight, in the form of a cross and even a key. All for the sake of protection 1 The weak point of any castle was the gate. First, the enemy had to pass the drawbridge, and then the gate and portcullis. But even here, the defenders had a few surprises in store. 2 Holes in the wooden floor allowed the defenders to throw stones down on the heads of the besiegers, pour hot sand on them and pour slaked lime, boiling water or oil. 3 The defenders dug a defensive tunnel. 4 Arrows and other projectiles bounced off rounded walls better. 5 Crenellated parapet. 6 The attackers were often wounded by stones bouncing off the walls. 7 They shot at the enemy from loopholes. 8 The soldiers defending the castle repelled the ladders of the attackers with long poles. 9 The defenders tried to neutralize the battering ram by lowering mattresses on the ropes or trying to catch the end of the battering ram with a hook and pull it up. 10 Extinguishing the fire within the castle walls.

Still, medieval architects were geniuses - they built castles, luxurious buildings that were also extremely practical. Castles, unlike modern mansions, not only demonstrated the wealth of their owners, but also served as powerful fortresses that could hold the defense for several years, and at the same time, life in them did not stop.

Even the fact that many castles, having survived wars, natural disasters and the carelessness of the owners, are still intact, suggests that they have not yet come up with a more reliable home. And they are insanely beautiful and seem to have appeared in our world from the pages of fairy tales and legends. Their high spiers are reminiscent of the times when beauties fought for the hearts, and the air was saturated with chivalry and courage.

Reichsburg Castle, Germany

The thousand-year-old castle was originally the residence of the King of Germany, Conrad III, and then of the King of France, Louis XIV. The fortress was burned down by the French in 1689 and would have sunk into oblivion, but a German businessman purchased the remains in 1868 and spent most of his wealth rebuilding the castle.

Mont Saint Michel, France

Swallow's Nest, Crimea

Initially, on the rock of Cape Ai-Todor there was a small wooden house. And its current appearance bird home” received thanks to the oil industrialist Baron Shteingel, who loved to relax in the Crimea. He decided to build a romantic castle that resembles medieval buildings on the banks of the Rhine River.

Castle Stalker, Scotland

Castle Stalker, which means "Falconer", was built in 1320 and belonged to the MacDougal clan. Since that time, its walls have experienced a huge number of strife and wars, which affected the state of the castle. In 1965, Colonel D. R. Stewart of Allward became the owner of the castle, who personally restored the structure with his wife, family members and friends.

Bran Castle, Romania

Bran Castle is the pearl of Transylvania, a mysterious museum-fort, where the famous legend of Count Dracula, a vampire, murderer and governor Vlad the Impaler, was born. According to legend, he spent the night here during the periods of his campaigns, and the forest surrounding Bran Castle was Tepes's favorite hunting ground.

Vyborg Castle, Russia

Vyborg Castle was founded by the Swedes in 1293, during one of the crusades against Karelian land. It remained Scandinavian until 1710, when the troops of I drove the Swedes back far and for a long time. Since that time, the castle managed to visit both a warehouse, and a barracks, and even a prison for the Decembrists. And today there is a museum here.

Cashel Castle, Ireland

Cashel Castle was the seat of the kings of Ireland for several hundred years before the Norman invasion. Here in the 5th century A.D. e. Saint Patrick lived and preached. The walls of the castle witnessed the bloody suppression of the revolution by the troops of Oliver Cromwell, who burned soldiers alive here. Since then, the castle has become a symbol of the cruelty of the British, the real courage and fortitude of the Irish.

Kilchurn Castle, Scotland

The very beautiful and even slightly creepy ruins of Kilchurn Castle are located on the shores of the picturesque Lake Eyve. The history of this castle, unlike most castles in Scotland, proceeded quite calmly - numerous earls lived here, who succeeded each other. In 1769, the building was struck by lightning and was soon completely abandoned, as it remains to this day.

Lichtenstein Castle, Germany

Built in the 12th century, this castle has been destroyed several times. It was finally restored in 1884 and since then the castle has become a filming location for many films, including the film The Three Musketeers.

When large landowners appeared in Europe, they began to build fortified estates for themselves. The house, outbuildings, barns and stables were surrounded by high wooden walls. In front of them, they usually dug a wide ditch, into which water was diverted from the nearest reservoir. This is how the first castles appeared. But they were fragile, as the tree began to rot over time. Therefore, the walls and buildings had to be constantly updated. In addition, such buildings could easily be set on fire.

First real knight's castles from stone, which are well known even in our time, they began to build at the end of the 9th and beginning of the 10th centuries. In total, 15 thousand such structures were built in Europe. Especially fond of similar buildings in England. On these lands, a building boom began during the time of William the Conqueror in the second half of the 11th century. Stone structures towered at a distance of 30 km from each other. This proximity was very handy in the event of an attack. Horse detachments from other castles could quickly arrive at the defenders.

IN X-XI centuries protective stone buildings consisted of a high multi-tiered tower. It was called donjon and was home to the knight and his family. Food was also stored in it, servants lived, armed guards. A prison was set up in which prisoners were kept. A deep well was dug in the basement. It was filled with groundwater. Therefore, the inhabitants of the donjon were not afraid to be left without water in the event of a long siege.

From the second half of the 11th century, donjons began to be surrounded by stone walls.. Since that time, the defensive capabilities of the castle have increased significantly. Enemies first had to overcome high solid walls, and then also take possession of a multi-tiered tower. And from it it was very convenient to pour hot tar on the heads of the invaders, shoot arrows and throw large stones.

The most active construction of reliable stone structures unfolded in 1150-1250.. It was during these 100 years that the largest number castles. Kings and rich nobles built majestic structures. Small nobles erected small but reliable stone fortresses.

At the beginning of the XIII century, the towers began to be made not square, but round.. This design was more resistant to throwing machines and rams. In the 90s of the XIII century, one central tower was abandoned. Instead, they began to make many towers, and surrounded them with 2 and even 3 rows of walls. Much more attention was paid to the strengthening of the gate.

Previously, knightly castles were protected only by heavy doors and a rising bridge over the moat. Now a powerful metal grate has been placed outside the gate. She could go down and up, and was called gers. Its tactical advantage was that it was possible to shoot arrows through it at the attackers. This innovation was added barbican. He represented himself round tower located in front of the gate.

Therefore, the enemies first had to take possession of it, then overcome the drawbridge, break the metal grate of the hers, and only after that, overcoming the fierce resistance of the defenders, penetrate the inner territory of the castle. And on top of the walls, the builders made stone galleries with special openings to the outside. Through them, the besieged fired their bows and poured hot pitch on the enemies.

Medieval knight's castle and its defensive elements

In these almost impregnable stone fortresses, everything was subject to maximum security. But they cared much less about internal comfort. There were few windows, and they were all narrow. Instead of glasses, they used mica or intestines of cows, bulls, buffaloes. Therefore, the rooms were twilight even on a bright sunny day. There were a great many different stairs, corridors and passages. They created drafts. And this affected the health of the residents not in the best way.

There were fireplaces in the rooms, and the smoke escaped through the chimneys. But it was very difficult to heat the premises made of stone. Therefore, people have always suffered from a lack of heat. The floors were also stone. They were covered with hay and straw on top. Furniture included wooden beds, benches, cabinets, tables and chests. Hunting trophies in the form of stuffed animals and weapons hung on the walls. And in such decoration lived the families of the nobles with their servants and guards.

Attitudes towards comfort and convenience began to change at the beginning of the 14th century.. Knights' castles began to be built of brick. Accordingly, they became much warmer. Builders stopped making narrow window openings. They expanded significantly, and multi-colored glass replaced the mica. The walls and floors were covered with carpets. Carved wooden furniture and porcelain utensils, brought from the east, appeared. That is, the fortresses turned into quite tolerable places to live.

At the same time, locks retained such important functions as storage for products. They had cellars and cellars. Grain, smoked meats, dried fruits and vegetables were stored in them. There were stocks of wine, fish lay in wooden barrels. Honey was stored in earthenware jars filled with wax. Salo was salted in stone containers.

Halls and corridors were lit with oil lamps or torches. In living quarters candles made of wax or tallow were used. A separate tower was intended for hay. It was kept for horses, which at that time were very numerous. Each fortress had its own bakery. Bread was baked daily for the masters and their servants.

The common people settled around these majestic buildings. In the event of an attack by enemies, people hid behind strong walls. They also sheltered their livestock and property. So gradually around knight's castles settlements began to appear first, and then small towns. Markets and fairs were held right under the walls. The owner of the fortress did not object to this at all, since such events promised him a good profit.

By the 16th century, many knightly castles were completely surrounded by residential buildings. As a result, they lost their military defensive value. At this time, powerful artillery began to appear. She nullified the importance of strong and high walls. And gradually sometime impregnable fortresses turned into a place of residence for wealthy people. They were also used for prisons and warehouses. Today, the former majestic buildings have become history and are of interest only to tourists and historians..