The siege of castles in the Middle Ages. Secrets of the spiral staircase. Warwick Castle, England

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 German king Conrad III, and then 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 romantic castle, which 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

Very beautiful and even a little creepy ruins of Kilkhurn Castle are located on the shore picturesque lake Eve. 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.

Many people always associate the Middle Ages with the era of knights, tournaments and castles. But what it really was knight's castle, we will try to find out in today's article. First you need to remember who such a knight is.

A knight is essentially a feudal lord. He was of noble birth, collected his own army. He bought military ammunition at his own expense, he always had escorts from among his servants. They helped him in everything. The knight's castle is, in fact, a large fortified manor, where there is big house feudal lord, as well as many outbuildings. Europe was going through a stage of feudal fragmentation. The feudal lord created the castle as a means of protection from nomadic peoples. It was a large fortification that could lead a long defense.

Where were castles built?

The castle of the knight, as already mentioned, is the fortress of the feudal lord. In a period of fragmentation, it was necessary to defend oneself somehow. To do this, at first it was necessary to choose a place for the construction of the castle. Great place for construction there was a small hill or hill. Having built a castle there, the feudal lord could see his enemies approaching the castle in advance.

Another place of construction could be the area in the river area. The river could secure the castle from one, and sometimes even from two sides. Also, during the construction, the river made it possible to build an artificial moat. It was a very common occurrence. Sometimes crocodiles were launched into such ditches, this is also for safety.

It was very important for the feudal lord to be close to trade. So that's why the knights built their castles near trade routes or even better at their intersection. This is, firstly, involvement in trade, and secondly, it was possible to collect duties from merchants. And also the roads on the land of the feudal lord were used by merchants. Here the rule was implicitly - "What fell from the cart, it belongs to the owner of the land." This was also a plus.

But, of course, let's not forget that the main thing was, of course, to ensure the safety of our knight's castle. Most attention was paid to external attributes. Fortifications and defenses were built of stone. Previously, wood was used, but it is not very durable, and, of course, it could also burn out very quickly in the event of a fire.

Initially, the castle was protected by a moat and a drawbridge. Then they began to put a metal grate, which they called "gers". She went up and down. Tactically, it was possible to use the grid correctly. Enemies could not penetrate there, but from the castle through it it was possible to shoot from a bow. Even later, they began to build a special tower in front of the fortress - "barbican". She defended the castle even better.

Inside the knight's castle

It has already been said that more attention was paid to the security of the castle. But the interior decoration was not so important. There were practically no windows. And those that were, were very narrow. Glass was not used, only the intestines of cows and bulls. This did not give the room lightness, it was always gloomy there. But what the builders did not skimp on was the stairs and corridors. There were a lot of them. It could be easy to get confused. Stairs and corridors created drafts. This had a very bad effect on the health of the inhabitants of the castle.

The heat was missing. There were fireplaces, but since the walls were stone, it was difficult to heat such a room. People felt cold all the time. The floors are also stone, with straw laid on top of them. The furniture was wooden: tables, chairs, beds. The walls were usually decorated with hunting trophies or hung with swords and shields. Such was the decoration of the house of an average family.

Somewhere in the 14th century bricks were used in construction. In such houses it was much warmer than in stone ones. The windows were expanded, glass was inserted. During the meal began to use porcelain dishes. Carpets were laid on the floors. Cellars and cellars were used to store food. Oil lamps were used for lighting.

Ordinary people settled near the houses of the feudal lords. Their interior decoration was much more modest, without luxury. When the enemies attacked, the commoners hid behind the walls knight's castles. Over time, peasant settlements arose near the castles. And cities grew out of these villages. There were fairs and markets, and the feudal lord received taxes from the population. He was not very against the resettlement of people near his possessions.

Knight's castle video

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 starting construction, it was necessary to choose appropriate place. Most impregnable castles 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. deep foundation was intended 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 were watchtowers, which 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. She could be located in 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.

Didn't get an answer to your question? Suggest a topic to the authors.

If you are a fan of traveling to places with a century of history, from which it breathes archaic, take a look at what ancient castles are still inhabited by people and even ghosts.

Modern skyscrapers and designer exhibition centers are gradually replacing traditional architecture from cities. Against the background of their popularity, the desire to live in a secluded castle seems extravagant. However, in every corner of Europe you can find old houses that have been preserved thanks to the efforts of loving owners. And while they may not be as comfortable as state-of-the-art penthouses, castles have their own charm.

1. Château Plessis-Bourret, France

Appearance its so severe that the castle is more like a defensive fortress. Its interior decoration will amaze even the most sophisticated person who is accustomed to luxurious decorations. It has not undergone any modifications: the absolute preservation of the original design makes the chateau truly unique. Plessis-Bourret was built in 1472 by Jean Bourret, who served as Minister of Finance under King Louis XI. The bribe-taker Bure was so afraid of the uprising of the inhabitants of his lands that he ordered the palace to be fenced with the widest moat in France. The drawbridge, which makes it possible to leave it, is still used for its intended purpose.

Modern owners do not hide their historical monument either from curious tourists or from filmmakers. In 2003, Penelope Cruz spent several unforgettable weeks in the castle, filming in the film "Fanfan Tulip" with Vincent Perez. Today, anyone can follow her example by renting one of Plessy-Burret's rooms as hotel room. For those who prefer five-star hotels, there are free and individual guided tours lasting several hours.

2. Residence of the Queen of Great Britain in the county of Berkshire, England

Windsor Castle is the largest and most famous among the brethren that are still considered residential. Its splendor and scale frighten and amaze at the same time: on an area of ​​45,000 m² there is a complex of buildings with 1,000 residential premises. For 900 years, Windsor has belonged to the ruling dynasty and all its members have the right to upgrade the estate to their taste. Each new monarch expanded and expanded the area of ​​​​possessions, until the adjacent hardwood forest began to be considered a Berkshire park. At the end of the last century, the Queen's residence was urgently reconstructed due to a massive fire.

The Queen of England today uses Windsor as a means of defeating other heads of state and other eminent guests. She invites them to live in rooms decorated with originals by Rembrandt and Rubens, antique candlesticks and gilded moldings on the ceiling. Who after that will be able to refuse a political request to a royal person?

3. Berkeley Castle, England

The second most populous palace in England after Windsor. At the end of the 12th century, it was bought by the Berkeley family, which is in the title of Lords. In 1327, members of an influential family involuntarily became the guards of the prison in own house. Opponents of King Edward II deposed him and placed him in Berkeley, demanding from his owners an obligation to prevent any attempt to escape. In the same year, the estate began to be distinguished from the rest of the castles in the area by a high fence instead of a moat with water that was familiar to the eye in those days. For six months, the prisoner tried to leave Berkeley twice, after which he was executed by the new ruler.

The heirs of the castle inhabit only 20% of its area: the rest is used as a hotel and a museum. But the main source of their income is cinema. Berkeley's interiors can be seen in the TV series Wolf Hall, Castle in the Country and the film The Other Boleyn Girl.

4. Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Built on an extinct volcano, the palace rises 120 meters above sea level. Scientists have found that the first walls appeared here in the Iron Age: they were built by warriors planning a raid on the Anglian tribes. Edinburgh castle for many centuries passed from the property of England to the Scottish and vice versa. Ten years ago, the British Ministry of Defense finally abandoned it. Residents of Scotland's largest tourist attraction were not affected by the decision. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a dynasty of caretakers has been living in the castle, whose only duty is to fire a cannon every hour during daylight hours.

5. Warwick Castle, England

The vast majority of the residents of the house are TV and Youtube stars. The estate, built back in 1068 by William the Conqueror, is a regular participant in the show with psychics, "ghost hunters" and magicians. It even made it into the book Haunted Houses of Great Britain and Ireland. Anyone can find footage of internal surveillance cameras with evidence of their existence on video hosting sites.

Extreme temperature fluctuations, light anomalies and mysterious rustles are arranged by the "Gray Lady" and her assistants. The pensioner, who is the heiress of the earl-owner of Warwick, is also familiar with her. For 100 years, her figure has been bumping into the inhabitants of the palace in its long corridors and scaredly shied away at the sight of children. She can't walk through walls, which is why Warwick is used to suddenly opening doors. Those who have seen her up close say that she is the ghost of an old woman dressed in a gray dress. The "Gray Lady" is assisted by the county poet Fulk Greville, who was strangled in the Water Tower in 1628. His chilling screams are heard from the Tower several times a week. In addition to this couple, there are more than 10 unidentified ghosts living in Warwick.

6. Rock of Cashel, Ireland

In the castle on the rock of Cashel lives the caretaker of the cemetery, which spontaneously arose near its walls. A group of medieval buildings built in the 12th-15th centuries adjoins the Cormac Chapel, a small Romanesque church that houses the sarcophagus of the first owner of the fortress, after whom it is named. During a surprise enemy attack locals tried to hide in the church, but they were all brutally killed. They were buried there, and soon new burials began to appear around the graves of the unfortunate victims. According to legend, dozens of spirits also live there.

7. Kronborg Estate, Denmark

Built in 1420, the castle on the outskirts of Copenhagen is officially listed world heritage UNESCO. In order to prevent capture by the Swedes, it was designed as a complex system of labyrinths and underground passages. Creative personalities live in Kronborg - directors, actors, screenwriters. Every spring they create a new interpretation of the theatrical production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet and present it to the audience.

8. Bran Palace, Romania

In picturesque Transylvania is the estate of the bloodiest Romanian of all time - Count Dracula. Bran is famous tourist attraction in the country, as well as a hotel with rooms in the form of wooden log cabins, decorated with tiles. The legendary vampire liked to stay there during his lifetime, but he left no trace of himself in Bran. The interior decoration of the castle has been preserved since the time of Queen Mary: she lived in it after the count and decorated it big amount books, porcelain and icons. The latter, according to rumors, she needed to prevent the nightly visits of the vampire.

9. Pfalzgrafenstein Estate, Germany

Even native Germans are unable to pronounce the name correctly the first time. It is located in the middle of the Rhine River: the island of Pfalzgrafenstein used to be completely deserted and uninhabited. A fortress was built on top of it as a royal customs house to check on ships passing by. Later it became the residence of the local nobility. In the 20th century, the state needed to use the Pfalzgrafenstein as a lighthouse. Now the caretaker lives there, and in order to visit him, you will have to cross the Rhine in the old fashioned way by boat.

10. Fortification of Castel del Monte, Italy

The author of this building was never found. In the 15th century, it was created as an astronomical calendar, in each room of which you can find out the time by a sundial or the date by a light calendar. There are 8 floors in Castel del Monte, 8 rooms are designed on each of them. Modern astronomers have managed to prove that the location of the fortress is really ideal for observing starry sky. It was equipped as an observatory in which scientists live all year round.

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INTRODUCTION

Topic selection « Medieval castle: secrets of fortification» was not random.

The Middle Ages is a majestic mystery, largely unsolved by medieval scholars. One of the components of the Mystery is medieval castles: magnificent monuments of architecture and fortification art.

These citadels, which arose as a refuge for the feudal lord, his family and at the same time indicators of the wealth and strength of the owner, which became widespread from the first half of the era, gradually turned into fortresses and were mostly destroyed during numerous wars.

We really wanted to learn more about these impregnable structures than what is written in textbooks, and answer the question: what allowed the defenders of castles to withstand a long siege and what secrets of castle architecture helped them in this.

Relevance: from Today, medieval castles and their fortification architecture are becoming objects of close attention not only for scientists and tourists, but also for authors of computer games, strategies, books and films in the fantasy style, where events take place in ancient fortified palaces-fortresses. This develops our interest and curiosity, the desire to find out more than what is written in the educational literature about the castles of the Middle Ages surrounded by mystery.

At the same time, the castle becomes for us not only a place of exciting adventures and battles along with the heroes of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Warmachine, Kings of War, Confrontation, Game of Thrones, Robin Hood, Lord of the Rings and other fantasy novels, films and wargames, but also calling card Middle Ages, which helps to comprehend its content, opening one of the most interesting pages of history.

This judgment is justified, since the Middle Ages went down in history as a period of endless wars, not only interstate, but also internecine, feudal. Under these conditions, a knight's (feudal) castle became a reliable fortification, and the features of its fortification structure helped the owner and the garrison to withstand a long siege by the enemy.

As you can see, from the point of view of relevance, the study acquires a special meaning. And if before, researchers and project authors talked mainly about the castle - a masterpiece of medieval architecture, today - about the secrets of architecture for a special, military purpose, turning a dwelling, the center of civilization of a single feudal estate into a citadel.

Object of study

Medieval castle as a dwelling, refuge and palace of a feudal lord.

Subject of study

Elements of castle fortification architecture and the secrets embedded in them.

Purpose of the study

Find out the structure of the most important parts medieval castle-fortress and their special purpose in defense against the enemy.

To achieve this goal, the following tasks:

To study the literature containing information about medieval castles, the history of their construction, purpose.

Find out the features of the fortification purpose of the elements of the knight's castle.

Training (problem) question

1. What fortification secrets allowed the defenders of castles to withstand a long siege?

Research methods: collection and study of information; generalization and description of the fortification features of a medieval castle.

Research Products

1. Model of a medieval castle.

2. Book - manual "Medieval castle: the secrets of fortification."

3. Medieval castle (crossword "vice versa").

The work consists of an Introduction, three sections, a Conclusion, a list of references and an Appendix.

In the Introduction, the relevance of the study is substantiated, the goal, objectives, object and subject of the study are defined.

Section 1 "The Knight's Castle of the Middle Ages: a bit of history" considers a general idea of ​​the time and the need for the appearance of knight's castles in Europe, the general principles of location on the ground and arrangement.

Section 2 "The most important elements of the castle and "traps" for the enemy" considers fortification details, tricks and their purpose.

Section 3 "Approbation of research materials and conclusions" presents diagrams illustrating the indicators of students' knowledge before and after acquaintance with the research materials prepared by us (Manual book "Medieval Castle: Secrets of Fortification").

The “Conclusion” summed up the general results of the work, outlined the conclusions, substantiated the practical application and significance of the work.

The "References" reflects the sources that we used in our research.

The "Appendix" contains testing materials, separately - a manual "Medieval Castle: Secrets of Fortification", diagrams reflecting the level of knowledge of students BEFORE and AFTER acquaintance with our work, as well as a "crossword puzzle in reverse" as a material for reflection.

SECTION 1. Medieval knight's castle: the secrets of fortification

Medieval castle: a bit of history

Our history teacher often repeats that the causes of phenomena and events must be sought not only in the era contemporary with the event, but in what preceded it, even if such a connection is hidden behind the curtain of many years ...

Indeed, slavery and Antiquity were born out of primitiveness, which outgrew itself, and the distant Middle Ages - from Greco-Roman civilization, when it had exhausted its possibilities ...

But it would seem that it is either impossible or very difficult to find similarities between Roman times and the European Middle Ages in particulars, details. What if you take a closer look?

And if you look closely, the theme of our work "The medieval castle and its fortification features" in the main detail - "the purpose of the castle" - returns us to the structure of the Roman camp, the direct purpose of which is the protection of its inhabitants.

Judge for yourself, the parking lot of Roman legionnaires is a fenced area, inside which - camping. A medieval fortification is a complicated version of such a shelter.

Based on experience defensive structures of the past, realizing the danger of the Norman invasion, a man of the beginning of the XII century begins to build shelters that can protect him from external invasion. At first, he encloses a fortress house on a hill with a palisade, digs a moat around it and brings water to it, and then, realizing that wood and limestone are unreliable materials, he begins to build a stone fortress and enclose it not just with a fence - with a wall, the height and thickness of which now measured in meters.

With each new castle on the map of Europe, a new design of its structure appears, the main purpose of which is not only to prevent enemy plans, but also to stop the enemy, to defeat, if not on the outskirts of the citadel, then inside it, using the tricks of fortification architecture.

Today, playing computer games, empathizing with the heroes of fantasy films, collecting puzzles, we partially delve into the meaning of building huge defensive structures, analyze the internal structure and system of fortifications, often asking ourselves: what is there, behind the stone barrier that stands in the way of the conquerors, why did the knights build not just beautiful and solid houses, but shelters, fortresses?

The conclusion suggests itself: they were motivated by the wars! With whom? With everyone! In particular, and among themselves for land, peasants, wealth, prestige, honor ...

The 12th century came to Europe as a time of disasters and great bloodshed and made you think about whether a rival superior in strength, who would like your home, forest, river, fields, would come down?

And then, like mushrooms after a good warm rain, such castles appear that even today inspire awe, respect, and sometimes serious fear: will a ghost in armor emerge from the wall with a rusty sword in his hands? ..

The owner of the citadel clearly knew what he wanted: the castle should be inaccessible to the enemy, provide observation of the area (including the nearest villages belonging to the owner of the castle), have its own source of water (in case of a siege) and show the power and wealth of the feudal lord.

The place was chosen based on these requirements: a mountain, high rock, in extreme cases, a hillock, it would be nice not far from the water. The construction of the main dwelling - the donjon began. It's hard work, slow, carefully planned. While the builders erected walls and dug a well (a source of water, and therefore life!), the local people (from the master's artisans, warriors, peasants) guarded the approaches to the future fortification and paved roads to it. The road necessarily contained numerous obstacles, which could only be overcome by knowledgeable person(disguised pits, false crossings over rivers and large streams, ambushes with cleared sectors for shelling the enemy ...). A prerequisite is that the road should twist so that the horseman or foot warrior will certainly turn out to be right, unprotected, sideways to the citadel.

Having completed the construction of the donjon, they began to build defensive walls. The richer owners built several obstacle walls, the poorer ones managed one, but always powerful, high, with towers and loopholes, strong gates, a barbican protruding forward, a drawbridge across a moat filled with water.

It also happened vice versa: they started with a moat and walls, and ended with a donjon. But, most importantly, the outcome was always the same: another fortress appeared, an impregnable citadel, striking in power, beauty or architectural fiction. Take a look at these European castles.

Amazing, isn't it?

SECTION 2. "The most important elements of the castle and" traps "for the enemy"

Loopholes, their types and purpose

The castle of the Middle Ages with its fortifications, which have a certain defensive purpose, is not today's rich "antique" house. A medieval castle is a formidable, often gloomy fortress with towers and sentries warily looking around from their eye sockets.

The towers were built hollow, inside they were divided into floors by ceilings made of wooden boards with a hole in the center or side. A rope passed through them to raise shells to the upper platform in case of defending the castle.

The stairs were hidden behind partitions in the wall. Take a look: each floor is a separate room in which the soldiers were located. For heating, a fireplace was often arranged in the thickness of the wall, in which, by the way, it was possible to cook game on a spit ...

The only openings in the tower that connected with the outside world were loopholes for archery. Long and narrow openings, they expanded into the room. Usually the height of such loopholes is 1 meter, and the width is 30 cm outside and 1 meter and 30 centimeters inside. This design prevented enemy arrows from getting inside, and the defenders were able to shoot in different directions.

For archers, loopholes were long narrow slots in the wall, and for the crossbowman, short loopholes were intended, expanding to the sides. They were often called keyholes.

There were also loopholes of a special form - spherical. They were wall-mounted, freely rotating slotted wooden balls. They provided the shooter with maximum protection.

The number of loopholes was supposed to frighten the enemy, who understood that the more loopholes, the more defenders, the stronger the defense, of course.

As contemporaries of the events of the Middle Ages, historians and even tourists write, the presence of loopholes became especially relevant during a war or siege, since it was not visible in a narrow vertical hole whether the shooter was behind it or not. The height of some loopholes was even calculated taking into account this circumstance.

What is interesting for us is the fact that loopholes in the walls were not common in Europe until the 13th century, since it was believed that they could weaken their strength. But, regardless of their purpose, loopholes have become an obligatory attribute of medieval castles since the 13th century.

Secrets of the spiral staircase. Knight's swords*.

Secrets of the spiral staircase.

The time of appearance, and then the heyday of the technique of constructing a spiral staircase is considered to be the Middle Ages. Trying in every possible way to complicate the life of their enemies, the knights adapted spiral staircases to all structures, and the screw always twisted clockwise.

The attackers, when advancing to the top of the tower along such a ladder, faced a large number of troubles: steps turning around their axis, a narrow passage, no place to swing a sword, open space for an attack from above, repeated at each bend. Under such conditions, even a very modest garrison is able to hold their positions without loss, which would be impossible on an ordinary staircase. You can’t shoot a bow from a crossbow, you can’t break through a ladder with a spear, a sword, and the holes in the steps made it possible to assess the situation, watch the besieging enemies making their way upstairs, and finally break their legs.

However, there is a castle in Europe in which the stairs are twisted counterclockwise. This is the ancestral home of Count Wallenstein in Bohemia. The fact is that this ancient and warlike family became famous not only for resounding victories and generals, but also for its left-handed warriors...

In the Middle Ages, only privileged guilds of craftsmen had the right to build a spiral staircase. Drawings, sketches of stairs and even indirect indications of who and where built the "cunning" structure were kept by artisans in the strictest confidence.

*Knight's swords (for the most inquisitive). From the 12th century girdling with a sword and blessing this weapon became an obligatory part of the knighting rite. Like a king, a knight was charged with protecting the world from foreign invaders, protecting the church from pagans and enemies of the Christian faith. It is no coincidence that sacred inscriptions and religious symbols appeared on the blades of medieval swords, reminiscent of the high service of a Christian warrior, his duty to God and civilians, and the sword hilt often became an ark for relics and relics. Throughout almost the entire Middle Ages, the general shape of the sword changed little: it invariably resembled one of the main symbols of Christianity - the cross. Very important in its essence was the question of the geometry, profile of the blade and its balancing: swords are adapted for stabbing or chopping combat techniques. The cross-sectional shape of the blade also depended on the use of this sword in battle.

Donjon. Secret passages and chambers in medieval castles

Donjon. Despite the external diversity, all the castles were built according to the same plan. Most often they are encircled by a strong wall with massive square towers at each corner. Well, inside there is a tower - donjon. Initially, these towers had a quadrangular shape, but over time, polygonal or round structures began to appear in order to increase their stability. After all, one of the few ways to take impregnable fortress there was a digging followed by undermining the foundation at the corner of the building. Some towers had a dividing wall in the middle.

An additional level of protection was bars, powerful doors and strong locks. The donjons were very carefully thought out.

These towers were built of stone. Wooden fortresses could no longer provide adequate protection from fire, throwing and siege weapons. In addition, the stone structure suited the nobility much better: it became possible to make large and safe rooms that were well protected from the weather and the enemy.

Architects have always taken into account the terrain during construction and chose the most advantageous places for defense for future castles. The donjons, in turn, rose high even above the level of the fortress, which not only improved visibility and gave archers an advantage, but made them practically inaccessible to siege ladders.

There was only one entrance to the tower. It was raised above ground level and arranged with a ladder or even a ditch with a drawbridge so that attackers could not use a ram. The room immediately after entering was sometimes used to disarm visitors. This is where the guards were stationed. Food was stored in the basement of the tower, and it was also one of the safest places to store the treasures of the nobility.

On the second floor there was a room for meetings and feasts.

There could have been more floors, but this always depended on the wealth of the owner of the castle and on the possibility of separating one floor from another in such a way as to make it long and by no means safe for unwanted guests to move up. In addition, some owners of the citadel ordered the construction of entire underground passages leading far beyond the castle ... And then the formidable and impregnable structures were overgrown with new creepy stories that chilled the blood ...

Secret passages in medieval castles. medieval castles ingeniously designed fortifications, which used many ingenious and creative ways to protect the inhabitants of the castle from attack by enemies. Literally everything - from the outer walls to the shape and location of the stairs - was very carefully planned to provide maximum protection to the inhabitants of the castle.

Almost every castle had secret passages that only the owners knew about. Some of them were made so that the inhabitants of the castle could flee in case of defeat, and some so that during the siege the defenders would not be cut off from food supplies. Secret passages also led to secret chambers where people could hide or food was stored, and an additional well was dug for water.

One of clear examples castle with many secret rooms and passages is Benrath Castle in Germany. As many as seven invisible passages are hidden in the walls of the building!

Yes, a medieval castle was much more than just a large, glamorous palace with massive stone walls around it. It was a structure designed down to the smallest detail to protect the inhabitants. And each castle was full of its own little secrets.

Ditch and zwinger

Ditch. The first barrier guarding the castle is a deep moat. It was often connected to a river to be filled with water. The moat made it difficult to access the fortress walls and siege weapons. It could be transverse (separate the castle wall from the plateau) or sickle-shaped (curved forward). Could encircle the entire castle in a circle. Very rarely, ditches were dug inside the castle to make it difficult for the enemy to move through its territory. If the soil under the castle was rocky, then the ditch was not made at all. The only way to cross the moat was to use a drawbridge that hung on iron chains.

Zwinger. Often the castle was surrounded by double walls - a high outer and a small inner one. Between them there was an empty space, which received German title zwinger. The attackers, overcoming the outer wall, could not take additional assault devices with them. And, once in the zwinger, they became an easy target for shooters (there were small loopholes for archers in the walls of the zwinger). In the walls of the zwinger, which was also the inner wall of the moat, semicircular towers or bastions were often built to facilitate the observation of the moat.

The main defensive wall of the castle

... In the previous blessed times, when neighbors at the same table peacefully drank wine, hunted and competed in strength and dexterity, everything was simpler: a small house surrounded by a palisade. Then a bigger house and a wall of clay and lime blocks. And then, when the war of everyone against everyone knocked on our door, the houses turned into fortresses, and the fences into stone walls!

Both the castle and the wall were now built in such a way as to withstand a long siege, save them from captivity and shame, and stop the enemy! And each element played its important role. This also applied to the main wall of the fortress.

It should be of such height that the attackers could not climb it by ladders or with the help of siege towers, and, of course, very wide, thick. Then you can stop trying to quickly make a hole in it - the time will not be spent in vain, but a lot without an obvious result. Powerful trebuchet can, of course, bring down the roof of the towers or break the battlements. Most likely, the enemy uses soldiers with pickaxes, but then the castle defenders will be helped by loopholes, in which the arrows hid, and machicols, from which boiling water and red-hot resin will pour on the enemy ...

On top of the wall laid combat move. All possible weapons will be used here by the defenders of the fortress, hiding behind the battlements of the wall, in order to prevent the enemy from setting up assault ladders, making a dig, and breaking through a niche for an explosion.

The builders strongly recommended that protruding forwards be inserted into the wall towers with loopholes and walkways. The towers also served to strengthen the corners - the weakest point of the wall, since it is in the corners of the fortress that the most enemy forces and the least defense forces can be concentrated.

Barbican and wolf pits

Barbican. No matter how strong the castle gates were, they still remained a weak link. Therefore, the builders of the glorious Middle Ages figured out how to protect the entrance to the citadel. And this building, guarding the gate, was the barbican - the outer fortification of the city or fortress.

What is the secret of the barbican? The fact that it cannot be bypassed, if you are going to break open the gates of the citadel, you must go through it!

And here was the trick of the barbican - the gate tower: this most powerful stone structure had a platform at the top, on which throwing guns were placed. Moreover, the barbican had two floors. On the first - a through passage with a width slightly larger than the dimensions of the wagon. A small detachment, having got here, turned out to be cut off from the main one by an iron grate falling from above, from the outside, and by strong gates, locked with a powerful bolt, from the inside!

The guards serving on the second floor, having opened the hatches in the floor, could pour (and poured!) Hot tar or boiling water on the enemies rushing to the main gate.

In fact, the barbican was the only way to the castle and, of course, perfectly guarded.

Wolf holes. Another terrible obstacle on the way to the castle was the wolf pits - cunning and cruel structures that were invented by the ancient Romans. The pit was arranged in such a way that, firstly, it had inclined (inwards) walls. Therefore, getting out of it was not so easy. Secondly, short pointed stakes were driven into its bottom in several rows. Having fallen into this disguised trap, a person almost always lost the opportunity to stay alive, and his soul flew off to God after severe torment of the body.

Enemy infantry was doomed if they fell into the locations of the wolf pits. And they were waiting for the victim on the approaches to the castle, and at its walls, and at the gates of the barbican and the fortress itself, and even on the approaches to the donjon.

Medieval castle - main gate

Gates - the most vulnerable part of the castle, were installed in the gate towers. Most often, the gates were double-leaf, and the wings were knocked together from two layers of boards. In order to prevent them from being set on fire from the outside, they were upholstered with iron. In one of the doors of the gate there was a small narrow door, which could only be entered by bending over. An additional reinforcement of the gate was a transverse beam, which wound into hook-shaped slots on the walls.

Behind the gate was a drop-down portcullis. Most often it was wooden, with iron-bound lower ends. But there were also iron gratings made of steel tetrahedral rods.

The grate hung on ropes or chains, which, in case of danger, could be cut off so that it quickly fell down, blocking the way for the invaders. From the point of view of defense and protection of the castle, the gate was of great importance. Therefore, the medieval castle was built for a long time, painstakingly, taking into account all the features of the hostilities of the enemy.

Drawbridge

The drawbridge, thrown over the moat, rose in case of danger and, like a door, closed the entrance, disconnecting the castle from the outside world. The bridge was driven by mechanisms hidden in the building. From the bridge to the lifting machines, ropes or chains wound around the gate went into the wall openings. The ropes were sometimes supplied with heavy counterweights, which took part of the weight of this structure. Another way to raise the bridge is with a lever. Both designs facilitated the rapid lifting of the bridge.

Especially skillful were the craftsmen who built the bridge, which worked on the principle of a swing. One lay on the ground under the gate, and the other stretched across the moat. When the inner part rose, closing the entrance to the castle, the outer part (to which the attackers sometimes managed to run) fell down into the moat, into the “wolf pit”, invisible from the side while the bridge was lowered.

In the middle of the century, the defensive value of drawbridges was very high, but later lost its importance due to the advent of new siege weapons.

In order to understand the role played by the material collected, processed and prepared by us in the form of an illustrated manual book on the topic of the study, we invited all those who participated in our survey at the end of 2017 to get acquainted with it and solve the “Medieval Castle” crossword puzzle , compiled taking into account the need for knowledge of terms and concepts on the topic. The obtained positive results are presented in diagrams (indicators are indicated as a percentage) in the Appendix and give a clear idea of ​​the role and significance of our research in the learning process.

2.2. conclusions

As a result of the processing and analysis of the results obtained, we obtained evidence of the effectiveness of using the materials of our study in the educational process.

The level of knowledge and understanding of the educational material by the students of grade 6B "ANO" SCHOOL "PRESIDENT" who participated in the testing of the research materials has increased significantly, as can be seen from the comparison of the diagrams. (See also Appendix).

CONCLUSION

The work we did was very interesting. We were able to answer all the questions that interested us and tried to consider in detail not so much the history of the emergence of knightly castles as the fortification secrets laid down by the architects during their construction.

To touch the Middle Ages, a model of the castle was made. It can be used in the lessons of the world around, history. But the most important result of our work was, of course, the illustrated book "Medieval Castle: Secrets of Fortification", for which we collected and systematized material for six months using available literature and the possibilities of the Internet.

Unraveling the mystery of the fortification of Medieval castles, we reasonably assumed that the research product can be used in the lessons of the history of the Middle Ages, the Moscow Art Theater and in extracurricular activities. Consequently, the book written by us will contribute to the development of students' cognitive activity, the formation of their life position, and the development of interest in History.

Thus, we believe that the goals and objectives set before us in the study have been realized, the hypothesis has been confirmed, and the answer to the educational (problem) question has been received.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ionina N.I. "100 Great Castles", Veche, Moscow, 2004.

Lavisse E. and Rambo A. "The Age of the Crusades", Polygon, St. Petersburg 2003.

Razin E.A. "History of military art", Polygon, St. Petersburg 1999.

Taylor Barbara "Knights", Series "Learn and Make!", Publisher: Moscow OLMA Media Group 2014, 64 p.

Philip Simon, Marie Laure Bue, "Knights and Castles" Series "Your First Encyclopedia", Publisher: Moscow "Makhaon" 2013, 128 p.

Funken L. and Funken F. "Encyclopedia of weapons and military costume MIDDLE AGES", Astrel, Moscow 2002.

Shpakovsky Vyacheslav Olegovich, "Knights" Series "Know the World", Publisher: LLC "Baltic Book" 2014, 96 p.

Internet materials

Castle architecture. goo.gl/RQiawf

How castles were built in the Middle Ages. goo.gl/Auno84

Basic elements of a medieval castle. goo.gl/cMLuwn

Knightly traditions. Who are the knights. goo.gl/FXvDFn

Medieval castle: device and siege. goo.gl/5F57rS

Medieval castle. goo.gl/LSPsrU