Castles Essay, Research Paper

Castles were very important during the Middle Ages. From castles, one can learn much about the daily life of those that worked and lived in one and the advantages of having a castle during a time of war.

A castle was built nearby the best natural defense, usually next to a river or any water formation, for an easy escape route in case the castle was destroyed and the people had nowhere else to go. In order to build a castle back in the Middle Ages, many workers were needed for the job. It was hard to find workers for this job but in the end, many agreed to work. This job consisted of hard labor, long hours, and harsh weather. The workers were to build an outer curtain wall, an inner curtain wall, and living quarters.

The outer curtain wall was built of stone and was very thick in diameter. It was followed by the inner curtain wall, which was also made of stone. In order for enemies to get into the castle, they had to make it through the outer and inner curtain walls. Once the enemy passed the outer curtain wall into the inner wall, gatehouses were used to trap them from getting into the inner wall. Once trapped, castle soldiers attacked the enemies through “murder holes” located on top of the walls.

Once you have passed the inner wall of the castle, you reach the inside of the castle, or the inner ward. Here you can find many different sections. There are apartments, barracks for the soldiers, stables for the animals, a chapel for the worship of God, and the most important, the Great Hall. The Great Hall is where the king and his people congregated, ate, and socialized.

The living quarters of the castle were for the king, queen, their children, if any, and for other important people of the castle. There were three rooms; one for storage, and two for working and living. The king and queen got the best rooms, of course. They were spacious, comfortable, and high up in the castle, which made it least prone to attack. The soldiers lived on the second floor. Their rooms were less spacious and comfortable. The windows in the rooms were bigger and wider than those at the bottom of the castle, which were small and very thin in diameter. This was so because the windows at the bottom of the castle were more easily prone to attack from enemies. Those at the top were too far up and so the enemies would not be able to reach them.

All these rooms, dimensions, walls, etc. were the works of a very skilled and professional architect. It was his job to make sure the castle was the strongest and safest castle around, to ensure the safety of the people in it. If something went wrong and the enemy was able to destroy the castle, the architect, along with the soldiers, were to blame for the fall of the castle.

In conclusion, castles were very important during the Middle Ages. They made it difficult for enemies to attack and take over. One might think of a castle as a beautiful piece of art in which a king and queen lived peacefully with its townspeople. However, that was not the reason for having a castle. Many people don’t know that a castle was used for protection against foreign attack. Yes, a castle may be beautiful and outstanding in sight, but in reality, that is not its purpose. They were “military machines.”