How were castles attacked in medieval times?

How were castles attacked in medieval times? Direct Assault There are a number of ways of assaulting a castle: over the top of the walls using towers or ladders, under the walls using a mine, or through the walls using a battering ram, pickaxes or other tools.

What are 2 ways to attack a castle?

How rough was life in medieval castles?

Don't be tempted to over-romanticise the unpleasant realities of life in a Medieval castle. To our modern standards of living, most Medieval castles would have been incredibly cold, cramped, totally lacking privacy, and would have been disgustingly smelly (and likely home to more than a fair share of rats!).

What was the main defense of a castle against attacks?

Outer curtain walls Those valiant enough to make it across the moat were faced with the highly forbidding outer curtain wall. Surrounding the courtyards of castles, outer curtain walls were often built to imposing heights of over 30 feet and were thick enough to withstand attacks from battering rams.

How safe were medieval castles?

Although they were frequently attacked, castles were the safest dwellings of the time. A castle was typically built on the top of a hill to protect the community from invasions.

Where did servants sleep in castles?

Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

What is the most attacked castle?

Over the centuries around 23 different siege attempts were made on Edinburgh Castle – making it the most besieged place in Europe.

Why were castles so uncomfortable?

Living in a medieval castle was often uncomfortable and even hazardous, particularly for those who were not part of the nobility or royalty. For example, despite their grandeur and imposing appearance, many castles lacked basic amenities like running water, central heating, and proper ventilation.

What is the most vulnerable part of a castle?

As the gate is always a vulnerable point of a castle, towers may be built near it to strengthen the defences at this point. In crusader castles, there is often a gate tower, with the gate passage leading through the base of the tower itself.

Why were castles so difficult to capture?

Tall thick curtain walls surrounded the castle buildings like a strong shield. There were few doors in the wall thus limiting access to the castle. Towers built as part of the curtain wall. Castles with curtain walls with flanking towers were more difficult to capture.

What was the worst job in a castle?

When it comes to horrible jobs in a castle, gong farmer has to win the prize. Gong farmers, also known as nightmen, were responsible for cleaning out human excrement from the cesspits within the castle walls.

How were prisoners treated in a castle?

Not all prisoners were treated well. They might be chained up and forced to wear a heavy iron collar and cuffs around the hands and ankles. This iron collar, from Loches, France, weighs about 35lb (16kg)! Some prisoners were tortured as well.

What was the weakest part of a castle and how did they protect it?

The weakest part of the castle's defenses was the entrance. To secure access to the castle, drawbridges, ditches and moats provided physical barriers to entry.

Where did soldiers sleep in a castle?

THE SOLDIERS They'd be commanded by the constable or castellan, who stood in for the owner and lived in his own rooms (there's a Constable's Gate at Dover Castle). The soldiers slept in a dormitory.

How were castles usually attacked?

Soldiers either scaled walls with ladders or overran castle walls breached by tunnels, battering rams, or artillery. Sometimes they attacked two or three spots around the castle at once to surprise their foe or divide castle defenses, and sometimes they approached the wall hidden within a trench or tunnel.

What is the safest room in a castle?

At the time of Chr tien de Troyes, the rooms where the lord of a castle, his family and his knights lived and ate and slept were in the Keep (called the Donjon), the rectangular tower inside the walls of a castle. This was meant to be the strongest and safest place.