What is a place where prisoners are kept in a castle?
What is a place where prisoners are kept in a castle? In medieval castles, much of life for the lord and his followers went on in the Donjon. Our word 'dungeon' comes from donjon, because the place for keeping prisoners was also here - though down in the darkest, dampest parts underneath.
What is a bailey on a castle?
A bailey is the sturdy wall around a castle that keeps invaders out. The bailey of a medieval castle was usually built of stone. You might see a bailey — or the remains of one — if you tour a castle in England or France.
Why do castles have teeth?
These upright projections resemble teeth, bared at invaders to prevent their attempted entries and at allies to show the owner's strength.
Why do castles have secret rooms?
These were often used as a means of escape or as a way to move around the castle undetected. The secret passages could be used as an escape route in case of a siege or an invasion, or as a way to move around the castle without being seen by enemies.
What were the 4 types of castles?
Castle Types Four primary castle designs mark the period; Motte and Bailey, Shell keep, Stone keep, and Concentric; however, sub-types, such as Square Stone keep and Round Stone keep emerged over the years.
Do castles have prisons?
Purpose-built prison chambers in castles became more common after the twelfth century, when they were built into gatehouses or mural towers.
What is the most important room in a castle?
The most important room in a castle was the Great Hall. This is where all the members of the household sat down to eat at tables set up for every meal. It was where feasts were held for special days, or when there were guests. King Arthur's Pentecost Feast takes place in such a Hall.
Do castles have toilets?
In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below.
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.
Do castles have secret rooms?
Some buildings have secret areas built into their original plans, such as secret passages in medieval castles, designed to allow inhabitants to escape from enemy sieges. Other castles' secret passages led to an underground water source, providing water during prolonged sieges.
What is the safest part of a castle?
What other rooms were there in a Medieval 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.
What is the basement of a castle called?
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground (street-level) area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.
What is a great hall in a castle?
great hall, main apartment in a medieval manor house, monastery, or college, in which meals were taken. In large manor houses it also served other purposes: justice was administered there, entertainments given, and often at night the floor was strewn with rushes so that many of the servants could sleep there.