Why did castles have high openings?

Why did castles have high openings? The elevated entrance in medieval castles. The majority of elevated entrances were between five and ten metres above the ground level and facing the courtyard side in order to protect them from shell fire. Several examples were located in rather unsuitable places, however, for example above the outside of a castle.

Why were castle walls sloped?

Often, these walls sloped away at the base to redirect objects dropped from the top of the castle wall, ricocheting them out at soldiers on the ground. Because they had walls to protect them, castle defenders would sometimes hunker down and try to wait out their attackers.

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.

Were medieval castles smelly damp and dark?

The first stone castles built were cold, dark, smelly and damp. Inside the castle walls, floor coverings consisted of straw rushes and, later, sweet smelling herbs to mask the smell of animal excrement, grease, rotting food and beer.

What did medieval castles smell like?

Castles and manor houses often smelled damp and musty. To counteract this, herbs and rushes were strewn across the floors.

Were castles cold in winter?

Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live. But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

Why were castles built on high places surrounded by water?

The castle served as a way to defend their land and fight off attackers. Castles were usually built where there was a natural feature of the land that would help in the defense of the castle such as building on top of a hill or where they were surrounded by water.

What is the oldest castle in Europe?

Converted into a donjon around 950, Château de Doué-la-Fontaine in France is the oldest standing castle in Europe.

Why did Europe have so many castles?

A lot of castles were built for defensive purpose All of them had the responsibility to protect their subjects so they started to built castles, from small ones to big ones, depending on their means and natural resources available. Such subjects had to be able to take refuge inside the castle walls in case of attacks.

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.

Why did castles eventually have high towers and wide moats?

The most common use for a moat was defense. What was the use of building a castle with high walls and all manner of defences when an enemy could just roll up war weapons and knock holes in your walls? If war weapons were not feasible, sappers or miners could be deployed to dig beneath the walls and collapse them.

Why did a castle have strong high walls?

Attackers had to climb over them to get closer to the castle. The walls of the castles were very high making it hard for attackers to climb over.

How were castles lit at night?

Candles were too expensive (especially beeswax ones) even for the lords of many castles. They used tallow candles (made from the fat of sheep or goats), flaming torches or lamps which burnt fish-oil to light their Great Halls. For decoration, the beams of the Hall were often painted with patterns.

What country has the most castles still standing?

Germany. The country with the most castles is Germany! It's thought that Germany has around 25,000 castles within its borders. Why does Germany have so many castles?