How to Build the Perfect Medieval Castle

Summary

This video script delves into the history and significance of medieval castles in Europe, highlighting their multifaceted roles as military strongholds, symbols of power, and centers of justice and governance. The script explores the evolution of castle design over four centuries, emphasizing the importance of location, construction materials, and defensive strategies. It introduces the motte-and-bailey as a foundational castle design, and discusses the progression to stone keeps and the incorporation of advanced defensive features like curtain walls, towers, and gatehouses. The narrative also touches on the socio-political context of feudalism and the rise of powerful lords, leading to the construction of these imposing structures. Finally, the script reflects on the decline of castles with the advent of gunpowder and the shift towards centralized power, marking the end of the feudal age and the transition to the era of artillery forts and stately homes.

Takeaways

• 🏰 **Uniqueness of Castles**: Every medieval castle was unique, with no single blueprint, reflecting regional styles and personal taste.
• 🏯 **Feudal Origins**: Castles emerged from the feudal system where kings granted land (fiefs) to lords who became vassals, providing military service.
• 🗺️ **Strategic Location**: Castles were built on hills with commanding views, using natural features like steep slopes and river bends for defense.
• 🛠️ **Building Materials**: Local sources of stone, wood, and soil were crucial, as transportation was costly, and a secure source of fresh water and food was necessary.
• 🏰 **Motte-and-Bailey**: A common early castle design featuring a raised mound (motte) with a wooden tower and an enclosed courtyard (bailey).
• 🧱 **Stone Keeps**: As castles evolved, wooden towers were replaced by stone keeps for better security and accommodation.
• 💲 **Costly Ventures**: Building a castle was a significant investment, taking up to a decade and requiring substantial resources.
• 🚨 **Defense Mechanisms**: Castles incorporated various defensive elements like crenellations, postern gates, and drawbridges to deter and respond to attacks.
• 🌊 **Moats and Ditches**: Water-filled moats provided an additional defensive layer, also serving an aesthetic and functional purpose.
• 🏰 **Concentric Design**: Some castles featured a second curtain wall with an outer bailey, creating a concentric design that forced attackers through multiple defense layers.
• 📉 **Decline of Castles**: The age of castles ended with the rise of gunpowder weapons and the shift from feudalism to centralized royal authority and professional armies.

Q & A

What was the primary role of castles in Europe's Middle Ages?

Castles in Europe's Middle Ages were not only central to warfare but also dominated society. They served as a refuge and a projection of military force, a lordly residence and symbol of power, and a center of justice and government.

How did the feudal system influence the construction of medieval castles?

The feudal system, which was prevalent during the Middle Ages, influenced castle construction by granting land (fiefs) and protection to lords who became vassals to the king. These lords, in turn, built fortified bases, which were the first medieval castles, to live in and impose their authority on their domains.

What is the significance of the location when building a castle?

The location of a castle is crucial as it should dominate the landscape with good views in all directions. Hills are ideal, and features like steep slopes and river bends can limit approach routes, making the site easier to defend. Additionally, a local source of stone, wood, soil, fresh water, and food is essential.

What is a motte-and-bailey castle?

A motte-and-bailey castle is a type of castle that was popular with the Normans. It consists of a large mound (motte), which could be either natural or man-made, topped with a wooden palisade and tower. The tower served as living quarters for the lord and his entourage. An enclosed area (bailey) with important buildings like a hall, stables, and kitchen was protected by an earth ditch and palisade.

What is a keep in a castle?

A keep, also known as a donjon in French, is a strong stone tower that offers better security and accommodation than a wooden tower. It is a central feature of a castle, often the most imposing and well-guarded, serving as a refuge in times of attack and containing living quarters, a chapel, and storerooms.

Why did the design of castles evolve over time?

The design of castles evolved to take advantage of the landscape, incorporate the latest military thinking, and reflect regional styles and personal taste. As warfare technology advanced, such as with the introduction of gunpowder weapons, castle designs had to adapt to remain effective in defense.

How did the advent of gunpowder weapons impact castles?

The introduction of gunpowder weapons, like cannons, significantly impacted castles by rendering their traditional designs less effective. This technological advancement contributed to the decline in the castle's military role and the eventual shift towards artillery forts.

What is the significance of the curtain wall in a castle?

The curtain wall is an enclosing stone wall that replaces timber palisades for added security. It creates the main defensive enclosure (enceinte) of the castle and should have crenellations to protect soldiers during an attack, allowing them to shoot at the enemy without full exposure.

What is the purpose of a postern gate in a castle?

A postern gate, also known as a sally port, is a concealed gate in a castle's curtain wall. It can be used during a siege to smuggle messages in and out of the castle or to launch surprise attacks on the enemy.

How did the role of castles change by the 15th century?

By the 15th century, the role of castles was in decline due to the rise of gunpowder weapons and the shift from feudalism to professionalized armies and centralized royal authority. The age of powerful feudal lords ended, and with it, the age of the castle, leading to many castles falling into ruin.

What is Crusader Kings 3 and how does it relate to the topic of medieval castles?

Crusader Kings 3 is a medieval strategy game developed by Paradox Interactive. It allows players to experience the challenges of feudal lordship in a detailed medieval world. The game is related to the topic of medieval castles as it provides an immersive experience where players can guide their chosen dynasty to power, wealth, and glory, which includes building and managing castles.

What is the term for a castle with two curtain walls, one enclosing an outer bailey?

A castle with two curtain walls, one enclosing an outer bailey, is known as a 'concentric castle'. This design adds an extra layer of defense, forcing any attacker to overcome successive layers of strong defense to reach the final refuge, typically the keep.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 The Medieval Castle: Symbol of Power and Refuge

The first paragraph introduces the medieval castle as a central element in European warfare and society during the Middle Ages. It emphasizes the castle's multifaceted role as a refuge, symbol of military force, residence for lords, and center for justice and governance. The text also notes the variety in castle design, with each one being unique, and mentions the feudal system that led to their construction. The paragraph concludes with a plug for the video's sponsor, Crusader Kings 3, a game that allows players to experience the challenges of medieval lordship and dynastic rule.

05:06

🏯 Building the Perfect Castle: Location and Structure

This paragraph delves into the considerations for building a castle, starting with the importance of location. Castles were built on hills with commanding views and natural defenses like steep slopes and river bends. It discusses the necessity of local resources for construction and the need for a secure water and food supply. The motte-and-bailey design is introduced as a typical early castle, with the motte being a raised mound for a wooden tower and palisade, and the bailey serving as a protected enclosure for essential buildings. The paragraph also touches on the transition from timber to stone structures, the use of curtain walls and crenellations, and the strategic advantages of different castle components like postern gates and keeps.

10:11

🛡️ Advanced Castle Defenses: Walls, Towers, and Gatehouses

The third paragraph focuses on advanced defensive features of castles. It describes the evolution of arrow slits, the construction of gatehouses with multiple layers of defense, and the use of drawbridges and moats. The text also explores the design of keeps, the choice between square and round towers, and the incorporation of old Roman fortifications to save resources. The paragraph highlights the development of concentric castles with multiple curtain walls and baileys, and the eventual decline of the castle's military relevance due to the rise of gunpowder and centralized power.

15:15

🏛️ The Castle's Decline and the Rise of Centralized Power

The final paragraph discusses the decline of the castle's importance by the 15th century. It attributes this decline to the advent of gunpowder weapons and the shift from feudalism to professional armies and centralized governance. The paragraph reflects on the transformation of castles into ruins and their replacement by artillery forts and stately homes. It concludes by thanking the video sponsor, Crusader Kings 3, and Patreon supporters, and invites viewers to engage with Epic History TV on social media platforms.

Keywords

💡Castle

A castle is a large fortified building or group of buildings intended as a private stronghold. In the video, castles are portrayed as central to medieval warfare and society, serving as refuges, symbols of power, and centers of justice and government. They were unique structures without a single blueprint, each built to take advantage of the landscape and reflect regional styles and personal taste.

💡Feudalism

Feudalism was a social and political system prevalent in medieval Europe, in which a monarch or lord granted land (a fief) to vassals in exchange for loyalty and military service. The video explains that the feudal world was the birthplace of medieval castles, where lords built fortified bases to live in and impose their authority.

💡Motte-and-Bailey

The motte-and-bailey is a type of medieval castle design that was popular with the Normans. The motte is a raised mound, either natural or man-made, topped with a wooden palisade and tower, serving as the lord's living quarters and last refuge. The bailey is an enclosed area containing important buildings like a hall, stables, and kitchen. This design is highlighted in the video as a reliable starter castle.

💡Curtain Wall

A curtain wall is a continuous wall that forms an important part of a castle's defensive perimeter. It is typically made of stone and features crenellations, which are notched battlements that allow soldiers to shoot at enemies while being protected. The video describes the curtain wall as a replacement for timber palisades to create the 'enceinte' or main defensive enclosure.

💡Keep

A keep, also known as a donjon, is a fortified tower or building within a castle, offering better security and accommodation than a wooden tower. The video discusses how a keep is a central feature of a castle, often rectangular and multi-storied, with thick walls to provide protection and stability. It is a place for meals, entertainment, and sleeping quarters for the lord and his family.

💡Gatehouse

A gatehouse is a fortified entryway to a castle, designed to be a strong defensive point. It typically includes towers on each side of the gateway, multiple gates, and portcullises. The video emphasizes the importance of the gatehouse in a castle's defense, noting that it must be especially strong to protect against attacks.

💡Moat

A moat is a deep, wide ditch, usually filled with water, that surrounds a castle and serves as a protective barrier. In the video, it is mentioned that the outer ditch or moat can be flooded to create an extra layer of defense, adding to the castle's security and providing a decorative element as well.

💡Crenellations

Crenellations are the battlements or notched, alternating high and low sections on the top of a castle wall or tower. They provide a defensive advantage by allowing soldiers to shoot arrows or other projectiles at attackers while being protected. The video describes how curtain walls should have crenellations to protect the garrison during an attack.

💡Portcullis

A portcullis is a strong, latticed metal gate that can be lowered vertically to block a gateway. It is used as a security measure within a castle's gatehouse to trap attackers in a kill zone. The video explains that portcullises are an important part of a castle's defenses, allowing the garrison to control access and protect the castle from intruders.

💡Concentric Castle

A concentric castle is a type of fortification with two or more lines of defensive walls, creating multiple layers of protection. The video describes how a second curtain wall enclosing an outer bailey with its own towers and gatehouse makes a castle truly epic, forcing attackers to overcome successive layers of defense to reach the final refuge, the keep.

💡Crusader Kings 3

Crusader Kings 3 is a grand strategy game that allows players to experience the challenges of feudal lordship in a detailed medieval world. The video mentions this game as a way for viewers to engage with the historical context of the video, guiding their chosen dynasty to power and glory through various means such as forming alliances or ruling with an iron fist.

Highlights

In medieval Europe, castles were not only military strongholds but also centers of society, justice, and government.

Castles were unique in their dual role as both a refuge and a symbol of power for feudal lords.

Castle ruins can be found from the Atlantic coast to Syria, serving as reminders of the feudal era.

There was no single blueprint for medieval castles - each one was unique.

Feudalism originated in 9th century France during a time of royal crisis.

Kings granted land (fiefs) and protection to lords in exchange for loyalty and military service.

Feudal lords built the first castles as fortified bases to live in and assert control over their domains.

Crusader Kings 3 is a strategy game that allows players to experience the challenges of feudal lordship.

The game features unique characters with personalities shaped by nature and history.

Location is the most important factor in building a castle, with hills being ideal.

A castle needs a local source of stone, wood, soil, fresh water, and food.

The motte-and-bailey was a popular early castle design, with a wooden tower on an earth mound.

A stone curtain wall provided better protection than a wooden palisade.

A keep offers better security and living quarters than a wooden tower, but is too heavy for a motte.

The largest keeps had corner towers and could take a decade to build.

Gatehouses must be strong, with towers, multiple gates, and portcullises to trap attackers.

A second curtain wall enclosing an outer bailey adds another layer of defense.

Concentric castles forced attackers to pass through multiple defensive layers to reach the keep.

Castles declined in the 15th century due to the rise of gunpowder weapons and the end of feudalism.

Crusader Kings 3 allows players to rewrite history in a deep, sophisticated medieval strategy game.

Transcripts

In Europe’s Middle Ages, castles dominated not just warfare, but society itself.

Strongholds are as old as war, but the medieval castle was unique – a refuge and a projection

of military force… a lordly residence and symbol of power… a centre of justice and

government.

Today, castle ruins are found from the Atlantic coast to the hills of Syria: dramatic and

poignant reminders of a lost feudal world.

There was no single blueprint for the castle: every one was unique.

But by analysing key trends over four centuries, Epic History TV is proud to present its guide

to building ‘the perfect castle’.

The medieval castle was the product of a feudal world…

A world we’ll explore with help from our video sponsor, Crusader Kings 3.

Using the in-game map, we can zoom in on 9th century France, the birthplace of feudalism.

This was a time when royal authority was in crisis, as Frankish kings – the heirs of

Charlemagne - struggled to control unruly nobles, and fight off Viking armies.

Increasingly, the king would grant a piece of land, known as a fief, and the promise

of protection, to a lord.

The lord became the king’s vassal, swearing an oath of loyalty, or fealty, and providing

military service when required.

These feudal lords began to build fortified bases across the land: in which to live, and

from which to impose their authority on their new domains.

These were the first medieval castles.

If you’d like to experience the challenge of feudal lordship for yourself, we can recommend

Crusader Kings 3, a new game from Paradox, and our video sponsor.

It’s set in a richly-detailed medieval world, in which your task is to guide your chosen

dynasty to power, wealth and glory.

How you do this is entirely up to you: rule with an iron fist and terrorise your vassals

into obedience; build alliances by marrying off relatives; or rid yourself of a troublesome

priest by having him murdered, ideally without getting caught.

Every character in Crusader Kings 3 has a unique personality, moulded by nature and

their own history: all have strengths and weaknesses that a wise ruler can exploit.

Each game spans centuries, allowing you to forge your own epic tale of dynastic triumph,

or disaster.

Crusader Kings 3 is out now – click the link in our video description to find out

more.

When building a new castle, the first and most important consideration is location.

A castle should dominate the landscape, with good views in all directions, so hills are

ideal.

Steep slopes and river bends can be used to limit approach routes, making the site easier

to defend.

And for building work, a local source of stone, wood and soil is essential, as transporting

these materials over medieval roads is more expensive than the materials themselves.

There must also be a secure, local source of fresh water and food to sustain the castle’s

occupants.

A reliable starter castle is the motte-and-bailey, popular with the Normans, who built hundreds

across England and Wales during the Norman Conquest.

The motte is a mound, either natural or built by hand, as seen here in the Bayeaux Tapestry.

It’s not just a pile of mud though: these coloured bands are thought to represent alternating

layers of stone and clay, which will increase stability.

Sometimes they even used stone or timber foundations.

A typical motte is 8 metres high, and up to 50 metres across.

Its top can be defended by a simple wooden palisade, and a tower: living quarters for

the lord and his entourage, and last refuge in case of attack.

An earth ditch and palisade should enclose the bailey, to protect important buildings,

such as a hall, stables, kitchen, stores and a forge.

Timber palisades are vulnerable to fire and rot, so will ideally be replaced by an enclosing

stone wall, known as a curtain wall, as soon as possible.

This creates the ‘enceinte’, or main defensive enclosure.

A curtain wall should have crenellations, to protect soldiers of the garrison during

an attack, as they shoot their bows or crossbows at the enemy.

A concealed postern gate, or sally port, can be used during a siege to smuggle messages

in and out of the castle, or to launch surprise attacks on the enemy.

In parts of France, such as Anjou and Poitou, castle-builders ignored the motte-and-bailey

approach, and constructed strong stone towers …

In French it’s called a donjon - the origin of the word dungeon.

In England, it’s known as the keep.

A keep offers better security and accommodation than a wooden tower.

But if you try to build one on top of a motte, its weight will cause it to collapse.

Some opt for a compromise: a ‘shell-keep’, which keeps the motte, and replaces its wooden

palisade with a circular stone wall.

But a truly imposing keep will have to be built from scratch on carefully prepared foundations.

A typical early stone keep is rectangular, between two and four stories high, with walls

up to 6 metres thick.

Construction might take up to ten years, and cost a fortune, so large keeps are only built

by monarchs and powerful nobles.

The biggest keeps have towers at each corner.

Within, there might be a hall for meals and entertainment, private apartments, a chapel

and storerooms.

A forebuilding creates an impressive and well-guarded entrance, which should be at first-floor level,

accessed by a wooden staircase which can be removed in case of attack.

If the keep has a cellar, this is an ideal space to store extra provisions, not for chaining

up prisoners, in the dungeons of popular imagination.

Early keeps are square or rectangular, but later come in many shapes and sizes

King Philip Augustus of France was particularly fond of circular keeps.

Perhaps the most eye-catching of all is Castel del Monte in Southern Italy, built by Emperor

Frederick the Second.

Its elaborate polygonal structure reminds us that the perfect castle must be elegant

as well as formidable.

The curtain wall should be strengthened by flanking towers at regular intervals.

These project forward from the wall, so archers can shoot at attacking enemies with enfilade

fire – or put another way, attackers will come under fire from the wall ahead of them,

as well as from towers to the right and left.

Square towers offer large amounts of extra space for living quarters and storage.

But their corners are a weak point that can be targeted by enemy stone-throwing artillery,

such as a trebuchet.

So round towers may be a better option.

The choice is often one of taste, fashion and / or cost.

Square towers… round towers… and D-shaped towers… were all common across Europe, and

many castles feature a mix of types.

In some places, it was possible to cut costs by re-using old Roman fortifications, as at

Pevensey, and Portchester, on England’s south coast.

Here the Normans simply built a stone keep within the walls of an old Roman shore fort,

saving time, labour and money.

Loopholes, or arrow slits, are important additions for any tower or wall section.

The earliest versions are simple vertical slits, but from the 14th century, more decorative

cross-shapes are common.

In the event of a siege, wooden hoardings, sometimes called ‘brattice work’, can

be built out over the walls, to allow the garrison to rain boiling water and rocks onto

the attacking enemy.

The obvious focus for an attack is the castle’s main gate.

So its defences – known as the gatehouse - must be especially strong.

The ideal solution is to add towers on each side of the gateway… to add an outer and

inner gate… and at least one, if not several, portcullises.

These metal, lattice gates can be dropped vertically, to trap attackers in a kill zone.

The garrison can then use ‘murder-holes’ in the ceiling and walls to finish off the

intruders.

The main gate can be further protected by a drawbridge over the outer moat or ditch,

which can be raised by chains as an enemy approaches.

Through the middle ages, gatehouses became increasingly powerful, with multiple drawbridges,

gates, and portcullises… the approach covered by looming towers… and every wall and ceiling

studded with loopholes… and murder-holes.

Some of the most formidable gatehouses are found in the castles built by Edward the First

to subdue Wales in the late 13th century.

Such imposing wall-defences began to make a massive keep seem superfluous, so many of

these castles were built without a keep at all.

Our castle is now an imposing fortress, able to withstand a siege of several months, if

properly provisioned.

But to be considered truly epic, a castle should have a second curtain wall, enclosing

an outer bailey, with its own towers and gatehouse.

Gatehouses should be positioned at angles to the approach route, so any attacker has

to twist and turn, rather than make a direct rush at the gate.

Towers and walls should now feature stone machicolations, for dropping rocks on the

enemy – far more sophisticated than temporary wooden hoardings.

The new outer bailey, or ward, allows more buildings to be brought within the castle’s

defences – not forgetting that a medieval castle is as much a residence as fortification:

perhaps a new, grander hall for entertaining your household and important guests, kitchen

gardens, and extra living quarters.

The outer ditch, or moat, can be flooded with water to create an extra layer of defence.

A water moat also has decorative value, and can be a source of fresh fish.

A final flourish – a barbican, an outlying fortification that adds yet another layer

of defence to the main entrance.

This is now a fine and formidable example of a ‘concentric castle’.

Its design will force any attacker to overcome successive layers of strong defence to reach

the final refuge, the keep.

If properly garrisoned and supplied, a castle like this was virtually impregnable until

the age of gunpowder.

As we have seen, there was no single blueprint for the medieval castle.

Each was built to take advantage of the landscape, to incorporate the latest military thinking,

and reflect regional styles and personal taste.

The most awe-inspiring examples from the castle’s golden age include…

Krak des Chevaliers, the supposedly impregnable crusader fortress of the Knights Hospitaller…

Dover Castle, known as ‘the key to England’…

And Malbork Castle, the gigantic brick-built headquarters of the Teutonic Knights.

By the 15th century, the castle’s role was in steep decline – in part due to the rise

of gunpowder weapons, such as cannon…

but more fundamentally, because the feudal world that gave rise to the castle had fallen

away… to be replaced by professionalised armies, and centralised, royal authority.

As the age of powerful feudal lords ended, so too did the age of the castle.

Most would ultimately slide into ruin…

Their military role replaced by artillery forts.

Their residential role taken over by palaces and stately homes… as the age of the castle

gave way to the age of the château.

Thanks again to our video sponsor Crusader Kings 3.

Use the link in the video description to check out this new medieval strategy game of unrivalled

depth and sophistication.

What we love about this game is the chance to rewrite history:

Epic History TV is currently playing as William the Conqueror – we were hoping for a quick

win over Harold Godwinson at Hastings, but instead it took an alliance with the Viking

king Harald Hardrada, and a gruelling 5-year campaign, to subdue the English.

Now our vassals are restless and our grasping liege lord the King of France is after our

territories in Normandy…

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