Life in a Middle Ages Castle

Life in a Middle Ages Castle

  • Interesting Facts and information about Life in a Middle Ages Castle
  • People and events surrounding Life in a Middle Ages Castle
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Visitors
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Residence
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - Entertainment of the Medieval Nobles

Life in a Middle Ages Castle
The Middle Ages encompass one of the most violent periods in English History are are epitomised by the castles of the Middle Ages.

 The development, architecture and building of these great fortresses changed as time progressed, influenced by important historical events such as the crusades and the technology of siege warfare. This page provides interesting and important information about Life in a Middle Ages Castle.   

   
  

Life in a Middle Ages Castle

Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Visitors
A visitor to a medieval castle crossed the drawbridge over the moat and approached the narrow doorway, which was protected by a tower on each side. If he was admitted, the iron grating ("portcullis") rose slowly on its creaking pulleys, the heavy, wooden doors swung open, and he found himself in the courtyard commanded by the great central tower ("keep"), where the lord and his family lived, especially in time of war. At the summit of the keep rose a platform from where the sentinel surveyed the country far and wide; below, two stories underground, lay the dungeon, dark, damp, and dirty. As the visitor walked about the court-yard, he came upon the Great hall, used as the lord's residence in time of peace, the armory, the chapel, the kitchens, and the stables. A spacious castle might contain all the buildings necessary for the support of the lord's servants and soldiers.

Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Residence
The medieval castle of the Middle Ages formed a good fortress, but a poor home. Its small rooms, lighted only by narrow windows, heated only by fireplaces, badly ventilated, and provided with little furniture, must have been indeed cheerless. Toward the close of the feudal period, when life became more luxurious, the castle began to look less like a dungeon. Windows were widened and provided with panes of painted glass, walls were hung with costly tapestries, and floors were covered with thick Oriental rugs obtained from travels to the crusades. The nobles became attached to their castle homes and often took their names from those of their estates.

Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - Entertainment of the Nobles
Life within the castle was very dull. There were some games, especially chess, which the nobles learned from the Moslems. Banqueting, however, formed the chief indoor amusement. The lord and his retainers sat down to a gluttonous feast and, as they ate and drank, watched the pranks of a professional jester or listened to the songs and music of minstrels or, it may be, heard with wonder the tales of far-off countries brought by some returning traveller. Outside the castle walls a common sport was hunting in the forests and game preserves which were attached to every estate. Deer, bears, and wild boars were hunted with hounds; for smaller animals trained hawks, or falcons, were employed. But the chief outdoor occupation and pastime was weapons training and fighting. "To play a great game" was their description of a battle.

Life in a Middle Ages Castle
Each section of this Middle Ages website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about these great fortresses and castles of Medieval times including this section on Life in a Middle Ages Castle. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Middle Ages!

Life in a Middle Ages Castle

  • Middle Ages era, period, life, age and times
  • Middle Ages Castles, Knights & Nobles
  • Interesting Facts and information about Life in a Middle Ages Castle
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Visitors
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Residence
  • Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - Entertainment of the Nobles
  • Architecture and building
  • People and events surrounding Life in a Middle Ages Castle

Life in a Middle Ages Castle

Life in a Middle Ages Castle - Famous - History - Facts - Information - Info - Interesting Important Period Life Times Facts History of Castles in the Middle Ages - Medieval - Mediaeval - Middle Ages - Motte and Bailey - Medevil - Meadieval - Madieval - Meideval - Medievall - Midieval - Midevil - Mideval - Casttles - Carstles - Cassels - Life in a Middle Ages Castle - Cassells - Medieval Carsels - Carsells - Carsels - Carstles - Carsalls - Fortress - Mediaeval - Medevil - Meadieval - Life in a Middle Ages Castle - Madieval - Meideval - Medievall - Midieval - Life in a Middle Ages Castle - Midevil - Mideval - Casttles - Carstles - Cassels - Cassells - Carsels - Carsells - Medieval Carsels - Carstles - Medieval Carsalls - Keep - Tower - Build - Defend - Information about Middle Ages Castles - Interesting Important Period Life Times Facts History of Castles in the Middle Ages - Life in a Middle Ages Castle - Written By Linda Alchin