How Military Was the Medieval Castle - Essay Example

?Donna Purcell Order 539817 23 May How Military was the Medieval Castle? Castles were very unique in medieval times. Most buildings were createdto fulfill a specific purpose. Depending upon the status of the man who inhabited it, it had many purposes. It could be used as a military base, a governmental seat, a court, or a fortress for the surrounding region. Most buildings during medieval times were constructed for one purpose: a church, a house, a factory, a school, a bank or a hotel. A castle could be used to house any or all of the functions mentioned above. However, its main purpose was to house the private residence of its owner, family and dependents. The first castles were built around 1066 and were a product of medieval history during the Age of Feudalism. Feudalism refers to the military society that was created in Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries AD. The structure of feudalism resembled a pyramid. At the top was the king, who owned all the land in his kingdom. Immediately below the king was a group of major landholders that held their land directly from him, his tenants-in-chief.1 These were the lords and magnates of the kingdom. They swore to give the king military service in return for their land. They would fight for the king when and where he chose. The tenants-in-chief rented the land to their tenants, the barons and lords. This process repeated itself all the way down the pyramid to the knights, who were the local lords of the manor. The amount of land held was directly related to the amount of military service he could give the king. The first castles, called motte and bailey castles, were built of wood in the 10th and 11th centuries. They consisted of an enclosed yard called a “bailey.” Right next to that was a man made mound of dirt called a “motte.” A ditch protected the bailey and a wooden fence called a palisade.2 The palisade contained stables, workshops, and sometimes even a chapel. This was connected to the motte by a bridge. The motte was a 15 to 30 foot high structure and the main tower was built on top of it. The tower was the residence of the lord’s family, and served as a strong hold and lookout during an attack. Some early Norman castles had never been motte-and-baileys but were formidable stone castles from the start. The Tower of London and Colchester Castle are early examples, dating from the 1070s, which were conceived as defensive palaces. The Crown and the greater barons spent an enormous amount of money on castles during the third quarter of the 12th century.3 As well as being a defensive structure, castles were also offensive tools, which could be used as a base for military operations in enemy territory. Norman invaders of England established Castles for both purposes. Toward the end of the Middle Ages castles tended to lose their military significance due to modern innovations in medieval warfare. A castle could be seen as a stronghold and prison but it was also a place where the knights and lords could entertain their peers. The castles began to be designed to reflect the prestige and power of its occupants. Comfortable homes were established within the fortified walls. As time went on, castles were replaced with country houses as high status residences. However, castles were still used to provide low level protection in later periods. The first castles were constructed of timber and wood but they were very susceptible to fire, which came as a disadvantage when attacked. The main defense of a castle was its numerous walls. The walls were usually thick stone and very tall, depending on who and how it was built. The towers were built with slits so that archers could easily shoot arrows at the enemy. From the towers and alleys archers became the main defenders of the castles. Later on fire weapons were the most effective forms of castle defense. The height benefit and battlements allowed archers to fire up to 12 arrows per minute, and then take cover while the enemy fired back. Many castles also had other counter-offensive weapons such as catapults. Catapults became the main weapons of war. Swords and bows were a great help, but catapults were the heavy artillery that allowed the attackers to penetrate the thick stone castle walls. Catapults were not used in normal ground war. Swords and shields were used mainly for ground war up front to defend the catapults while they fired at the walls. When the catapults were firing and they took down part of the wall, then they would rush to the opening and try to get inside the castle. Once inside they would fight until they were forced to retreat.4 Normally defending the castle was very easy because of the defensive nature of the castle walls. The walls were thick making it very hard to get inside. Even if the walls were knocked down, they would have to get through the moat. Animals were put in the moats to feed on the enemy. If the animals did not get the enemy, then they would usually drown trying to swim with their heavy armor. If the fight lasted more than a day the attackers would regroup, set up their defenses and get ready for another day of fighting and war. This would go on until the castle was either taken or the attackers were pushed out again. This also went on until either all were dead or forced to retreat back to their castle and either leave the castle alone or get more reinforcements to go back to fighting again. Castles were not built according to any rigid plans; rather they took advantage of any existing landscape features that could be used for defense. They are often built at the end of ridges, on hilltops, at the junction of rivers or in marshy ground. All of these common landscape features presented advantages to the castle owners. Once the site of the castle was chosen, elements were added to make the defensive advantages greater. Sometimes a large ditch would be dug and powerful ramparts built to protect the area. Often a large mound of dirt called a motte would protect the area. Timber might also be used to protect these earthen mounds. Sometimes even a palisade was constructed around the edge of the ditch and on top of the mound. Then a wooden tower might be built on or within the motte. The owners learned to make use of the existing landscape with added modifications to benefit the castle defenses. A common way to destroy walls or enter an enemy castle was with tunnels. Moats became well know as very effective to completely stop such tactics. Therefore, a castle with a moat was almost impossible to penetrate. Some castles had two or more gates with a drawbridge; these were lifted only during war and at night. Larger castles had many defensive advantages. When the attackers dug a tunnel, the defenders could easily spot it with water. The defenders would just pore more water on until it collapsed. Sometimes the defenders would dig a counter tunnel and fight underground. They had the advantage of their side being closer to the surface.5 If a castle had catapults and ballistaes, there were very few enemies that would attack it. An example of a motte and bailey castle is in the area of Breconshire, which was part of the Middle March of Wales in the 12th century. The castles of Breconshire were primarily fighting castles. Very few were built for comfort or accommodations in mind. The main purpose was to fly the flag while massive military forces were gathered to destroy the attackers. The lack of such homey accommodations sometimes proved to be disastrous especially in a cold bleak winter. Having accommodations on the frontier was a secondary concern. Later the castle in Breconshire was abandoned for new, cheaper and more homelike surroundings. It was often too costly and hard to convert the cold, dark and dank fortresses into comfortable residences. This is why manor houses or farmhouses are not uncommon adjacent to a castle ruin. The old castles were still kept just in case they were needed as protection, sort of an insurance policy. 6 The most common and effective way to attack a castle was with a siege. The siege would normally last for months. Lack of food was the most common reason for the castle to fall. Methods of preserving foods in medieval times were idealized. During the siege it was not uncommon for women, old men and children to leave the castle to preserve supplies of food. It was common for them to escape through tunnels. If a tunnel did not exist, they were forced to stay within the castle and hope for mercy. Besieging a castle was a very difficult task and often failed. Beginning with timber castles, they have evolved through the centuries to better and more elaborate fortresses. Before the XII century most castles were made of timber and wood. By the end of the XII century, however, stone castles became common due to the higher need for protection. As castles upgraded, so did their defensive weapons. Some castle walls were wider than 30 feet, which made destroying them very hard, even after gunpowder became common. Most castles still had at least two other lines of defense, after the moat and first line of defense were breached. The castles with more than two lines of defense are known today as “concentric castles.” Archers were strategically placed on top of the walls, firing at their victims who took shelter anywhere they could find it, behind trees or anything in order to save their lives. After bows and crossbows were invented, castle defenses were greatly improved.7 The crossbow was invented in the XV century. It was so efficient in killing people, that the church prohibited its use for a short period of time. Getting a castle to surrender was a very difficult task. Often an allied army would come to the defenders’ aid. There were many defensive ways to storm a castle. The battering ram was used mostly against doors and thin walls. It consisted of knocking a chopped tree against the target by 7 – 10 men. Some battering rams had roofs made of iron to stop sharp objects and boiling water. Pickaxes were also use against older castles that had thin walls. Pickaxes were very effective against timber and thin stone, but useless against bigger castles. If the door to the castle was made of wood, pickaxes could easily gain access. Diggers were another tactic used to destroy castle walls. Diggers were a tunnel dug near a corner; the tunnel would be destroyed making the tower collapse. Trebuckets and catapults were the most common way to besiege a castle. They not only fired rock and other destroying projectiles; they would spread diseases by firing dead bodies. Projectiles included cows, huge rocks, dead humans and rotten meat. When stone castles became common, fire was virtually useless. The enemy would shoot thousands of fire arrows in hopes of burning anything inside the castles. Also, ladders were used against smaller castles. At a strategic time, the enemy would send their army in with many ladders hoping to climb the castle walls. The technique was very rarely successful because the defenders of the castles could throw objects or boiling water. More of the attackers died than did the defenders because the castle itself was a fortress of protection. For the defenders, food became the major drawback, as they depended on a relieving force to survive. Later Allures were implemented. Their invention meant that attackers could no longer climb castle walls easily as allure was a passageway on top of the wall. This was a very effective invention, as archers had virtually no blind spots after their implementation.8 Battlements were seen a few years later. These consisted of intervals of a wall within the allure. They became very effective for the archers since they could fire at the enemy with little risk of being fired back. Towers were very important in defending the castle as their height helped the archer’s fire easily at their targets and their targets could not fire back. Towers consisted of many shapes. The most common shape was round. These were very strong and averaged 80 – 120 feet tall. The towers were sometimes very expensive to build but they were very strong and effective in their enormous use. Square towers were much cheaper to build, however, they were considered to be more decorative. If and when the attackers attempted to breach the castle wall they were met with all types of ways to stop them. Boiling water was thrown at the attackers to make them fall from the ladders. This tactic was very effective with one downside; getting boiling water was not easy. Fire was used to heat the water and it took a while. If the attack lasted continuously, the boiling water would not last. The allures contained large amounts of sand. When the boiling water ran out, the defenders would throw sand at the enemy. Sand very rarely made the enemy fall to their death, but it was effective as it made wearing armor very uncomfortable. When the enemy were still climbing the wall and there were no other resources, they would throw whatever they could find. This usually consisted of furniture, water, weapons, helmets, stones, animals and anything else within reach. Many castles also had an array of traps available to make it even harder for the enemy to invade. These often instilled fear in the attackers who were very skeptical of attempting to enter the castle. Once the castles were taken, the enemy would either take them as prisoners, or let them go. The castle itself was usually taken over by another lord, pillaged or abandoned. It was up to the army’s commander to decide what its use would be. Normally word would reach the country’s king in a few days and he would send an army to take back the castle. It is popular believe that castles began to decline with the invention of gunpowder, however, some of the larger castles were able to stand up to the power of a cannonball. Castles did not lose their importance until around the 15th century. Some were still being used well into the 16th century.9 Newer castle development became obsolete because of political changes. Building new ones became much more expensive than employing newer attack methods. Many of the castles still standing today are used as prisons some hotels or museums and very few are used as grand homes to its dwellers. Castles were built for differing reasons, but the most prominent reason was as a fortress of defense against enemies. Spanish castles in Spain were created to eliminate the chance of Arabs from moving north. English castles were primarily built to stop Viking raids, Scottish raids, and French invasions. Many English castles were constructed to show off what a magnificent country it was. Many French castles were very simple but slowly appeared as massive fortresses. Because of political divisions in France, many of its castles emerged as mini palaces. German castles stand today as a reminder to the German people of the union they share. Many have a “fairy-tale-like” appearance. Medieval castles were prevalent in almost every European, North African and Middle Eastern country. They started out as simple fort-like structures that evolved into powerful structures that protected an alarming number of people. Throughout the Middle Ages defense remained a consideration for builders. In the more settled time castles were not as fashionable under the Tudors. Some were renovated by Royalists in the Civil War in the 1640s and were dismantled. Others were allowed to decay, until serious interest in their preservation began in the 19th century. It’s fortunate that we have many of these mighty fortresses still standing today to remind us of a time when life was hard and brutal, but an important part of medieval history. In recent years, scholars have begun to place less emphasis on the military structure of castles and more on the castle’s symbolic projection of power and the ornamental landscape setting. Entire Websites: What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Medieval Castles? Web. 23 May 2011. http://answers.com/. Attacking a Castle in the Middle Ages. Web. 23 May 2011. http://middle-ages.org.uk/. Bachrach, Bernard S. “Medieval siege warfare: A reconnaissance.” From the Journal Of Military History. Web. 23 May 2011. http://deremilitari.org/. Brauer, Jurgen; van Tuyll, Hubert. “How Economics Explains Military History.” Web. 23 May 2011. http://press.uchicago.edu/. Brown, R. Allen. “English Castles.” (1970). Print. Castle. “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Web. 23 May 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/. Catapults – The Main Weapons in Medieval Castle Wars. Web. 23 May 2011. http://ezinearticles.com/. Chavez, Frank B. “Kinds of Medieval Castles.” Web. 23 Mary 2011. http://ehow.com/. Dawson, David. “The English Castle.” Web. 23 May 2011. http://britannia.com/history/. Defending a Castle (Castles). Web. 23 May 2011. http://medievality.com/. Kenyon. J.R. “Medieval Fortifications” (1990). Print. Medieval English Castles. Web. 23 May 2011. http://medieval-period.com/. Medieval Information, Everything about the Dark Ages. Web. 23 May 2011. http://medieval-castles.org/. Remfry, Paul Martin; Thomas, Jeffrey L. “What Are Castles?” Web. 23 May 2011. http://castlewales.com/. Things You May Not Know About Medieval Castles. Web. 23 May 2011. http://hubpages.com/. Thompson, M. W. “The Rise of the Castle.” (1991). Print. Thomas, Jeffrey. “Life in a Medieval Castle.” Web. 23 May 2011. http://castlewales.com/. Individual Resources: Russell, Tony; Brizee, Allen; Angeli, Elizabeth; Keck, Russell. “Purdue OWL: MLA Formatting and Style, MLA Endnotes and Footnotes.” 13 April 2011. Web. 23 May 2011. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/. Works Cited, References, and Bibliography. Web. 23 May 2011. http://aresearchguide.com/. Read More