Mediaeval Castles Flashcards
What were the features of a castle?
Battlements, Bailey, Moat, Portcullis, Drawbridge, Tower, Arrow loops, Barbican, Keep, Gatehouse, Curtain wall.
What were the purpose of castles?
Castles served a range of purposes, the most important of which were military, administrative, and domestic. As well as defensive structures, castles were also offensive tools which could be used as a base of operations in enemy territory.
What was the purpose of battlements?
To house the horses and soilders and store any battle equipment.
What was the purpose of the bailey?
The bailey would have been where most of the day-to-day activities of a castle would take place.
What was the purpose of the moat?
The purpose of a moat was primarily to protect the castle from attack. As a defense mechanism, moats were very effective.
What was the purpose of the tower?
The primary purpose was to give the castle defenders a field of fire that allowed them to fire on attacking forces at the wall. The towers, originally square, extended beyond the wall to give the aforementioned field of fire. Without towers the walls would have blind spots where the attacker would be at an advantage.
What was the purpose of the portcullis?
Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, securely closing off the castle during times of attack or siege.
What was the purpose of the drawbridge?
Medieval castles had moats filled with water that surrounded them to protect the castle and the people inside from unwanted visitors. A drawbridge gave them the ability to let welcome visitors in and keep intruders out.
What was the purpose of the arrow loops?
Arrow-loops or arrow-slits were narrow openings or crosses set inside walls and towers enabling defenders to launch arrows at potential attackers from outside.
What was the purpose of the barbican?
To trap any attackers in a narrow space so that they can be picked off by the defenders.
What was the purpose of the keep?
The place of last resort in case of siege or attack. The keep was either a single tower or a larger fortified enclosure.
What was the purpose of the gatehouse?
It was a building positioned to defend the entrance to a castles it usually contained multiple traps and obstacles to foil intruders.
What was the purpose of the curtain wall?
The curtain, a feature common to mast medieval castles, was simply a set of walls that surrounded and protected the interior of the castle.
