Castles in the Middle Ages

The Medieval Castle The medieval castle is the stuff of legends and fairy tales. Shining towers and captive maidens are not the whole story, however. The castle served an important military purpose: defense against attacks by Vikings, Saracens, or greedy lords next door.

Helm’s Deep Watch the following clip and write down as the ways the castle is attacked and defended. Helms Deep

Castle Defense What architecture in a castle would aid in defense?

Defense of a Castle  Architecture Towers Lookout posts Firing for archers  (merlons) Storehouses Prisons Curved architecture more sturdy Moats Wet or dry

Castle Defense--Architecture Portcullises  grilled (holes to shoot through), heavy gate Several to form trap with “murder holes” Drawbridges Gatehouses Several stories Living quarters for soldiers Mechanisms for drawbridge/protcullises

Castle Defense What sort of weaponry was available to help defend a castle?

Castle Defense--Weaponry Bow and arrows  crossbow (12th c) Greek fire Molten metal and oil Broadswords Spears Double-bladed battle axes

Castle Attackers What sort of weaponry would attackers use?

Attacking Army Siege engine Battering ram Mobile assault towers (cats) Catapults Trebuchet Ballistas Battering ram Mobile assault towers (cats)

Strategy What strategies were available to an attacking army?

Siege Strategy Battering rams, catapults, trebuchets, towers Miners tunnel under weak wall, load with dry wood and brush, set on fire Starve out Poison water Implant spy Buy off a defender

Castle Defense Game Your task is to play the role of attacker. How would you attack a castle using weapons available in the early Middle Ages?

Castle Defense Game A. Poison the water supply B. Get a traitor inside to open the gate C. Use ladders and climb the walls D. Use a tower and attack the wall E. Use a cannon and shoot down the walls. F. Fill up the moat and break in the gate or drawbridge G. Surround the place and starve the enemy out

Castle Defense Game Poison the water supply This was tried sometimes, but a well-planned castle had a water supply inside the walls. It would be very hard to reach. Some medieval commanders would refuse to do it because it was trickery and unworthy of a knight. Not very likely to work

Castle Defense Game Get a traitor inside to open the gate Not a very likely idea because people knew each other on sight. A stranger would be spotted and immediately be suspect. Perhaps someone who usually lives in the castle could be bribed, but it’s a long shot.

Castle Defense Game Use ladders and climb the walls Castle walls are defended. The defenders would push the ladders over backwards and the attackers would go splat! Also, they could drop rocks or boiling oil on people climbing ladders. The attack did work sometimes, but a lot of attackers died in the process.

Castle Defense Game Use a tower and attack the wall This is an elegant approach. A rolling tower higher than the wall could give the attackers the advantage of height. It might work. But it assumes the land around the castle is level enough to move the tower over it and that your forces have people with enough skill and tools to build a tower. In practice it is seldom true.

Castle Defense Game Use a cannon and shoot down the walls An excellent solution! Unfortunately. Cannons were not available in the early Middle Ages. Some late medieval battles involved cannons.

Castle Defense Game Fill up the moat and break in the gate or drawbridge This option suffers from the same problems as using ladders. The defenders would rain down arrows, hot oil, and any other deadly things on the attackers. Note also that the towers cluster around the drawbridge. Attackers would take heavy losses. Lots of attackers would be killed or wounded.

Castle Defense Game Surround the place and starve the enemy out This is the most common form of attack on a castle. It has about as good a chance of success as the other options and is less likely to get a lot of the attackers killed. Even this plan has disadvantages. Feudal armies are short-term affairs. Your army might just meld away as each soldier’s term of serves, usually forty days, expires. The castle may have gotten a messenger out. In that case, a relief force could come thundering over the hill any day. Also, a besieging army’s camp is often not very sanitary. Some such forces were wiped out by disease. Still, a siege was the most likely way to get into a castle. (Though it might take a year or so for the castle to surrender from starvation.