Castles were built to make sure that they could not be seized in a battle. The picture opposite shows how a castle could be defended..

Lesson objectives To learn how a castle was defended To begin to recognise some of the defensive features of a castle How to defend a castle

What defensive features can you see?

Soldiers would be throwing rocks and boiling water on to the enemy The soldiers would close the portcullis The Drawbridge would be raised Click on the screen

Even if the enemy did break into the castle grounds the towers had been designed to withstand an assault.

Even if the enemy managed to get inside the tower, it would be difficult for a right handed knight to fight his way to the upper floors due to the spiral staircase.

Beaumaris Castle was designed so that there were few to no weak points. It is a perfect example of a concentric castle. Look at the next slide carefully. What do you notice about the design of Beaumaris Castle?

Highlight and name some of the defensive features found at Beaumaris Castle.

This was the moat that would be filled with water to stop attackers getting near the walls Huge gatehouse to stop an attack An outer wall The inner wall How to defend a castle?

Towns were also defended with gatehouses and town walls e.g. Conwy Guards kept watch behind crenellations The portcullis would be shut closed to stop attackers getting to the wooden gate and through the entrance. Soldiers fired arrows through narrow slits called “loops” built into the walls

The town walls of Conwy. These walls were designed so that it protect the inhabitants from attack. The walls are over 3/4 mile in length and include twenty one towers and three gateways.

Defending a Castle END

Defending a Town END