1. Serfs’ Huts and Lords’ Castles
Medieval Houses
Serfs’ Huts and Lords’ Castles

2. Serf Huts Houses were usually built out of wood, dirt, mud, and straw
Most homes had one room, the wealthier serfs may have had a 2-room home
The floor was made from packed dirt
Windows were very small, the huts were dirty and drafty
Many huts had a stable nearby, but if not, the serfs had to take some livestock in at night

3. Castles Very expensive to build, often took a long time to complete
Many people lived in a castle, not just a lord and his family

4. Why Build a Castle?
Castles were fortified homes that could withstand a major attack
Powerful lords built castles because they were constantly threatened by enemies
Castles were built of strong, sturdy materials and designed for defense
If a castle was under attack, the people inside could live for weeks on stored food and water

5. Motte and Bailey Castle
Early castles relied on the surrounding landscape to provide much of the protection
made of wood and built on hills or "mottes“
These fortifications proved very easy to burn
Stone was used more often after Battle of Hastings

7. A Typical Stone Castle

8. What Does a Castle Include?
Keep: inner stronghold; lord’s residence
Kitchen
Chapel
Great Hall: where most castle events took place
Towers: connect stretches of wall, serve as lookouts
Gatehouse: Fortified entrance into the castle

9. The Castle Keep
Often contained not only the lord’s residence but also the chapel, great hall, and kitchen
The Keep was supposed to be the safest place in the castle

10. Keep Interior Dark, had small windows
Stuffy, hot in the summer and cold in the winter
Often quite dirty, lower floors were usually rat-infested

11. The Great Hall Large room for dining and entertaining
Usually the most decorated room in the castle
They hung carpets on the walls, but never put them on the floor
In early castles, nobles used sheets to divide the hall into smaller rooms

12. The Castle Chapel Located very close to, if not inside, the keep
Lord and guests would go here at least once a day for prayer
Some were decorated, others were not

13. Designed for Defense
Moat: water or sewage-filled trench surrounding the castle
Gatehouse: funnels castle visitors through fortified entrance
Drawbridge: can be raised or lowered to control castle traffic
Battlement: thin, saw-toothed wall that protects defenders during battle
Tower: helped defend the rampart and castle wall

14. Label the Medieval Castle
Keep
Chapel
Tower
Gatehouse
Drawbridge
Battlement
moat

15. Castles across Europe

18. The Tower of London
Built in part by William the Conqueror, actually a series of buildings and towers built over 200 years
White tower is in the middle, 13 towers surround the perimeter
Used as a fortress, royal palace, and prison

19. The Tower of London (cont.)
Has a sordid reputation
Many famous people were imprisoned and executed here
Many others were brutally tortured
The Tower is reportedly haunted by several ghosts
Legend of the ravens