The Middle Ages was a difficult time, hostile and full of dangers , where life very often was in serious danger. Security was hard to get and keep when you were poor and you did not even have a roof to shelter you. Although it seems incredible, those who had more purchasing power and had a roof, even in some cases of a castle, did not have it very easy since the defense of the castles medieval It was not an easy task and often required ingenuity and a lot of creativity to keep your family and your strength safe.
The real problem with owning a castle was how tempting it was for other people , so to keep them said you had to go beyond a few thick walls and deep pits. At that time there were an incredible amount of weapons that your attackers could use against you, so the design of your castle should take them into account in order to defend you.
In the following Supercurioso article we expose some of those threats that you would face and in what way you could do it.
Methods of defense of medieval castles
Motte and Bailey
All of us, if we imagine a castle, we do it as a great stone construction but the truth is that the first castles were much more modest. They were known as Motte & Bailey Castle. The fortification consisted of a wooden tower that was placed in an elevated embankment called motte, It faced a closed courtyard called Bailey. The Bailey gave the archers a free field to be able to shoot any attacker who came near.
Trenches
Another feature of these composite castles of Motte and Bailey was a ditch that surrounded the motte that made climbing even more difficult. Even in some cases it could be full of water, which made it even more difficult. In the end, the word "motte" was transformed into the word "pit".
Barbican
Another example of defense of the medieval castles is the barbican. Thanks to the moats (with its choke points such as drawbridges), the owners of the castle could know exactly which parts of the castle could be most susceptible to attack . That's where the barbican comes in. Its function was to overcome the strangulation points and make the attackers who had been trapped there pay for their audacity. From the top of the door or the bridge, the defenders inside the barbican could rain arrows and even boiling oil, against the invaders.
Elevated doors
Elevated doors were also a great solution to keep enemies out of our domains . The walls, pits and dungeons were an excellent way to prevent your enemies' troops from reaching any of the access gates to your castle, so if, in addition, your door was too far from anyone's reach, you doubled your security and yours. The truth is that this is a fairly common feature of almost any castle and the system to access them, in peacetime, quite simple; a simple wooden staircase and removable ramps solved the problem.
Location
Finally, the location was one of the most important features to keep your fortress safe from invaders. A good example of the importance of the location is the Dover Castle, still existing. It is a fortress perched on top of the famous White Cliffs, which made it incredibly difficult to attack both by land and by sea. This was a crucial fact for the history of England , at the beginning of the 13th century when France He tried to assault the castle. In addition to this elevated location, this castle also used original design strategies such as concentric walls, which were used to easily avoid trabuquetes.
Obviously the passage of years and centuries made all these security measures were refined and improved in addition to strengthening the buildings increasingly to the point of being, in some cases, virtually impregnable strengths.
It is clear that the human being is improving more and more its methods of construction and the castles have not been an exception throughout history.
There is a successful saying that is "The need sharpens the ingenuity" and we believe that it is surely true since the need to stay safe in your home and keep your family away from any danger, made some creative minds to devise all these ways, gadgets and accessories to provide your castle with extra security.
What do you think of our article about the defense methods of medieval castles? Do you find them curious as well as helpful? Maybe you've heard your other method of medieval defense. Would you like to share it with us? We will be happy to read you!