MEDIEVAL CASTLE: PARTS AND FUNCTIONS - HISTORY - 2025

A medieval castle is a construction built during the Middle Ages whose main function was to house the feudal lord, his courtiers and servants, as well as serving as a place to defend a city or town.

The parts of a medieval castle, to consider it as such, must be a walled enclosure, with a parade ground, and at least one habitable tower. This series of common characteristics were what differentiated them from other fortifications such as alcaceres, citadels or alcazabas.

The castles, built mainly throughout the Middle Ages, not only fulfilled military functions, but were also used as a residence for the nobility. Most of the peasants did not live in the castle, but when there were external attacks the whole population went inside and the doors were closed. The castles had high openings in the walls so that the archers could shoot at the invaders.

Castles were usually built at strategic points; at the top of a hill or high points of geography, and with a nearby water source. The height of the site was necessary for defense, since it provided greater visibility of the surroundings and allowed to take cover if the enemy approached.

The castles in their beginnings were surrounded by a simple wooden palisade. Over time, this was replaced by high stone walls and improving its defense. The castles were the safe point in the population centers, since they offered a safe space that was very difficult to conquer, thanks to their high walls.

The first castles were made of clay and wood. But wood is burned, so around 1100 AD the construction of castles began to be made of stone.

Parts of the medieval castle

Tower of tribute

One of the most emblematic elements of the castle. It used to be the residence of the castle lord, and was used as a last stronghold if the castle had been penetrated by invaders.

It was the safest area of ​​the castle and it had no doors or windows in its lower part. With large and thick walls, it was the perfect shelter in case of siege. Usually the keep was taller than the wall.

The Round Tower at Windsor Castle, England. Source: Diliff CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

The name of this tower is given by the celebration of the tribute that was made inside. In this ceremony, the lord gave the vassal a fiefdom. The fiefdom used to be a piece of land that the lord gave to the vassal for the fulfillment of his obligations. Among these obligations are those of auxilium and conselium, which are military and political support.

With the passage of time, smaller towers were added to the main building, for use by servants or as food stores.

If the keep had a smaller tower in its upper part, this is known as the cavalry tower. If, on the other hand, it was a small tower in the corner, it is known as a watchtower, since it was used for surveillance.

Wall

The castles were surrounded by a wall, which was the defensive fortification that surrounded the entire castle. Often times, the walls were surrounded by a moat, thus making it difficult for the invaders to scale the wall.

In the beginning, the castle walls were made of wood, but from the 9th century on, stone began to be used for the formation of walls.

Bellver Castle, seen from the "Es Baluard" Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Palma. Source: user UlrichAAB CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Defense towers could be built along the walls. To communicate the towers of the wall, a small corridor was made connecting them, known as the walkway. Likewise, to protect the wall, on some occasions a lower wall was built in front, known as a pre-wall or false braga.

The walls could reach 12 meters in height and 3 meters in thickness. To make them more expugible, moats were built around them to make it difficult for attackers to pass.

They needed to waste time trying to climb the walls if they wanted to access the castle. Meanwhile, the castle's defensive troops could attack them from the battlements.

Parade

The parade grounds were the essential space of all castles, located in the central area of ​​the castle. The rooms of the castle were distributed around it, such as craftsmen's houses, chapels, etc.

It used to have a well or cistern, which provided water to the entire castle. In some fortifications, the keep also had its own well in case of siege.

At times, the parade grounds were in turn fortified by an inner wall to make it difficult for invaders to enter. A jail or dungeon was also used in the center of the parade ground.

Battlements

The battlements are the projections or towers placed along the wall, with the function of protecting the castle. The defenders of the castle hid on the battlements to defend it from possible attacks.

Many of the battlements had holes, known as loopholes or embrasures. The arrow slits were the holes from which the throwing weapons were launched. Rather, the embrasures were the holes used for firearms.

Battlements of the Alcazaba in Almería, Spain. Source: Frank C. Müller CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/)

The battlements were connected to each other by narrow corridors along the wall known as the coastal path or walkway.

They were improved by creating projections known as robbers, which had an opening in their lower part to spill boiling water or attack with arrows.

Barbican Tower

To protect the access door to the castle, a tower known as the Barbican tower or the guardhouse was built. The entry point is the most vulnerable area of ​​a castle, so, over time, it was developed to regulate the flow of entry and make it more defensive.

In the entrance area of ​​the Barbican tower, when passing through the door, there was an opening in the ceiling, which was normally used to throw objects on the attackers, or pour water if they tried to burn it to access the castle.

Normally topped by a grille with a pointed end, known as a portcullis, the Barbican tower was a must to enter the castle. He could count on his own fortified portals to defend the main gate.

In the barbican tower the lifting of the drawbridge was also managed, which linked the land adjacent to the castle.

The drawbridges were normally wooden constructions used to cross the moat, which could be raised, at the whim of the lord, or in case of attack, to make entry difficult.

Where were castles built?

Turégano Castle, Segovia, Spain. Source: Josep Maria Viñolas Esteva CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Most castles were designed to defend a place, so they were usually found on the top of a hill, at the ford of a river or at the entrance to a bay or harbor.

The preferred location was on the top of a hill: that way they could gain a strategic position to defend the territory.

Some castles were surrounded by a moat filled with water to improve security. A small bridge was built to be able to pass through the moat.

What was the interior of the castles like?

The interior of a castle contained staircases, bedrooms, corridors, toilets, women's quarters (small areas for chatting and embroidering), laundries, food storage space, farmhouses for knights and soldiers, celebration hall, and religious chapel.

References

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3. FÜGEDI, Erik. Castle and society in medieval Hungary (1000-1437). Akadémiai Kiadó, 1986.
4. BURKE, John Frederick. Life in the castle in medieval England. Crescent, 1978.
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