MEDIEVAL CASTLES

Name: _________________________ Group: _________________________

Castles

1.- What is a Castle?

A Castle is a fortified building use to defend their lands against invaders.

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2.- Discuss with your Group mates, If you had to build a castle where would you

do it? Why?

The best place to build a castle is a hill, because it is easier to defend.

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3.- Who lived in a castle?

Kings, Queen, their families, Lords, Knights and servants.

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4.- What are castles made of?

They are made of stone and wood.

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5.- What is the great hall?

The great hall is the most important room of the Keep. There they have

meetings and feasts.

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6.- Did the castles have toilets?

Yes, they did. The dirty water went to the moat.

Read the definitions below and try to label the castle at the following page. After,

look at the dictionary and write down the translation of each word.

Moat: a deep, trench surrounding a castle, usually filled with dirty water. Fossat

Portcullis: a gate of iron bars that slides up and down in front of a door to prevent

passage. Raseta

Drawbridge: a platform that can be raised or lowered over a moat to permit entry

into a castle. Porta Caladissa

Keep: The strongest and most secure place in a castle. The main tower where they

lived. Torre d’homenatge.

Rampart: a high wall from which to protect a castle by shooting arrows and

launching stones. Muralla

Battlement: the open space in a castle wall from which to launch weapons at the

enemy. Espitlleres

Dungeon: a dark, underground prison. Masmorra.

Barbican: a tower at a gate bridge. Barbacana

Bailey: This is a courtyard or open space surrounded by walls. Pati d’Armes.

PARTS OF A CASTLE

Drawnbridge

Portcullis

Moat

Keep

Rampart

Barbican

Bailey

Battlement

Dungeon

Cut out the following castles and place them in their correct countries with an arrow.

Zvolen Castle Slovakia

Chillon Castle Switzerland

Carcassonne Castle. France

Trujillo Castle. Spain

Bodiam Castle. England

Bourscheid Castle Lusxemburg

BECOMING A KNIGHT

The path to becoming a knight began at the

age of seven when the son of a nobleman would be

sent to a lord’s house to serve him as a page. A

page was expected to help his lord dress, put on

heavy armour and was taught manners and skills in

serving food.

A page would also play training games which

included sword practice with wooden swords to

help in his quest for knighthood. At the age of 14

the page became a squire – which was a personal

attendant to the knight. As a quire he learned

riding and all the skills of war as well as hunting,

hawking and other sports.

Squires were allowed to carry a sword and

shield - a sign of the rank he had achieved.

When a squire reached 18- 21 years of age, a

man who had completed his training was made a

Knight in a religious ceremony.

After reading the passages about knights, complete the following sentences.

a) The path to becoming a Knight began at he age of Seven when the

__son____ of a nobleman would be sent to a lord’s ____house_____ to serve

him a s a ___page________.

b) A ___page______ was expected to help his lord ____dress__, put on

_____heavy____ armour and was taught__manners____ and skills in

__serving__ food.

c) __Squires___ were allowed to carry a __swords_____ and ____shield___ - a

sign of the ___rank______ he ___had________ achieved.

KNIGHTS

Knights existed between the year 800

a.d. and the end of the fifteenth

century until modern means of fighting

and weaponry replaced them.

Training to become a knight was hard

work and involved many hours of

practice.