...Castles and Knighthood Castles a) This is a typical castle, its name is Harlech. a) Questions about the features of a castle Q: What was the moat for? A: The moat was mainly used to stop enemies from reaching the walls but its other use was to make a reflection of the castle in order to make it look bigger. Q: What is a drawbridge? A: A drawbridge was a defensive mechanism that allowed access to the castle by providing a temporary bridge across the moat. This bridge can be withdrawn in the case of an attacking force; this was done with a winch. Q: What were castles made of? A: Stone, mortar and wood. These were the simple components used to construct some of the most heavily fortified structures ever created. Q: Where did the stone used to make the castle come from? A: The stone came from local mines or quarries if possible. If stone was scarce they would carry it long distances by water or on land by oxen. Q: What was the roof made of? A: The roof was made from slate tiles and shale. Q: Where were castles built? A: Prime locations for castle construction include high, rocky ground, mountain passes, isolated peninsulas and lake islands. Q: How big were castle walls? A: To withstand besieging, castle walls were sometimes constructed to be up to 30 feet (9 metres) thick. Stone curtain walls were constructed anywhere between 20 and 40 feet high. Q: How high were the towers in the castles...
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...Thank you for letting me design and build your castle. I had lots of fun with it. In this letter I am going to explain some things about your castle. There are many defensive strategies that can be used against invaders. The largest one is your moat. Your moat is very large and deep. The only way anyone can get into you castle is if they come on the bridge. To keep attackers from getting inside you have a draw bridge. This way you can pull it up at a minutes notice. One of the other important defense weapon you have is your arrow loops. There are 4, one on each tower. These are used to fire arrows at attackers. Your castle is a square. In each of the corners there is a drum tower. Each drum tower has a talus. A talus is a slate at the bottom...
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...The medieval mansion is along these lines a possibly important educating asset. castles can give a brilliant beginning point for the investigation of medieval history, particularly for those understudies who, due to the imperatives of school curricula, are just acquainted with 20th-century history. The mixed bag and circulation of châteaux crosswise over Britain guarantees that they can offer enormous potential for field treks and workshops. Close by their recognizable part as military fortification, palaces additionally give potential to the investigation of themes as different as the family, state of mind to power, noble ways of life, scene outline what's more, deep sense of being. Be that as it may, when showing the medieval manor, certain...
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... As we danced above the fires and wounded earth, I flitted about lightly, clouding the skies and welcoming our new kinsmen, born from those powerful bombs and humans chipping and plowing away at Mother Earth. A yell sounded and we swarmed with delight. While watching those now little pawns charge across No-Man’s land, a round of bullets were fired, and yelling, metal clanking, screaming, and all forms of chaos rushed forth. Sprays of blood and heavy bodies fell to Mother and clouds of us flew upward. The humans hacked and stumbled with tearing eyes as we poked fun at them before large masses of us settled down. I flew higher up in the tainted air and could feel myself slipping away too, but all was well, because we as a whole would live on. I melted and before I knew it, a bullet cut through our thinning cloud and we bounced back and dissipated. The winds are picking up! There’s acid eating away at an ash cloud up north. Ugh, that mustard gas is seriously the most annoying and uncivilized thing ever. Another bomb just exploded! We’re all flying again. So many of us have revived. We’re soaring above the world in a mass of dirt and dust--but that’s what we are!--and I can’t help but dash through the air as a storm of shrapnel pierces everything and stirs the breezes even more. Screams that are hardly human are coming from beneath me, but I wake when they’re stirring Earth, so the soldiers and we have all but put these cries of pain and horror into a category reserved for the normal...
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...The wall crumbles under the might of the shiny, glamorous metal head. Built with expert craftsmanship with only the best material. Incredibly strong, durable metals and exotic and stylish woods make up the powerhouse: the sledgehammer. Railroad spikes, driven down into rails, rendering them immovable. It can pound walls into a powder. It withholds unbeatable power. The sledgehammer is a symbol of power and devastation, while also a symbol of hard work and labor. The tool can potentially be a destructive force, but can also be used for constructive purposes. On the devastation side of the line, the sledgehammer used, for example, if a wall or two must fall. It will tear through anything with ease. Its iron skull always primed and ready. The...
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...Baroness DilemmaAs he left for a visit to his outlying districts, the jealous Baron warned his pretty wife: “Do not leave the castle while I am gone, or I will punish you severely when I return!” But, as the hours passed, the young Baroness grew lonely and despite her husband’s warning, decided to visit her Lover who lived in the countryside nearby. The castle was located on an island in a wide, fast flowing river, with a drawbridge linking the island and the land at the narrowest point in the river. “Surely my husband will not return before dawn,” she thought, and ordered her servants to lower the drawbridge and leave it down until she returned. After spending several pleasant hours with her Lover, the Baroness returned to the drawbridge, only to find it blocked by a Madman wildly waving a long and extremely sharp knife. “Do not attempt to cross this bridge, Baroness, or I will kill you,” he raved. Fearing for her life, the Baroness returned to her Lover and asked him to help. “Our relationship is only a romantic one,” he said, “I will not help.” The Baroness then sought out a Boatman on the river, explained her plight to him, and asked him to take her across the river on his boat. “I will do it, but only if you can pay me my fee of five Marks.” “But I have no money with me!” the Baroness protested. “That is too bad. No money, no ride,” the Boatman said flatly. Her fear growing, the Baroness ran crying to the home of a Friend, and after again explaining the situation...
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...There are many interesting parts of a castle. The way these parts were built was because of how the people there lived and what they needed. Most parts of a castle are made for protection from invaders. Castles were constantly being attacked, so they needed to be heavily guarded and armed. Other parts of a castle are for living, eating, entertainment, and storage. A moat is a body of water surrounding a castle that is used to prevent attackers from digging tunnels under the castle walls. They were usually 5 to 15 feet deep and either filed with water or kept dry. They put dangerous things in the moat such as wooden stakes, alligators, and dangerous fish. a drawbridge is one of the most important parts of a castle. It is a wooden bridge that crosses the moat and leads to a gateway. Using metal chains it is capable of being raised or lowered. In early castles the drawbridge was designed t be broken or taken off in attack. A gatehouse was a strengthened structure built over the gateway that was used as the main entrance to the castle. It sometimes has a guard house in it. On the sides there are murder-holes and arrow loops. Sometimes the chapel was put right next to the gatehouse because if you attacked the chapel you were believed to be attacking god. The portcullis is a wooden gate with metal spikes at the bottom That was hung from the gatehouse ceiling. When under attack guards would rapidly drop the door, impaling the attackers with the metal spikes. There...
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...In Medieval times castles played a big role. Castles were made for the King or Queen as they ruled their area. If the King or Queen wanted to have a great castle or even castle at all, that would make them very satisfied,they would need to,have a certain layouts-materials-and methods,what is going on in their time period and how to handle it,have tons of people to work for them or even their own family members, have lots of places to eat-sleep-honor the past kings or Queens or the present ones, and lastly a good army/protect. All of those things play a part of making a castle that can please any King or Queen. layouts/methods/materials To make a castle it took a lot of work. You had to have certain materials, methods and most likely a lot of blood and sweat....
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...Castillo De San Marcos (St. Mark’s Castle) During the seventeenth century, the great nation of Spain had many territories across the world thanks to its great explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Pedro Menéndez de Aviléas. One territory that stood out from the rest however was the Floridian Peninsula. The colony there had a major port city known as St. Augustine which was founded by Pedro Menéndez de Aviléas on September 8, 1565. St. Augustine held significant importance for Spain because it was the defensive foothold of the entire Floridian Peninsula; it was a land rich with natural resources and was a port for trade. With that, in 1668, the city of St. Augustine was attacked by pirates when the city lacked good defenses against such attacks. After that conflict, the Queen of Spain, Mariana decided that it was time for a better fort to be built for the defense of the port and city. Queen Mariana appointed a new governor of Florida who went by the name of Manuel de Cendoya. Cendoya was put in charge of also getting the new fort built for the city of St. Augustine. He went to New Spain (Mexico) to gain the funds for the project, and then on his way to Florida, he decided to stop in Havana, Cuba to look for laborers, masons, and other types of workmen for the new job. During his search, he came across an engineer who was living in Cuba at the time named Ignacio Daza. Cendoya felt he would be a great asset to this project and so Daza was appointed the leader of the project...
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...invented as a handheld weapon and as the crossbow became more superior, it went from a belly-bow to a stand crossbow. The crossbows eventually became so large that they became something in their own right, the Catapult. The Chinese are believed to be the first to use a catapult sometime during the third and fourth Century BC. The type of catapult the Chinese used was an eight foot catapult that was much like a big crossbow. Even though this is considered a catapult, the catapults that were used in the Middle Ages have a swinging arm that holds a bucket to throw projectiles at the enemy from a distance and used mostly by the Greeks and Romans. Catapults 2 As Castles became bigger and larger, the catapult systems also became bigger and larger. Catapults were used to help tear down the walls of castles. Catapults...
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...The Rise and Influence of Castle Cities Each country, town, city or area has a symbol of power that represents their history and governmental authority. Between 1570 and 1870, Japan experienced a dramatic changed economically, politically, militarily and religiously. During the Tokugawa period, “castles towns” sprung up throughout Japan. The castles towns became the heart and core representation of Japanese feudal authority. The castles marked the beginning of change in Japan to show the “central shogunal authority” (Hall 44). Hikeno Castle built in the Edo period in the Shiga Prefecture is a prime example of a castle town. Castles changed the dynamics of Japan’s economy, military, government and politics. The design of the castle towns closely resemble that of an imperial city, giving it even more legitimacy of power because of its mimicking of imperial design. Castle towns greatly affected Japan and some of those affects can be seen today. Castle towns have several characteristics that make them stand out from all the other towns. One characteristic and an obvious one is that they are home to castles. The castle is known as the Castle Tower or donjon it is the most prominent and well-defended structure in the keep. Most castles have between two to five stories. The castle towns also have several rings of moats and walls that are used in defense. The towns also include Watch Towers, also known as Turrets, which are located along the castle wall, more specifically in...
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...Siege And Defense Of A Castle “Because castles were made with such massive defense fortifications it was extremely hard to destroy them. Thus, the goal of a siege army was not to destroy a castle, but to penetrate it.” (http://library.thinkquest.org/10949/fief/hisiege.html). The attacker had many options at their disposal when trying to penetrate the castle’s walls. The army could not attack the castle at all but simply seize the land around it and cut out all supply routes going to and from the establishment. Another was a direct assault or siege on the castle itself. And lastly, is besieging. Effectively starving them out. Starvation was a key weapon used in all methods, but solely used in besieging. The most effective direct assault was the use of tunneling. The very time consuming chore was first started by constructing wooden palisades, a type of fence, next to the wall, and then building a shed to lean against it. Defenders high on the castle walls would try to thwart the enemy in its attempt to mine under the wall by dumping hot oil or pitch and tar and then setting it a blaze with flaming arrows. This could be countered by covering the structure with thick leather hides in an attempt to keep the fires at bay and stop the diggers from taking a flaming hot oil bath. Next, special diggers called sappers were called in to start their work on the castle’s foundation. “Once the tunnel was long enough the attacker’s had two choices: Continue digging until they...
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...Introduction Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this. Motte & Bailey Castles (1066 – 1078) The first castles to be built in England by the Normans were called Motte & Bailey castles. They had: • The Keep – a wooden tower used when under attack and for soldiers to keep lookout. • A Motte - a large mound of earth that the Keep was built on. • A Bailey – a large yard that sat next to the Motte, attached to the Motte by a wooden bridge. • A Palisade – a wooden fence all around the Bailey with a ditch around the outside. • Wooden gateway - the entrance to the castle with a wooden bridge over the ditch. Norman soldiers lived in wooden buildings in the Bailey. Motte & Bailey castles were made of earth and wood, which was easy to find, and they could be built really quickly, in 7-21 days. The height...
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...Hearst Castle I recently had the opportunity to visit Hearst Castle over the summer. I took a couple of the tours which included several of the rooms, the gardens, the pools and the guest houses. A brief history of the castle was explained on the bus trip to the top of the castle. There is a great deal of historic significance behind the making of Hearst Castle. What is now referred to as Hearst Castle began over 100 years ago. A wealthy miner acquired the land and it was his son who designed the castle and all of its embellishments. The castle is well known for its history and its impressive collection of art, artifacts and antiquities from around the world. George Hearst, a self-made millionaire in the mining business acquired the 48,000...
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...ffJimmy Pham Mr. Masuda English II 12 February 2013 Feudal Japanese Castles “A castle is a fortified building or set of fortified buildings used to provide both active and passive defence, as well as a residence for the castle's occupants, usually the castle's lord and household.” - (http://www.angelfire.com) A castle served as fortress, a residence for nobility and as a means of preserving the rigid social hierarchy of the Middle Ages. A castle was both a fortress and a residence for the lord and his family. By means of a castle, the lord could extend his power out over the surrounding countryside. He offered protection to the peasants over whom he ruled, but he also exerted his power over them. The main purpose of the castle can therefore be seen to have been military. Castles were built to keep out enemies. When an attack was expected, the drawbridge was raised, the gates and portcullis were closed, and archers were stationed on the towers. “The typical castle consisted of multiple rings of defense, with the so called honmaru ("main circle") in the center followed by the ninomaru ("second circle") and sannomaru ("third circle"). The castle tower stood in the honmaru, while the lords usually lived at a more comfortable residence in the ninomaru.” - (http://www.japan-guide.com) In the town around the castle, the samurai were residing. The higher their rank, the closer they lived to the castle. Merchants and artisans lived in specially designated areas, while temple and...
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