What life was really like in a medieval castle?
Life in a medieval castle would have been ordered and organised, full of pomp and ceremony, and also very cold and smelly! Essentially, castles were at the heart of Medieval society. Castles were built in England and Wales after 1066.
What was life like in a medieval castle?
Life in a medieval castle was filled with a constant hubbub of busied work in the kitchens, preparations for celebrations in the Great Hall, and religious worship in each castle’s own chapel. And the layout of a typical Medieval castle tended to be influenced by domestic needs rather than defensive concerns.
How many people are needed to build a castle?
How many people does it take to man a castle? Castle building employed about 3,000 workers (like carpenters, masons, diggers, quarrymen and blacksmiths) under the direction of a master builder (Master James of St. George built the Welsh castles of King Edward I). Castles generally took two to 10 years to build. How many guards are in a castle?
What was castle life like in the Middle Ages?
Life in a Middle Ages Castle Description - The Residence The medieval castle of the Middle Ages formed a good fortress, but a poor home. Its small rooms, lighted only by narrow windows, heated only by fireplaces, badly ventilated, and provided with little furniture, must have been indeed cheerless.
Who lived in Medieval castles?
During the late Middle Ages, from the 10th to the 16th centuries, kings and lords lived in castles. As well as the lord, the lady (his wife), and their family there were lots of staff. Some were important officials, such as the constable who took care of the castle when the lord was away.
How many people were in castles?
An English medieval castle, if a large one, could have a household staff of at least 50 people, which included all manner of specialised and skilled workers such as cooks, grooms, carpenters, masons, falconers, and musicians, as well as a compliment of knights, bowmen, and crossbow operators.
How did people live in Medieval castles?
Castle owners always had private 'apartments', or at least a bedroom with an en-suite loo and a chamber where they welcomed visitors. There was often a private chapel too. These were usually in the safest part of the castle, and only trusted servants or honoured guests were allowed in.
Did most of the people in the Middle Ages lived in castles?
During the Middle Ages, most people lived in castles. False: Most people were peasants or farmers working on land owned by nobles. Some of the more influential nobles lived in castles, which provided protection from attack or war. Under the feudal system, the nobles provided protection to peasants living on their land.
How many men fit in a castle?
A castle could house up to 5,000 men. Castles were the largest buildings in medieval Europe and the center of gravity for any military force. They were usually built on high ground with walls that surrounded an area large enough to accommodate hundreds of people.
How many knights live in castles?
In peace time, there might be only 10 or 12 knights and their horses staying in the castle, but when war threatened there would be many more. The knights and their servants and their mounts all had to eat, as did the lord, his family, and his servants and officials, and their families.
What did it smell like in the medieval times?
They were ankle-deep in a putrid mix of wet mud, rotten fish, garbage, entrails, and animal dung. People dumped their own buckets of faeces and urine into the street or simply sloshed it out the window.
Was it cold in medieval castles?
Castles weren't always cold and dark places to live. Castles are always depicted as dark and cold and some probably were. But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace.
Were there bathrooms in castles?
In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below.
How often did Royalty bathe in the 1500s?
Clean water was hard to get but even those, who had access to it, rarely bathed. It is believed that King Louis XIV bathed just twice in his lifetime. Not just him, Queen Isabella of Spain bathed once when she was born and once on her wedding day.
How dirty were medieval castles?
Castles were very difficult to keep clean. There was no running water, so even simple washing tasks meant carrying a lot of bucketfuls of water from a well or stream. Few people had the luxury of being able to bathe regularly; the community was generally more tolerant of smells and dirt.
How big were castles in the Middle Ages?
Some later medieval castles had walls that were only about 15 to 20 feet (4.6 m to 6 m) high, but the walls of the stronger castles typically measured about 30 feet (9 m) in height and sometimes more. e wall of Eng- land's Framlingham Castle reached 40 feet (12 m) above the ground.
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