Eye Wonder

4-5 What is a castle?

6-7 Early castles

8-9 A castle grows

10-11 Who lived there?

12-13Food glorious food

14-15Time out

16-17 Under siege

18-19 Tricks of defence

20-21 Lock ’em up

22-23The knight

24-25 Knight school

26-27 All wrapped up

Contents

Written and edited by Fleur Star Designed by Jacqueline Gooden

and Laura Roberts

Publishing manager Susan LeonardManaging art editor Clare Shedden

Jacket designer Bob WarnerJacket editor Carrie Love

Jacket copywriter Adam PowleyPicture researcher Liz Moore

Production Luca BazzoliDTP Designer Almudena DíazConsultant Christopher Gravett

First published in Great Britain in 2006 byDorling Kindersley Limited

80 Strand, London WC2R ORL

A Penguin Company

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Copyright © 2005 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 1-4053-0983-0

Colour reproduction by Colourscan, SingaporePrinted and bound in Italy by L.E.G.O.

Discover more atwww.dk.com

LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH,

MELBOURNE, and DELHI

28-29 In shining armour

30-31Weapons of war

32-33 Joust for fun

34-35 Heraldry

36-37 The Crusades

38-39 Moorish castles

40-41 Asian castles

42-43 Towering strengths

44-45Castles today

46-47Glossary

48 Index and

acknowledgements

4

There are hundreds of amazing castles allover the world. They were more than justhomes for important people, such as kingsand lords – they were also defence postsagainst enemies. The earliest castles werebuilt more than 1,200 years ago. Some stillstand today.

What is a castle?

Forts firstForts, such as this one in Mycenae,Greece, existed long beforecastles. Like castles, they wereused for defence but, while anarmy could sleep there, they were never used as homes.

Stone towers weremuch strongerthan early wooden ones.

Most windowswere small to stop attackersclimbing through.

The crenellations at the top of a castleare sometimes calledbattlements.

A typical castle?Bodiam Castle, in southernEngland, was started in1385. It has many defencefeatures to stop enemyattackers, such as a verywide moat that was difficult to cross.

5

In the loopMost castles have lots ofloopholes that soldiers wouldshoot arrows through. Thenarrow slit made it harderfor the enemy outside toshoot arrows back.

The small, tall towerwas a lookout post.

This French painting showscastle-building in the 1400s.

Castle a fortified home for a lord or king.

Crenellations the up-and-down stonework on top of the castle.

Master mason the personin charge of designing andbuilding a castle.

Castle words

The buildersA lord neededpermission from theking or ruler to builda castle. He would geta master mason todesign and build thecastle, which tookmany years and manyteams of builders.

Tools used hundreds ofyears ago look much the same as those we use today.

Lump hammer

ChiselDividers

6

Castle building really got going in Europein the 11th century. Some were simple,wooden buildings with a fence and ditcharound them for protection. The next stepup, motte and bailey castles, had a bigadvantage: height.

Early castles

High sightA motte was an important part of castle defence. By piling up earthand building the castle tower on top,people inside could see an attackingarmy coming a long way off.

The woodenfence, called apalisade, was latermade of stone.

A drawbridge could beraised to stop attackersclimbing up to the motte.

The earth takenfor the motte left a ditch, which wasan extra defence.

When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066,

•Wooden castles were quickto build and repair...

•...but they were easy toattack and burn down.

•Stone castles were strongerand did not rot like wood...

•...but they were expensiveand took many years to build.

Wood or stone?

Low lifeDown on the ground was the bailey, orcourtyard, where animals were kept. Staffbased here could run up the wooden bridge to the tower when the enemy came near.

From wood to stoneThe earliest stone castle was built morethan 1,000 years ago in northern France –before many wooden castles. Stone castleswere not popular at first because they tookmore time and money to build.

Looks like a good spotCastles were built in the best places to fightoff the enemy. But often, the castle builderswere not the first people to use the site.These ruins at Portchester Castle, England,lie within the remains of a Roman fort.

The bridge across themoat could be lifted to

stop unwelcome visitors.

he built two wooden castles in two weeks!

A typical bailey wouldcontain stables, a hall,workshops, and a chapel.

8

In 1077, William the Conqueror started work on astone keep by the River Thames in London, whichbecame known as the Tower of London. More wallswere added in the 13th century, and it has been

changing ever since.

A castle grows

The White TowerWilliam’s stone keep tookmore than 20 years to build.Once used as a residence, itbecame a store for weapons,jewels, and even prisoners!

The inner curtainwall has twelvetowers.

Outercurtain wall

The tower was thefirst thing seen

when arriving in London by boat.

The tower is 28 m (90 ft)high – three times as bigas its neighbours in theMiddle Ages.

William the Conquerorruled England from 1066.

9

Murky moatIn 1275, King Edward I added

a 50 m- (160 ft-) wide moat. It took six years to build butwas drained in 1830 because

the water was foul. Humanbones were found at the

bottom when it was emptied.

The Tower in the year 1200. The walls behindand at the top right are the old Roman wallsthat once surrounded the city of London.

Today’s Tower has many more buildings,including offices and barracks, but others,such as the Great Hall, have gone.

The outer curtain wall and the moat wereboth in place by 1300. It was now a concentriccastle, because it had a double wall.

This area would have been

fille

dw

ithw

ater

.

During the later Middle Ages, from the 10thto the 16th centuries, kings and lords lived incastles. Their servants slept in the castle too,but the farming peasants lived in huts.

A pagebecame a

squire whenhe grew up.

Who lived there?

Lady

The apprenticeThe squire was the lord’sattendant, and trained

to become a knight.

A new pageNoble-born sons

were sent away toother castles tobecome pages.

Ladies had female servants andnurses to bring up their children.

Lords grew rich from winning warsand tournaments.

Squires startedtraining around

the age of 13.

Page

Squire

Lord of the manorAs well as running his estateand being a judge, the lord’sjob was to be part of an army

and go to war.

Lady of the manorA lady would marry veryyoung, usually around theage of 12. She gave allshe owned to her husband.

Lord

The ladylooked afterimportantguests.

Stair turret

Lower hallKitchen

Behind closed doorsEarly castles were not pleasant to live in.

The only heating in the large rooms camefrom open fires, so it was cold and draughty.Apart from the lord, only the chaplain wasimportant enough to have his own bedroom.

Carpenter

Castle staffThe lord had lots of staff.Some were important officials,like the constable who lookedafter the castle when the lord was away. The more basictasks were done byservants, such ascooks and weavers.

Down on the farmMost peasants workedin the lord’s fields,growing food for thelord. He sold any sparecrops to make money.

Peasant

Spinster

Carpenters madehousehold objectsand repaired the castle.

Upper hall

Chapel

Chaplain’s room

The peasants’ hutswere in the fields,and were owned

by the lord.

Wool had to be spunso it could be used

to make clothes.

These three doorslead to the kitchens.

Only roomson the upperstoreys would

have largewindows.

This is the GreatHall of WarwickCastle, England.

Some floors were tiled.Carpets were rare andhad to be imported.

The great hall was a castle’s main room.Here the lord would eat, entertainguests, and do business. At first, thewhole household slept in the hall, butby about the 13th century, the lord and his family had their own bedrooms.

Food glorious food

A feast of funThe lord’s family would enjoy a largeevening meal. When they had guests,there would be a full banquet, withjugglers and minstrels.

Dinner is servedThe main meal was eaten in the latemorning. Meat and fish were thecentral dishes. Dessert was a luxury.The food was eaten off bread“plates”, called trenchers.

Drink it upIn the Middle Ages, water was so foulthat you could not drink it. An alewifemade ale for the staff. The lord and his

guests were more important so theyhad wine, which was more expensive.

Cooking toolsWhile knives and spoons have

not changed for centuries,some utensils are quite

different today. Scary-looking flesh hookswere used to lift meat

out of the pot, whichwas hung over a fire.

All the food would begrown or caught onthe lord’s estates.

Flesh hook

•The first “ovens” were openfires in the courtyard, to stopthe castle from burning down.

• Apart from the alewife, mostkitchen staff were men.

•Some castles even hada separate bakehouse,just for making bread.

Food for thought

Pigeon was ofteneaten, along with beef,pheasant, and venison.

Cookingpot

In the kitchenLarge castles usually had more than onekitchen. Food was kept in a pantry andcooked in the kitchen. Drinks were storedin a buttery, which was named after thebutts, or barrels, that stored drink.

Sauces were used to cover up the taste

of bad meat.

14

In the Middle Ages, there were noweekends! Peasants only had timeoff to go to church on Sundays, andfairs on feast days. But lords andladies had plenty of time to relax.

Time out

The sound of musicMost people could not read, so listening tomusic was educational as well as fun. Minstrelssang songs about war, love, and religion.

Playing the foolThe job of a jester,or fool, was to makehis lord laugh. Hewore a silly costumewith jingling bells,and told jokes.

Theentertainers

On a feast day orreligious holy day, such

as Easter, musicians andactors would tell the story ofthe festival at a village fair.

Lutes came toEurope from Arabia.

Instruments of the timeincluded pipes, trumpets,drums, and strings.

15

Time for prayersCastles had their own chapels, whichthe lord, his family, and the castlestaff had to attend daily. The lordemployed a chaplain, who could readand taught lessons from the Bible.

Dice were madeof wood or bone.

Your movePlaying games was one way ofpassing long evenings. Chess,backgammon, anddraughts werepopular – andstill are today.

What’s the catch?Hunting, especially with birds,was a daytime activity for the

whole family. Anything caughtwould be eaten for supper.

Dicing with dangerMen used to play with dice as a

gambling game. Some people enjoyed it so much, they lost fortunes.

KingKnightBishop

Chess pieces representthe different classes insociety, from the king

down to pawns.

16

Living in a castle wasn’t easy. Other lordswanted your land, and foreign invadersmight need to capture your castle beforethey could conquer the country. There wasa constant threat of being under siege.

Means of attackAs well as hand weapons andmachines, the attackers used a varietyof sneaky ways to get into the castle.These included climbing up drainsand even bribing the guards!

Dung

Under siege

Ready, aim...It was difficult to attack the high castlewalls, but catapults such as the mangoneland trebuchet helped. They were used tofling rocks over the battlements.

The bolt shootsforward when thebow is released.

This shows wherethe bolt sits.

W

hoosh

Whoosh

PAT ON THE HEADIt wasn’t just arrows orstarvation that killed acastle’s inhabitants: theattackers lobbed dunginto the castle to spreaddisease. They also threwthe heads of capturedsoldiers, scaring those inside.

ArrowheadsThe archers on the ground useddifferent types of arrows in their

longbows. A broadhead wasused for killing animals, while a bodkin could pierce armour.

What is a siege?The enemy would raid a village

and surround its castle. They set up camp and waited... and waited...

until either the lord surrendered, or he died of starvation inside. If

things took too long, they attacked.

... and shoot!This massive crossbowmachine is called a ballista.It was aimed at people, and

one of these outside thecastle gates would stopdefenders coming out.

Large rock

Mangonel

TrebuchetNot all sieges came

to a bloody end: the lord would

often surrender.

Bodkin

Broadhead

General purpose

Sling

Shut the gate!A gatehouse protected a castle’s entrance. It usually had at least one heavy portcullis

gate, which was lowered to cover the woodendoors behind. Some gatehouses had a defended

area in front, which was called a barbican.

Unwelcome visitors couldend up trapped inside the gatehouse, below

the murder holes.

Up inside the top of the arch were themurder holes. Soldiers poured boilingliquid onto the enemy through these.

Tricks of defenceThe attack has started, and the enemy areat the gate. The small garrison, or army,inside the castle are up on the battlements.Can they stop the enemy from getting in?

The garrison had a range of weapons, including:

•longbows and crossbows

•swords and daggers

•lances and war hammers

And if all that failed, theythrew rocks!

Getting the point

Soldiers dropped objectsthrough these holes,

called machicolations.

Round and round...Spiral staircases inside a castle

usually turned to the right. This meant that an attacker

going up had little room toswing his sword – but adefender coming down

had plenty.

In hot water!Contrary to popular belief,boiling oil was rarely used asa weapon, but boiling waterand hot sand were oftenthrown over the battlementsonto the enemy below.

Hide outCrenellations were made tohide behind. Soldiers tookcover behind the higherwalls, and peered out to shoot arrows over the lower parts.

However itlands, one spikealways sticks up.Watch your step

The garrison threw spiky metalcaltrops on the ground, to injurethe feet of enemy soldiers orhorses who stood on them.

19

Crenellations

Castle towers were the ideal place tolock up prisoners, because they werestrong buildings that were hard tobreak out of. Nobles who werecaptured in war were imprisoned so they could be held to ransom.

Lock ’em up

No escapeNobles held to

ransom were kept in good conditions.

Other prisoners werechained up as punishment,

and to stop them escaping.

Behind barsPeople caught misbehaving in theMiddle Ages would usually face afine or execution. Those “inside”were political or church prisonersor criminals awaiting trial.

This

collarw

eighs about 16 kg (35

lb).

Hea

vy!

The cuff would fit around a prisoner’s ankle.

The collar locks around aperson’s neck.

20

A royal painIt was common to tortureprisoners, sometimes withinstruments. In England you had to get a licence from the king or queen to torture prisoners.

Help, Help!HISTORY MYSTERY

Edward V was just 12 years oldwhen he became king in 1483. Hisuncle Richard locked him and hisbrother in the Tower of London,supposedly for their own protection.Richard then claimed the throne forhimself, and the boys disappeared... 200years later, workmen found bones in the tower. Had he murdered them?

A tongue-puller

Vaults wouldoften have

neck or leg chainssecured to the posts.

A long stretchMany “confessions” were givenunder torture. Before the rackwas invented, some prisonerswere tied between two horsesand pulled apart. Others weremade to stand in burning hay.

Where am I?Not every castle had a prison.Those without would keep theirprisoners in any spare room. In1553, Bishop Latimer was kept in ahen house at the Tower of London!

Looks likesomeone’s beenlocked up too long.

22

Kings and dukes needed armies to defendtheir lands. It was the lord’s job to servehis ruler by being a knight – a professionalsoldier who fought on horseback.

The knightPlate armour wasthe knight’s bestdefence againstweapons.

It was importantto protect the

horse in battle.

A team of horsesA knight had to have is own armour and a

horse. Some even hadfive horses: for war,

hunting, jousting,travelling, and

carrying baggage.

23

In 1429, Joan of Arc triedto save the French king by

leading an army into battle.A bed for the knightNot all knights had theirown land. Some lived inanother lord’s castle aspart of his garrison.The lord paid for their costly armour.

Women warriorsWhile only men couldbe knights, ladies wereexpected to defendtheir husband’s castle.Some even went towar – including nuns!

The lord

Samurai were famous fortheir archery skills withbows 2 m (6 ft) long.

Samurai were theruling class of Japanuntil the 16th century.

Knight or not?Japanese warriorswere not knights,they were Samurai.They lived by theirown rules calledbushido, whichmeans “the way of the warrior”.

Follow the leaderA knight employed staff whofollowed him into battle. Theyhelped him mount and dismounthis horse, and looked after thehorses and weapons.

A lord had to go through training tobecome a knight. Work started early:around seven years old, a lord’s sonwould leave home to work as a page.This led on to being a squire.

Knight school

Are you being served?Both pages and squires served the lord’sfamily at dinner. Squires would do themore impressive jobs, such as carvingmeat. Pages might pour the drinks.

The woodenboard swingsround whenit is hit.

Even trainedknights keptpractising.

Practice makes perfectLearning to ride horses andcontrol weapons was vital.Aiming a lance at a target was a common way of training.

25

Dress to impressThe squire was the

lord’s personal servant.He dressed the lord in

armour, looked afterhis weapons, and wenteverywhere with him –

even into battle.

No pain, no gainA page became a squire about the age of 13. The lord thentrained him to be a knight. He had to learn how to fight and use weapons, which included wrestling and throwing javelins. He would be dubbed, or made a knight, around the age of 21.

Best behaviourKnights had to behavein a certain way, which

was called chivalry. Itstarted out as rules forbattle, but soon spread

to everyday life.

First lessonsA page was taught

manners by thelady of the castle.Only some weretaught to read.

It only took about15 minutes to puton all the armour.

The lord wore anarming doubletunder hisarmour.

Chivalry rulesincluded how to

treat ladies.

2627

The first thing that comes to mind when you think of a knight is his armour. No other horsebackwarriors in the world had armourthat looked quite like the platearmour of the European knights.

He’s wearing a skirt!There were no plates to coverthe knight between the cuisseand the breastplate. Instead,he wore a skirt made of mail.It was flexible, so the knightcould sit down.

Underarm protectionA besagew is more than a fancy

plate: it provides extra defence bycovering a chink. If they were

left uncovered, weapons couldget through these gaps.

All wrapped up

Symbolic swordA knight’s swordand spurs were givento him when he wasdubbed. If these weretaken away fromhim, it meant he wasno longer a knight.

The top of thecuisse, or thighplate, straps on

to the body.

The average swordwas 75 cm (30 in)long – as long asthe knight’s leg!

The poleyn, orknee-covering,

joins to the cuisse.

The greaveover the shin isone of the first

parts to put on.

The gauntlet has aleather glove inside.

The couter doesnot bend, but you

can move yourarm inside it.

Chin upThe bevor protected theface and throat. The namecomes from an Old French

word that means “to dribble”.

Armour words

•Chink a gap in the armourwhere the plates meet.

•Couter a solid plate thatcovers the elbow.

•Dubbing the ceremonywhen a squire became a knight.

•Mail a kind of armourmade of iron links.

Besagew

The knight usedsharp spurs to

control his horse.

The sabaton is made ofa series of plates thatmove when you walk.

Soldiers have always needed protectiveclothing. The earliest types of armourwere padded clothes and a mail jacket.Over time, weapons became stronger,

and so did the armour.

Armour basicsA suit of plate armour weighs 25 kg (55 lb), about the sameas a seven year old child. It is

made in sections, or plates, so itis quite easy to walk in, but it isvery hot to wear.

Italianarmour

made in1380.

In shining armour

Pollaxe

Mail to plateMail is flexible armourmade from iron ringslinked together. Itgave little protectionagainst swords; hardsteel plateswere better.

HEAVY KNIGHTS

It’s a myth that armour was soheavy the knight had to be liftedonto his horse with a crane. But he did need attendants

to pick him up if he fell off in battle andwas hurt. They alsocleaned his armourto stop it gettingrusty – using amixture of sandand their ownurine.

29

On your headDuring the 14thcentury, coifs werereplaced by helmetswith mail attached atthe bottom. Many laterhelmets had no mail.

Coming in the mailThe Bayeux Tapestryshows the Normaninvasion of England in1066. The knights arewearing mail suits and a coif, or hood made ofmail, with a helmet on top.

The height of fashionLater armour, especially that used for paradesand tournaments, was based on local fashions. It could take six men to make just one suit.

Englisharmour

made in1587.

Italian helmet for warfare

Close-helmet for tournaments

O

pen-face helmet for parades

Germanarmourmade in1500.

A knight was called on to fight battlesabout land ownership and who was ruler. It was not common to have large warsduring the Middle Ages: a ruler could lose a whole army this way.

Mane protectionWarhorses were so valuable in battle that some were givenarmour. The most popularkind was a caparison, a cloth “skirt”.

Weapons of war

Close combatMany weapons weremounted on longwooden staffs, orpoles. Maces wereshorter, which showshow closely the twosides fought.

Mace

War hammer

Soldiers had tofollow rules of how

to act in battle.

Glaive

Into battleKnights made up only a part of an

army. Foot soldiers protectedthem before they charged.

During the 14th century,many knights dismounted

and fought alongsidethe foot soldiers.

Length of serviceOne of the few major wars of the MiddleAges was between France and England. It was called the Hundred Years’ War, but it lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453!

The army charged withstaff weapons until theywere near enough touse a mace or sword.

32

Joust for funThe knights of the Middle Ages weremore than soldiers – they were also thesports stars of the time! When not inbattle, they entertained crowds withtournaments, which were also good practice for fighting.

This knight has justbroken his lance, sohe has lost the joust.

HorseplayEarly tournaments had one event: a fight between teams of knights

on horses. Other events wereadded later, so this one was

renamed the tourney.

The tilt, or fence,stops the horses

charging intoeach other.

How to playJousting was ahigh-speed skill.A knight hadto knock hisopponent off theirhorse using a lance.The victor could winlots of prize money.

Choose your weaponEarly tournaments usedsharp battle weapons.Later on, mostweapons were blunted sothe knights were not killed – but they could still be injured.

•In early times, many knightswould be killed at tournaments.

•King Edward I bannedtournaments because theknights were jousting insteadof going to battle for him.

Not playing fairOn the defenceEach knight had his ownshield to use in combat. Thisone was used during the joust– its curved edge supporteda lance. The shield wasimportant for defence.

A lancewould fit

neatly intothis gap.

Lances for jousting werehollowed so they werenot too heavy.The mace could

seriously damagearmour.

When upright, the axe is as tall as an adult.

Lance

Mace

Pollaxe

Foot combatEarly foot tournaments saw two knightsbattling each other. This changed to

whole teams fighting acrossa barrier. Prizes for theseevents were smaller.

Helmets were padded inside toprotect the head.

Tournamentscould have

three events:the tourney,jousting, andfoot combat.

The handle was solidwood, for balance.

34

ShieldWhen aknight wasdressed in armour,it was hard to see whohe was. So knights displayed theirfamily coats of arms on their shields.

Early signsOne of the firstcoats of arms is

shown on thetomb of Geoffrey

Plantagenet,which dates

back to 1160.

Just for showThis sword belonged to the 16th-centuryItalian nobleman Cosimo de’ Medici,the Duke of Florence. His arms showthat he belonged to an order of knights.

•A knight would only everhave one coat of arms.

•Arms were passed downfrom father to son. If there wasmore than one son, the otherswould change the symbols.

•Arms are unique: no otherperson would have the same.

Presenting arms

Noble families each had a “coatof arms” – their own specialsymbol that was like havingtheir own logo. Knowing whosomeone is from their coat ofarms is called heraldry.

Heraldry

These are thearms of Cosimode’ Medici.

The pommel, or end of the sword, is shaped like a lion’s head.

Geoffrey was Duke of Normandy,an important French nobleman.

Every new coat of arms had to be registered.

A good impressionArms were originally astatus symbol of upper classfamilies. But after knights

displayed them, the rest ofsociety caught on. Even towns

would have their own arms.

What does it mean?Heraldry has its own

language, based on OldFrench, to describe thecolours and patterns on

arms. There is also a secretmeaning behind the

background colour andsymbols used.

A lion means a generous spirit,and red is the colour of a warrior.

If arms are quartered, it showstwo families that have joined

together in marriage.

This pottery jar datesfrom around 1500.

This ring prints itsowner’s coat of arms

when it is pressed intoa wax seal.

A unicorn shows courage andpurity, and green is hope and joy.

A dog means loyalty, and a silver background is peace.

An owl means vigilance and wit,and a blue background is truth.

Vert(g

reen

)

Gules (r

ed)

Azure

(blu

e)Arg

ent (

silve

r)

35

36

In 1096, Christian Europeans went to the Middle East to fight the Saracens – Muslim warriors whowere taking over the land. The ninewars that followed over the next 200years were known as the Crusades.

The Crusades

How it beganThe Christian Emperor of Byzantium askedPope Urban II to help defend against theSaracens. He gave a speech to the rulers ofEurope, and persuaded them to go to war.

The People’s CrusadeIt wasn’t only knights who supported

the Pope. Peasants, women, and childrenwent off on their own People’s Crusade. Theywere unsuccessful, but the knights reclaimedJerusalem in the First Crusade – for a while.

This 16th-century picture of the Crusades shows the knightsin 16th-century armour.

The other sideThe Crusaders foughtagainst the Saracens,

who fought on horseback,used curved swords, and

carried round shields.

Order, orderMany Crusader knights signed up tomilitary orders. The two most famousare the Knights Templar and theKnights of St John, who were alsocalled the Knights Hospitaller because they looked after the sick.

Shopping tripEuropeans travelling to the Middle Eastsaw a different world. They brought backexotic fruit, cotton clothes, and even sugar– before the 12th century, they used

honey instead.

Following ordersAfter the Crusades, kings

created their own orders sothat knights would be loyal

to them. By the 16th century,there were lots of new orders,

including the Order of the Garter,whose symbol is a cross of St George.

•“Saracen” was the Europeanname for all Muslims. Muslimscalled the Europeans “Franks”.

•Alexius I was emperor ofByzantium, where Greece and Turkey are today.

What’s in a name?

This is theseal of the Knights Templar.

The motto reads “The Sealof the Order of Christ”.

As well as hospitals, the Knights of St John also built castles. The biggestis Krak des Chevaliers in Syria.

Sugar

DatesCotton

38

The Moors were Arabs who came to Europefrom north Africa. They brought with them a different type of castle design, with domes,arches, decorative walls, and water features.

Moorish castles

The four towers arecalled Square, Round,Tribute, and Crumb.

No one knows for sure how oldthis kasbah is, but it was probablybuilt in the 16th century.

Film starOne of the most famous Arab castles,called kasbahs, is found in Ait Benhaddouin Morocco. Its style is so typical that it has featured in many Hollywood films.

Moor information

•The Moors ruled over largeparts of Spain and Portugal inthe Middle Ages.

•In 1492, the Catholic rulersof northern Spain drove theMoors out of southern Spain.

•The Spanish rulers capturedthe Alhambra, and lived there.

The castle by the riverThe Almodóvar del Rio, in Córdoba, Spain, has a networkof underground tunnels, dungeons, and water wells. It wasimportant to have a store of water in case of a siege.

Writing on the wallWalls and ceilings inside

Moorish castles aredecorated in an Arabic

style. They featurepatterns of brightly-

coloured tiles andverses from the Koran,

the Islamic holy book.

Enemies could be seenthrough the smallgaps in the fort wall.

This part of a royalpalace is called theTower of Hens.

Fantastic featIt took more than 140 years, from 1298,to build the Alhambra, in Granada,Spain. The oldest part is the fort, towhich three royal palaces and an estateof cottages and gardens were added.

Al-hamra means “thered one” – its wallsglow red at sunset.

This door is in oneof the Alhambra’s

royal palaces, whereMoorish kings lived.

40

With their own unique styles, Japanese,Chinese, and Indian castles are not onlydifferent to those in Europe, but alsofrom one another.

Asian castles

The Sun’s castleMehrangarh, in India, takes its name fromMehr, which means “Sun”. Its walls are37 m (120 ft) high and 6 m (20 ft) thick.No wonder it has never been captured!

Passage turretsconnect the largetower to the threesmaller ones.

Castle cityChina’s Imperial Palace, in Beijing, is actually a whole fortified city, whichwas finished in 1420. It was also called“The Forbidden City” because commonerswere not allowed to enter.

Chinese emperors lived herefrom 1420 to 1911.

A truly ancient castleYumbulagang castle was built in the 1stcentury BC. Its Tibetan name means “the palaceof mother and son”, because it has two parts.

The five-storeytower actually hasseven levels inside.

Himeji is also called “White Heron

Castle” because of its white walls.

A cool coatAlthough the tower

is stone, its frameand interior are wood.

The outside is covered inplaster to make it fireproof.

Himeji castleJapan’s biggest castle,Himeji, was first built as a fort in 1346 and has beenrebuilt twice. Started in 1601,it took 50 million peoplenine years to build the tower!

With their massive height and thick walls,towers are a castle’s key defence. Althoughthey were harder to build, round towers were

better than square towers – but towers come inall shapes and sizes.

Towering strengths

French châteauxThe Loire Valley, France, is famous for its castles,or châteaux. They have a special French design

of narrow towers with high roofs.

42

This is a typicalmedieval château,with a drawbridge,moat, and towers.

It took 44years to buildChâteau deChaumont,from 1466 to 1510.

The unusually-shaped towers are called “pepperpots”.

I like your styleDifferent castle styles depend on when and where they werebuilt. Twelfth-century Gothic castles are tall and imposing,but 15th-century Renaissance castles are more ornate.

German GothicSome German castles,such as the Gothic-styleBurg Eltz, have strangeshapes. Built onmountains or crags,they had to fit thesmallest of spaces.

Welsh wallsConwy Castle in Walesis built into the townwalls. The castle haseight round towers, andthere are another 13 inthe town walls. They areover 20 m (70 ft) tall.

Pieces of eightThe unique Castel del Monte in Italy has octagonal towersaround an eight-sidedkeep. It was built byFrederick II in 1249 as a hunting lodge.

Swedish styleThe town of Kalmar,Sweden, grew uparound its 12th-centurycastle. The castle wasrebuilt in 1540 in theRenaissance style, withdecorative towers.

43

•Square towers have cornersthat attackers could hidearound, unseen by defenders.

•Square towers could also be undermined – madeto collapse by diggingunder a corner.

Don’t be square

The 500-year-olddrawbridge stillworks. It leads to a courtyard. A plan of

the castlefrom above.

44

King Ludwig II wanted thecastle to look like “the oldGerman knights’ castles”.

Castles todayImagine living in a castle. In the Middle Agesthey were cold and uncomfortable places tolive. Later castles were grander, with moreluxuries. Even now people build houses to looklike castles as a sign of power and wealth.

Fit for a kingKing Ludwig II wantedNeuschwanstein Castle to be his dream home. Workstarted in 1869. It was soornate, it took 14 carpentersfour years to do the carvingsin his bedroom alone!

Bed and boardIf you want to live in acastle, you could stay inone on holiday. Some oldcastles are now hotels,and some new hotels looklike romantic old castles.

American dreamBetween 1919 and 1947,

in California, USA,William Randolph

Hearst built himself acastle... and three guest

houses, a zoo, swimmingpools, and tennis courts!

It’s a fairy taleWalt Disney used

Neuschwanstein as a modelfor Cinderella’s castle in

Walt Disney World, Florida.

The house on the hillCasa Loma, or “the house on the hill”, was built by Sir Henry Pellant between 1911 and 1914 in

Toronto, Canada. But Sir Henry could not affordto pay for it, so he ended up living on a farm.

This South African hotel is based on Castle Lichtenstein, which is in Germany.

arming doublet A jacket wornunder armour with mail attachedto fill the gaps in the plates. bailey The courtyard of a castle,which had workshops or otherbuildings inside. Animals were also kept here.ballista A giant crossbow onwheels that shot massive bolts.barbican Part of the defences on the outside of the castle walls. It usually protected the gate.battlements The stonework on topof a castle with gaps for soldiers toshoot weapons through. Also calledcrenellations.besagew The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the armpit.bevor The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the neck and chin.caltrop A four-pointed, spikedweapon thrown on the ground to injure horses and foot soldiers.chaplain The man who led prayersin the chapel and taught lessonsfrom the Bible to the family.chivalry The knights’ code ofconduct – how they should behave in war and in love.coif An early type of mail armourthat covered the head. concentric castle A castle withtwo walls around the outside.couter The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the elbow.crenellations Another name forbattlements on top of a castle.

crossbow A bow with a woodenhandle that shot short arrowscalled bolts.cuisse The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the thigh.dubbing The ceremony where asquire became a knight. He wastapped on the neck or shoulderwith a sword. feudal system The class system of the early Middle Ages in Europe.The king was at the top and ownedall the land. Bishops and baronswere below him, then the lesserlords, and finally the peasants.Feudalism died out by the 1600s.fort A strong building or set ofbuildings that protected defenders.People did not live in a fort.garrison A group of soldiers wholived in the castle.gauntlet The part of a suit of plate armour that covered thehand, like a metal glove.glaive A weapon with a long blade on the end of a pole. great tower The main tower of acastle. It usually contained a hall,the lord’s rooms, and store rooms.greave The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the shin.heraldry Using of coats of arms toidentify knights and noble families.joust A competition between twoknights on horseback. They usedlances to knock their opponent off his horse.

GlossaryHere are the meanings of some words that are useful

to know when learning about castles and knights.

keep Another name for the greattower of a castle.lance A long wooden pole with apointed metal tip, used as a weapon.longbow A large and powerful

bow used to shoot arrows.

palisade A wooden fence around a castle used for defence.peasant A lower-class person who worked the lord’s lands.plate armour A suit of armourmade up of metal plates. poleyn The part of a suit of platearmour that covered the knee.portcullis A heavy grille that was lowered to protect the castleentrance against enemies.ringwork An early type of castle,which had banks of earth and awooden fence for defence.sabaton The part of a suit of plate armour that covered the foot.siege When the enemy surroundsand attacks a castle to force its lord to surrender. squire A young nobleman whowas a page and now is the lord’sservant and a knight in training.tournament Display of fightingskills by knights and squires, whichincluded jousting.trebuchet A tall catapult usedduring a siege.war hammer A hammer with a sharp point that could pierceplate armour.

loophole A narrow opening in a wall that soldiers could shootweapons through. lord Any nobleman, who was alsoa knight. Most lords owned castlesand had staff working for them. mace A club with a heavy metalend that could crush armour. mail A type of armour made ofmetal rings linked together.mangonel A catapult that wasused to throw stones at a castleduring a siege.master mason A man whodesigned castles. He would be trained in stonework.minstrel A poet who sang andplayed instruments. He entertainedat castle feasts.moat A ditch around a castle,often filled with water.motte A natural or man-mademound in a castle, on which stood a wall and often a tower. page A young son of a noblefamily who was sent to anothercastle to serve the lord and starttraining to be a knight.

Index

48

Colin Keates/Courtesy of the Natural History Museum, London ca. 16 The PictureDesk: The Art Archive/JFB r. 16-17 Dick Clark. 17 Dick Clark: r. 18 Alamy Images:Kevin White t. 19 Alamy Images: Seymour Rogansky b. 19 DK Images: GeoffDann/Courtesy of the Board of Trustees of the Royal Armouries cal. 19 Topfoto.co.uk:HIP/The British Library tl. 20 Corbis: Richard T. Nowitz cra. 21 Chateau Chillon. 21Corbis: Bettmann tl. 21 DK Images: Harry Taylor/Courtesy of the Natural HistoryMuseum, London br. 22 Dick Clark: 23. akg-images: tc. 23 Dick Clark: clb. 23Topfoto.co.uk: br. 24 www.bridgeman.co.uk: British Library tl. 24-25 Dick Clark. 25DK Images: The British Museum cl. 25 The Picture Desk: The Art Archive tcl. 26-27Corbis: Elio Ciol. 28 Dick Clark: l. 29 www.bridgeman.co.uk: Musee de la Tapisserie,Bayeux, France with special authorisation of the city of Bayeux tcl. 29 Corbis:Philidelphia Museum of Art bl. 29 DK Images: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of the WallaceCollection, London cra, bc, cal, car. 30 Corbis: Kit Houghton tl. 30 DK Images: GeoffDann/The British Museum bcl. 30-31 Dick Clark. 31 www.bridgeman.co.uk: Earl ofLeicester, Holkham Hall, Norfolk tl. 32 Dick Clark: tl. 32-33 Dick Clark. 33 DickClark: br. 33 DK Images: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of the Wallace Collection, London tl,a, car. 34 DK Images: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of the Wallace Collection, London bc. 36Corbis: Archivo Iconografico, SA tl, b. 37 Alamy Images: Expuesto/Nicolas Randall tr.37 www.bridgeman.co.uk: Giraudon/Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France bl. 37Corbis: Francis G. Mayer c; Origlia Franco/Sygma cra. 37 DK Images: Angus McBridecla. 38 Alamy Images: LifeFile Photos Ltd/Emma Lee car; Pat Behnke bl. 38-39 Corbis:Hubert Stadler. 39 Alamy Images: Ian Dagnall tr. 39 Corbis: Patrick Ward tc. 40 A1Pix: Superbild cra. 40 Alamy Images: Panorama Stock Photos Co Ltd/Hu Weibiao clb;40 Corbis: Sheldan Collins cla. 40-41 Alamy Images: SC Photos/Dallas and JohnHeaton. 41 Corbis: Michael S. Yamashita tr. 42-43 Alamy Images: AM Corporation.43 Corbis: Dave Bartruff bc; Massimo Listri cb; Paul Thompson/Eye Ubiquitous ca. 43Getty Images: Stone/Stephen Studd tc. 44 A1 Pix: tl. 44 Corbis: ChromoSohmInc./Joseph Sohm tr; Jose Fuste Raga bcr. 44-45 Getty Images: Taxi/Josef Beck. 45Alamy Images: Ian Dagnall tcl. 46-47 Getty Images: Image Bank/Angelo Cavalli. 48 Alamy Images: Trevor Smithers. 48 DK Images: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of TheWallace Collection, London c.

All other images © Dorling Kindersley.

For further information see: www.dkimages.com

AcknowledgementsDorling Kindersley would like to thank:Cathy Chesson for design assistance; Andy Cooke for artwork; Peter Bull for digital artwork; Sarah Mills and Karl Stange for picture library services.

Picture creditsThe publisher would like to thank the following for their kindpermission to reproduce their photographs:t-top, b-bottom, r-right, l-left, c-centre, a-above, f-far

1 Alamy Images: Alasdair Ogilvie/The National Trust Photolibrary. 2 DKImages: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of the Wallace Collection, London tl. 3 GettyImages: Photographer's Choice. 4 Corbis: Buddy Mays tl. 4-5 Alamy Images:Worley Design. 5 Arcangel Images: tl. 5 www.bridgeman.co.uk:Giraudon/Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Paris ca. 5 DK Images: GeoffDann/Courtesy of the National Guild of Stone Masons and Carvers, London tr,tcl; Torla Evans/The Museum of London tcr. 6-7 DK Images: DaveRudkin/Gordon Models - modelmaker. 7 Corbis: Robert Estall tr. 7 Photo-Links.com: cla. 8 Corbis: Bettmann tl. 8 Getty Images: Robert Harding WorldImagery bl. 8-9 Topfoto.co.uk: HIP/English Heritage. 9 Alamy Images: AdrianChinery tr. 9 The Board of Trustees of the Armouries: Ivan Lapper cra, crb, br. 10 Alamy Images: Liquid-Light Photography l. 10Topfoto.co.uk: The British Library/HIP tl. 11 Alamy Images: geogphotos tl. 11DK Images: Geoff Brightling/Courtesy of the Order of the Black Prince cb. 12DK Images: British Library tr. 13 Corbis: Ludovic Maisant cal. 13 DK Images:Torla Evans/The Museum of London bc, cbr. 14 Bodleian Library, Universityof Oxford: tcr. 14 DK Images: Geoff Dann/Courtesy of the Anthony BartonCollection c, bl. 14-15 A1 Pix: Superbild. 15 Collections: Roy Stedall-Humphreys tl. 15 DK Images: Geoff Dann/The British Museum br, bcr, brl;Torla Evans/The Museum of London c. 16 DK Images:

dagger 18drawbridge 6

food 11, 13, 24fort 4, 7, 39

games 15glaive 30great hall 9, 11, 12

Hearst Castle 44Himeji 40-41horse 19, 22, 23,

31, 37Hundred Years’ War 31hunting 15

Imperial Palace 40

jester 14jousting

32-33

Kalmar Castle 43

keep 8, 43king 10, 22kitchen 13

lady 10, 25lance 18, 31, 32, 33longbow 17, 18loopholes 4, 5lord 10-11, 22-23,

24, 25

mace 30, 31, 33machicolations 19mail 27, 28, 29mangonel 16master mason 5Mehrangarh 40minstrel 12, 14moat 9motte and bailey 6-7murder holes 18music 14-15Mycenae 4

Neuschwanstein Castle 44-45page 10, 24, 25

palisade 6peasant 11pollaxe 28, 33portcullis 18prison 20-21

Samurai 23Saracens 36, 37shield 25, 33, 34, 37squire 10, 24-25sword 18, 19, 27, 28,

29, 31, 34, 37

tournament 32-33tower 5, 8, 9, 20, 38,

41, 42-43Tower of London 8-9,

20, 21trebuchet 16-17

war hammer 18, 30weapons 17-16, 18-19,

24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33

William the Conqueror 8

Yumbulagang Castle 40

Ait Benhaddou 38Alhambra 38-39Almodóvar del Rio 38armour 17, 22, 23, 25,

26-27, 28-29, 30arrows 17, 19

ballista 16barbican 18battlements 4, 5, 18Bayeux Tapestry 29bedroom 11, 12Bodiam Castle 4Burg Eltz 43

caltrops 19Casa Loma 44Castel del Monte 43catapults 16-17chapel 11, 15chaplain 11, 15Chateau de Chambord

42-43chivalry 25, 30Cinderella’s castle 45coat of arms 34-35concentric castle 8, 9Conwy Castle 43crenellations 4, 5, 19crossbow 18