Castles of feudal lords still attract admiring glances. It is hard to believe that life flowed in these sometimes fabulous buildings: people organized life, raised children, and took care of their subjects. Many castles of the feudal lords of the Middle Ages are protected by the states in which they are located, because their arrangement and architecture are unique. However, all these structures have a number of common features, because their functions were the same and proceeded from the lifestyle and state essence of the feudal lord.
Feudal lords: who are they
Before we talk about what a feudal lord's castle looked like, let's consider what kind of class it was in medieval society. European states were then monarchies, but the king, standing at the pinnacle of power, decided little. Power was concentrated in the hands of the so-called lords - they were the feudal lords. Moreover, within this system there was also a hierarchy, the so-called feudal ladder. Knights stood on its lower tier. The feudal lords who were one step higher were called vassals, and the vassal-seignor relationship was preserved exclusively for nearby levels.stairs.
Each lord had his own territory, on which the feudal lord's castle was located, a description of which we will definitely give below. Subordinates (vassals) and peasants also lived here. Thus, it was a kind of state within a state. That is why a situation called feudal fragmentation developed in medieval Europe, which greatly weakened the country.
Relations between the feudal lords were not always good-neighborly, there were often cases of enmity between them, attempts to conquer territories. The possession of the feudal lord had to be well fortified and protected from attack. We will consider its functions in the next part.
Basic lock functions
The very definition of "castle" implies an architectural structure that combines economic and defensive tasks.
Based on this, the castle of the feudal lord in the Middle Ages performed the following functions:
1. Military. The construction was not only supposed to protect the inhabitants (the owner himself and his family), but also servants, colleagues, vassals. In addition, it was here that the headquarters of military operations was stationed.
2. Administrative. The castles of the feudal lords were a kind of centers from where the administration of the lands was carried out.
3. Political. State issues were also resolved in the seigneur's possessions, from here instructions were given to local managers.
4. Cultural. The atmosphere reigning in the castle allowed the subjects to get an idea of the latest fashion trends - whether it be clothing, art trends ormusic. In this matter, the vassals have always been guided by their liege.
5. Economic. The castle was a center for peasants and artisans. This applied to both administrative issues and trade.
It would be wrong to compare the castle of the feudal lord, the description of which is given in this article, and the fortress. There are fundamental differences between them. Fortresses were designed to protect not only the owner of the territory, but all residents without exception, while the castle was a fortification exclusively for the feudal lord living in it, his family and the closest vassals.
A fortress is a fortification of a piece of land, and a castle is a defensive structure with a developed infrastructure, where each element performs a specific function.
Prototypes of feudal castles
The first buildings of this kind appeared in Assyria, then this tradition was adopted by Ancient Rome. Well, after the feudal lords of Europe - mainly Great Britain, France and Spain - they begin building their castles. Often one could see such buildings in Palestine, because then, in the XII century, the Crusades were in full swing, respectively, the conquered lands had to be held and protected through the construction of special structures.
The castle-building trend disappears with feudal fragmentation as European states become centralized. Indeed, now it was possible not to be afraid of attacks by a neighbor who encroached on someone else.
Special, protective, functionality is gradually giving wayaesthetic component.
External description
Before we disassemble the structural elements, let's imagine what a feudal lord's castle looked like in the Middle Ages. The first thing that caught your eye was a moat encircling the entire territory on which the monumental structure stood. Next was a wall with small turrets to repel the enemy.
There was only one entrance to the castle - a drawbridge, then - an iron grate. Above all other buildings towered the main tower, or donjon. The necessary infrastructure was also located in the courtyard outside the gate: workshops, a forge and a mill.
It should be said that the place for the building was chosen carefully, it had to be a hill, a hill or a mountain. Well, if it was possible to choose a territory to which, at least on one side, a natural reservoir adjoined - a river or a lake. Many note how similar the nests of birds of prey and castles are (photo for an example below) - both of them were famous for their impregnability.
Castle Hill
Let's look at the structural elements of the structure in more detail. The hill for the castle was a hill of regular shape. As a rule, the surface was square. The height of the hill averaged from five to ten meters, there were structures above this mark.
Special attention was paid to the rock from which the bridgehead for the castle was made. As a rule, clay was used, peat, limestone rocks were also used. They took material from the ditch, which they dug around the hill for greater security.
Were popular andflooring on the slopes of the hill, made of brushwood or boards. There was also a staircase here.
Ditch
In order to slow down the advance of a potential enemy for some time, as well as to make it difficult to transport siege weapons, a deep ditch with water was needed, encircling the hill on which the castles were located. The photo shows how this system functioned.
It was necessary to fill the moat with water - this guaranteed that the enemy would not dig into the castle grounds. Water was most often supplied from a natural reservoir located nearby. The ditch had to be regularly cleaned of debris, otherwise it would become shallow and could not fully fulfill its protective functions.
There were also cases when logs or stakes were mounted in the bottom, which prevented the crossing. A swing bridge was provided for the owner of the castle, his family, subjects and guests, which led directly to the gate.
Gate
Besides its direct function, the gate performed a number of others. The castles of the feudal lords had a very protected entrance, which was not so easy to capture during the siege.
The gates were equipped with a special heavy grate, which looked like a wooden frame with thick iron bars. When necessary, she lowered herself to delay the enemy.
In addition to the guards standing at the entrance, on both sides of the gate on the fortress wall there were two towers for a better view (the entrance area was the so-called "blindzone." Not only sentries were stationed here, but also archers were on duty.
Perhaps the gate was the most vulnerable part of the gate - an urgent need for its protection arose in the dark, because the entrance to the castle was closed at night. Thus, it was possible to trace everyone who visits the territory at "off-hours" time.
Courtyard
After passing the control of the guards at the entrance, the visitor entered the courtyard, where one could observe the real life in the castle of the feudal lord. Here were all the main outbuildings and work was in full swing: warriors trained, blacksmiths forged weapons, artisans made the necessary household items, servants performed their duties. There was also a well with drinking water.
The area of the courtyard was not large, which made it possible to keep track of everything that happens on the territory of the seigneur's property.
Donjon
The element that always catches your eye when you look at the castle is the donjon. This is the highest tower, the heart of any feudal dwelling. It was located in the most inaccessible place, and the thickness of its walls was such that it was very difficult to destroy this structure. This tower provided the opportunity to observe the surroundings and served as a last refuge. When the enemies broke through all the lines of defense, the population of the castle took refuge in the donjon and withstood a long siege. At the same time, the donjon was not only a defensive structure: here, at the highest level, the feudal lord and his family lived. Below are servants and warriors. Often there was a well inside this structure.
The lowest floor is a huge hall where magnificent feasts were held. At the oak table, which was bursting with all kinds of dishes, the feudal lord's retinue and himself were seated.
The interior architecture is interesting: spiral staircases were hidden between the walls, along which it was possible to move between levels.
Moreover, each of the floors was independent of the previous and next. This provided additional security.
The dungeon kept supplies of weapons, food and drink in case of a siege. Products were kept on the highest floor so that the feudal family was provided for and did not starve.
And now consider one more question: how comfortable were the castles of the feudal lords? Unfortunately, this quality has suffered. Analyzing the story about the castle of the feudal lord, heard from the lips of an eyewitness (a traveler who visited one of these places of interest), we can conclude that it was very cold there. No matter how hard the servants tried to heat the room, nothing worked, the halls were too huge. Also noted was the lack of a cozy home and the monotony of "chopped" rooms.
Wall
Almost the most important part of the castle, which was owned by a medieval feudal lord, was the fortress wall. It surrounded the hill on which the main building stood. Special requirements were put forward for the walls: an impressive height (so that the stairs for the siege were not enough) and strength, because not only human resources, but also special devices were often used for the assault. Averageparameters of such structures: 12 m in height and 3 m in thickness. Impressive, isn't it?
The wall was crowned in every corner by observation towers, in which sentries and archers were on duty. There were also special places on the wall near the castle bridge so that the besieged could effectively repel the attack of the attackers.
In addition, along the entire perimeter of the wall, along its very top, there was a gallery for defense soldiers.
Life in the castle
How was life in a medieval castle? The second person after the feudal lord was the manager, who kept records of the peasants and artisans subject to the owner, who worked on the territories of the estate. This person took into account how much production was produced and brought, what amounts the vassals paid for the use of the land. Often the manager worked in tandem with the clerk. Sometimes a separate room was provided for them on the territory of the castle.
The staff included direct servants helping the owner and mistress, there was also a cook with assistant cooks, a stoker - the person responsible for heating the room, a blacksmith and a saddler. The number of servants was directly proportional to the size of the castle and the status of the feudal lord.
The large room was hard enough to heat. Stone walls cooled down at night, in addition, they strongly absorbed moisture. Therefore, the rooms were always damp and cold. Of course, the stokers tried their best to keep warm, but this was not always possible. Particularly we althy feudal lords could afford to decorate the walls with wood or carpets, tapestries. Toto keep as much heat as possible, the windows were made small.
For heating, limestone stoves were used, which were located in the kitchen, from where heat spread to nearby rooms. With the invention of pipes, it became possible to heat other rooms of the castle. Tiled stoves created special comfort for the feudal lords. A special material (baked clay) allowed heating large areas and retained heat better.
What did they eat in the castle
The diet of the inhabitants of the castle is interesting. Here, social inequality was best seen. Most of the menu consisted of meat dishes. And it was selected beef and pork.
A no less important place on the table of the feudal lord was occupied by agricultural products: bread, wine, beer, porridge. The trend was as follows: the more noble the feudal lord, the lighter the bread on his table. It's no secret that it depends on the quality of the flour. The percentage of grain products was the maximum, and meat, fish, fruits, berries and vegetables were just a nice addition.
A special feature of cooking in the Middle Ages was the abundant use of spices. And here the nobility could afford something more than the peasantry. For example, African or Far Eastern spices, which cost (for a small capacity) were not inferior to cattle.
