What the feudal lord's castle looked like. Abstract: Feudal castle as a fortress and dwelling of the feudal lord

29.10.2023

Feudal castle as a fortress and home of the feudal lord

Life and customs of feudal lords

The main occupation of the feudal lords, especially in this early period, was war and the robbery that accompanied it. Therefore, the entire life and customs of the feudal lords were mainly subordinated to the needs of war.

In the IX-XI centuries. Europe was covered with feudal castles. The castle, the usual dwelling of a feudal lord, was at the same time a fortress, his refuge from external enemies, from feudal neighbors, and from rebel peasants. The castle allowed the feudal lord to dominate the entire surrounding area and keep its entire population in subjection. Especially many castles were built in connection with the raids of the Normans, Arabs and Hungarians. From a distance, the castle resembled the nest of a bird of prey: it was usually built on a wooded hill or high river bank, from where one could have a good view of the surroundings and where it would be easier to defend against the enemy. Until the end of the 10th century. castles were built mainly from wood and most often consisted of a two-story wooden tower, in the upper floor of which the feudal lord lived, and in the lower floor - the squad and servants. Here or in the outbuildings there were warehouses for weapons, provisions, premises for livestock, etc. The castle was surrounded by a rampart and a moat filled with water. A drawbridge spanned the ditch. Around the beginning of the 11th century. feudal lords began to build stone castles, usually surrounded by two or even three high stone walls with loopholes and watchtowers in the corners. The main multi-story tower, the “donjon,” still rose in the center. The dungeons of such towers often served as a prison, where the enemies of the feudal lord languished in chains - his captives, rebellious vassals and peasants who had done something wrong. Given the state of military equipment at that time, such a stone castle would have been difficult to take by storm. Usually he surrendered only as a result of a months-long siege.

The castle was surrounded by a deep moat. Several rows of thick stone walls were erected around it, topped with round or quadrangular towers with narrow loopholes. You could get into the castle through a drawbridge, which was lowered on heavy cast-iron chains. The gate tower had massive oak gates bound with iron. Behind the inverted tower there was a lifting door in the form of a cast-iron grate. During the assault, they tried to lower it behind the back of the enemy who had broken through. Behind the first wall there was a utility yard with a mill, a forge, an armory and other workshops. Behind the second row of walls were the main tower of the castle, stables and weapons warehouses. The main stronghold of the castle during the siege was the main castle tower. It contained living rooms for the owners and rooms for guests and servants. Its lower floor was a hall, the entire length of which ran an oak table. On days of riotous feasts, the carcasses of roasted bulls, rams and deer towered on it. A spiral staircase, hidden in the thickness of the walls, led to the upper living quarters. One floor was isolated from the other. If enemies broke into the tower, boiling tar and molten lead were poured onto their heads through holes in the ceiling from one floor to another. The hatch was then tightly covered with a heavy stone slab. At the very top of the castle tower, abundant supplies of food and drink were stored. Thus, the feudal castle was a real fortress that protected the feudal lord from “external” enemies - other feudal lords and from his subjects - serfs, if they rebelled. At the same time, let's take a look at the castle from the point of view of amenities. Here is how the French historian and critic Lucien Febvre describes the castle of the Middle Ages based on historical documents: “Take your eyes for a moment from the facades in the antique style, from the numerous sculptures, from the superbly decorated marble. Take a look at these luxurious residences simply through the eyes of a tenant inspecting the property. All rooms are located in an enfilade; they are huge, monotonous, cut into squares; blank wall in front, blank wall behind, windows in the wall on the right, windows in the wall on the left. And if anyone wants to go from one end of the floor to the other, there is no other way than to pass, one after another, all the interconnected halls... There is no doubt that in winter they had to shiver from the cold... In vain a whole army of stokers carried full boxes of brushwood and logs from one room where there was a stove, in another the same one... At a distance from the fire, people were freezing. And if the fire was burning, people under the fireplace awning would swelter from the heat.”

Feudal castles of the XII-XV centuries

The system of relationships in the feudal elite was based on vassalage. To honor his outstanding warrior for his faithful service, the king gives him a castle or even an entire dominion (fief) along with the population that lived there and makes him his vassal. This not only tied the feudal lord to the king, but also left a certain imprint on his way of life. In most cases, having received a castle or dominion from the king, the feudal lord lived in close proximity to his subordinates. Often he worked the land and carried on his subsistence farming together with his servants. Therefore, the feudal lord built his dwelling-estate in the center of his domain among the fields. In addition, the right to ownership often had to be proven with arms in hand from other feudal lords. After all, the era of early feudalism was filled with endless civil strife. From the castle, built in close proximity to the subordinate peasants, the feudal lord could control all approaches to his possession, here he defended himself from enemies, and himself prepared for attacks on the possessions of neighbors or merchant caravans. Thus, the feudal castle becomes a symbol of the feudal lord’s power over the surrounding lands. Feudal estates built residential and utility buildings, as well as dugouts and wooden houses for servants. Until the 12th century, on such estates the temple remained a single stone structure. Most often, such estates also had the most basic fortifications. The strengthening of feudal relations brought a certain revolution in the class consciousness of the feudal elite, which developed its own ideology, peculiar only to it. In the countries of Western Europe in the last quarter of the 12th century, the upper class acquired hereditary rights to land ownership, externally reinforced by the appearance of coats of arms and titles. The feudal elite became aware of their dominant position. Thus, the highest nobility, and first of all its honorary representatives, become participants in all outstanding events of the era - both military and political. A significant turn in the development of feudal culture, including construction, was the Crusades, acquaintance with the Arab world of refined culture, with Byzantium. Frequent relations with foreigners required local feudal nobles to match them not only in the wealth of clothing and weapons, but also in such an important area as housing culture. A specific ritual of communication, mutual visits of feudal lords, and their participation in tournaments or hunting is developed. Under those conditions, the wooden building in which the feudal lord lived with his family and where he received guests no longer met its purpose. Therefore, it is quite natural that feudal lords begin to rebuild their homes. Stone is replacing wood as a building material. If in the 10th-11th centuries only the king had the right to build castles in the Central European kingdoms and they were built as administrative centers, then with the development of feudal relations, the former members of the king’s squad gradually became isolated, land donated for their service was assigned to them and their heirs, and together With this, the need arises to build the feudal lord's castle in close proximity to the subordinate peasants. The feudal lord most often builds his stone castle in a hard-to-reach, strategically important place - on a steep rock, a lonely hill that rises above the flat terrain. Thus, the feudal castle becomes a symbol of the feudal lord’s power over the surrounding lands. Castles and kings continue to build, both as administrative centers and to protect free (independent of local feudal lords) royal cities, which arose in the 12-13th century on all significant trade routes and mining sites for various ores and salt. As a rule, the castle was built on a mountain, and the city on a plain at some distance from it. It should be noted that these distances, which were preserved over the centuries, were caused not only and not so much by the topographical features of the area, rather than by strategic considerations: the need to create space for shelling attackers on the castle and at the same time protect the castle from fires, which were quite frequent in the cities of that time with their wooden buildings. On the other hand, the city residents also wanted to maintain a distance from their formidable neighbor, because relations between them were far from peaceful. At the end of the 12th century, new structures began to appear on the estates - stone towers - the predecessors of a new type of castle. The model for the first stone castles was provided by the more progressive feudalism of Western Europe. The Romanesque architectural style, whose name comes from the Latin name of the city of Rome, was also developed and established there. This already hints that the Romanesque architectural style is based on the Roman architectural tradition. But at the same time, it absorbed elements and traditions of Byzantine architecture, and that, in turn, of the architecture of the Middle East. So, the Romanesque style reflected the experience of builders from almost the entire Mediterranean. It was brought to Central Europe, including our region, by construction teams from Western Europe in the 12th century. Original castles are also built in the Romanesque style. First of all, thick fortress walls are built that surround the castle courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, on a hill, a stone donjon tower is being built, which resembles the watchtowers of ancient Roman fortifications. The tower performed housing and defense functions at the same time. Sometimes there was also a chapel in the donjon. Since the beginning of the 13th century, the construction of feudal castles, the dominant feature of which is a stone tower, has been gaining significant momentum. The impetus for this was the desire of the nobles to further strengthen their power, to oppose themselves to the king, to compare with him not only in wealth, but also in their way of life. The feudal lord builds his stone castle, most often, in a hard-to-reach, strategically important place - on a steep rock, a lonely hill that rises above the flat terrain. These castles no longer performed only defensive and residential functions, but also representative ones. Tower castles, as a rule, had several floors, the thickness of their walls reached 3-4 meters, only at the level of the second and third floors the walls were cut through by narrow windows, rarely placed along the entire wall. The feudal lord's dwelling was located on the second floor, which could be reached through one narrow passage along an attached wooden ladder or steps, which in case of danger could be taken away or burned. On the ground floor there were chambers with food supplies in case of a siege, and an arsenal. On the third floor there were rooms for servants and warriors, and guards were posted on the upper platform. The donjon tower, of course, also had a dungeon where the prison was located. The defense system of the Romanesque castle was very complex for its time. Its first line consisted of earth ramparts and a deep ditch that surrounded the entire territory of the castle. The second is the fortress walls, which in the 12th century were already fortified with small defensive towers. The entrance to the castle, as a rule, led through an underground bridge. Although the castle tower-donjon is an integral part of the castle, it is a completely autonomous structure that can be successfully defended on its own. In the 12th century, next to the donjon there was also a house in which the owner of the castle and his family lived in peacetime. A family chapel, a kitchen, a stable and other utility rooms are also being built here. The most striking representative of the Romanesque type of castles in our region is Serednyansky, as well as the oldest part of the Mukachevo castle, the so-called “Upper Castle”, the main buildings of which were built during the time of Prince Fyodor Koryatovich at the end of the 14th century - at the beginning of the 15th century. The belated construction of the donjon in the Mukachevo castle is explained by its significant distance from the political and cultural centers of Europe, which led to delays in the perception of new ideas. Of course, the Romanesque castle with a donjon tower already had significant defensive capabilities. Moreover, in these castles it was possible to conduct only passive defense. Therefore, when new construction technology appeared at the end of the 13th century, which made it possible to build a much more complex and more flexible castle defense system, tower castles gradually lost their importance. They are being replaced by a Gothic castle with a more advanced fortification system. There is no clear chronological line between the Romanesque and Gothic styles. Already in the middle of the 12th century, during the heyday of the Romanesque style, elements of the new Gothic style appeared in northern France. Its characteristic features are the verticality of the composition, a pointed arch, a rather complex frame system of supports and a ribbed crypt. From France, Gothic already at the end of the 12th century spread to neighboring countries, to England, Germany, and the countries of the Danube basin. Over time, Gothic architecture became a universal pan-European style, within the framework of which a completely original system of forms was created and a new understanding of spatial and volumetric composition was achieved. The name "Gothic" does not reflect the true essence of this style. During the Renaissance, it was a derisive name coined by Italian architects for all construction north of the Alps, supposedly associated with the barbaric Germanic Gothic tribes. In its homeland, France, this style is called “lancet”. The architecture of the feudal castle underwent significant changes during the Gothic era. The development of production forces allows the feudal lord to appropriate a significantly larger part of the products of the labor of serfs and, at their expense, retain a significant number of artisans, including builders. In Central Europe, including our region, a significant impetus for the construction of strong feudal strongholds in strategically important places was the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the mid-13th century, and the constant danger of their re-arrival in the Tiso-Danube lowland. Therefore, the Hungarian kings, unlike the times of the pre-Mongol invasion, directly obliged the feudal lords to build castles, using the latest achievements of pan-European fortification. In the last quarter of the 12th century, a new element appeared in French castle architecture that significantly enhanced the defense capability of castles - a rounded tower with an edge. In the projection from above, the tower has the shape of a triangle, the angle of which is 75-90 degrees. The legs of this triangle - two straight sides - create a sharp edge, which is designed to minimize the effectiveness of direct hits by enemy shells on the walls of the tower. This not only enhanced the defensive capacity of the castle, but also achieved a strong artistic and psychological impression: a dynamic element was created from the neutral body of the rounded tower, without any direction, and a monolithic fortification structure was conceived that would meet the enemy with a strong stone blade directed towards the opposite side of the entrance castle gate. At the same time, despite all the positive qualities of the new element of the fortification system of French castle architecture, in the first half of the 13th century the round tower with an edge did not gain significant popularity in Europe. In the middle of the 13th century, a rounded tower with an edge appeared in France for the second time, and in two versions. In the first version, the rib is reduced and protrudes in the form of a small extension, artistically emphasizing the neutrality of the cylindrical shape of the tower, which has remained unchanged. The former function of the rib is thereby annulled and only the artistic meaning remains, dynamizing the roundness of the tower’s shape. The second option was created by towers that were triangular in plan. Their edge is created due to the convexity of the curved side. Castles grow into a large intricacy of walls, towers, walkways and galleries, the variety of their plans is limitless. Most often, architects and builders of the Gothic era, having certain details and guided by the principles of fortification, built the castle in accordance with the relief of the rock or hill on which the castle was built. With all this, the plan of the castle acquired irregular shapes. Such colorful contours of the plan gave the castle a creative naturalness. The castle walls and towers seemed like a continuation of the rock, as if nature itself had given birth to the architectural forms of the castle. And since nature does not like repetition, the architecture of castles, closely connected with it, becomes individual. At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, there was a certain equalization of the capabilities of siege technology and fortification systems of castles. This alignment made it possible to pay more attention to the artistic design of castles, especially their residential part - the palace. As a result, the masters of the Gothic era created a new type of palace, the core of which was a courtyard surrounded by a one or two-story arcade (Uzhgorod, Mukachevo castles). But the internal structure of the halls and rooms of the palace still remains ascetic; considerations of defense still come to the fore, and the main attention is still concentrated on the main defense tower. Royal castles played a leading role in establishing the Gothic style in castle architecture. The king's castle, along with its strategic functions, served as a state residence, which housed the royal court and the king's numerous guards. The king also received foreign ambassadors in this residence. In an effort to appear before foreigners from the best side and to rise above his subordinates and his entourage, the king jealously followed all the changes that took place in the castle architecture. The existing types of castles were thus constantly enriched with new elements, that is, an artistic rethinking of castle architecture is constantly taking place. In the 14th century, based on the ancient types of castles, two new variants appeared, which indicate two different ways of searching for new artistic forms in castle architecture. The first option - the longitudinal axis of the lock is emphasized - is an artistic rethinking of the old type of locks. The emphatically longitudinal axis not only visually increased the distance between the tower and the castle palace. The tower itself is constantly moving forward to meet a potential enemy, and along with it the curve of the castle wall is stretching out. Given the excessive elongation of the longitudinal axis of the structure, one tower is no longer enough to defend the entire castle area. This is how a new element appears in the castle fortification system - a prismatic castle tower. The emergence of new variants of castle types indicates that simple repetition of old architectural forms no longer meets the requirements of the time. First of all, there is an artistic rethinking of the structure. Variations of the old types of castles, which were noted in the 14th century, did not bring about a strengthening of the fortification system. Two variants of castles, which appeared in the 14th century based on castle types from the 12th-13th centuries, indicate two directions in which the search for new artistic forms in castle architecture took place. The first option - emphasizing the longitudinal axis - is only a certain improvement of the old type of locks, while the second option indicates the search for its own solution, albeit on the old basis. The attention that was previously paid to the castle tower is now completely transferred to the fortress wall. In this case, we are talking not only about a mechanical transfer of emphasis from one element of the castle complex to another. The meaning of this transformation is much deeper. It shows that the internal space and the wall that encloses it act as autonomous elements. Variations of older castle types noted in the 14th century proved to be a significant stimulus for the further development of castle architecture. They proved that the large tower, the basis of the fortification system of a Gothic castle and a symbol of the medieval nobility, is not so unshakable. The change in view on the functional basis of the tower caused a change in its cubic shape, which logically emerges from the exclusively defensive function of the tower. The new era puts forward new tasks for the tower and expands the scope of its effectiveness. While leaving the tower with its defensive functions, at the same time it was necessary to deprive it of its asceticism; it was necessary to create living quarters in its interior. Experience suggested that for a structure that would simultaneously perform both defense and housing functions, a tetrahedral shape is much more advantageous than a round one. This broke the old tradition in the construction of stone castles. The tetrahedral tower, together with other structures, created a single ensemble. THE INTRODUCTION of a residential tower into the castle complex made it possible to modify the existing castle type. Therefore, the Gothic style, especially in its modified form, was preserved in castle architecture until the end of the Middle Ages. Moreover, already during this period, several towers appeared in the ensemble of the royal castle and the castle of the highest nobility, some of which simultaneously performed both defensive and residential functions. Such towers not only meant the enrichment of the existing type of castle with new elements, but also turned out to be a transitional stage on the way to further artistic changes in castle architecture. The most clearly expressed features of Gothic architecture among Transcarpathian castles are in Nevitsky Castle: the Gothic towers of Mukachevo Castle were destroyed in the 16th - early 17th centuries. The residential Gothic palaces in the Uzhgorod and Mukachevo castles are well preserved, although they were reconstructed later.

Castles of England

Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle in Kent. Construction of the castle in Rochester began in the 11th century. This is one of the first stone castles in England. It was owned by the church and was the residence of the archbishops. The castle's donjon has a square plan with sides measuring 21 m. The height is 34 m. The towers at its corners rise another 4 meters. The thickness of the walls of the donjon at the base is 4 meters, at the top - 3.3 m. The entrance to the donjon is located in a special extension on the second floor level. Access to the first floor is via a spiral staircase from the second floor. The main hall occupied two floors - the third and fourth. On the fifth floor there were the archbishop's personal chambers and a chapel. In the 18th century, the castle was almost demolished.

Leeds Castle

The castle is considered as being England's most beautiful and most former castle. In the 9th century, it was the site of a small Saxon castle. It was offered to Edward I in 1278. Henry VIII also lived there for numerous years, as did six kings of England.

Bodiam Castle

In 1385, King Richard II gave permission to Mister Edward Dalingrigge to build a castle near the River Rother in order to defend the region against a possible French invasion. Mr Dalingrigge, who campaigned in France for Edward III during the 100 Years' War, was no doubt inspired by French castles to build Bodiam Castle.

Castles of Spain

Avila Castle

Founded in the 11th century to defend Spanish territories from the Maures, Avila is the best preserved medieval town. It has a rectangular shape, the perimeter of which is approximately two and a half kilometers and twelve meters in height. The walls are reinforced with large massive towers. the mounds have nine doors.

"In the Knight's Castle" - Another feature of knightly honor was maintaining loyalty to one's lord. Lesson plan. 1. Castle of the feudal lord. 2. Equipment of knights. 3.Knights at leisure. 4. Knight's honor. In case of danger, the bridge rose and, like a door, closed the entrance. 1. Castle of the feudal lord. During campaigns, knights were reliably protected by armor. ? Why could only a very rich man be a knight?

“Knight in the castle” - The prototype of knights, to a certain extent, is the class of equites (horsemen) in Ancient Rome. However, a fundamental change in the methods of waging war and organizing social relations in Europe is associated with the fall of the Roman Empire under the pressure of nomads from the east during the Great Migration. A fortified castle is exactly the same integral sign of knightly centuries, like steel armor covered from head to toe with a spear, like tournaments where the rider and winner were chosen by the queen of love and beauty.

“Feudal Lords and Knights” - The knight is the hope of the weak and humiliated. War is the profession of a knight. Knight equipment. How did the knights spend their free time? The knight had to be generous. Knights were the military class of medieval Europe. Fixing the material. In the castle, the feudal lord took refuge from attacks by enemies and rebel peasants. The main tower, the donjon, rose above all the buildings.

"Medieval Knights" - Modern Castle. ...Who were knighted. Evening castle. Knight's armor. Figure of a knight. Medieval castle under attack. Life of knights. Castle tower. General plan of the castle. Medieval castle. Knight on horseback. Castle, side view. Medieval castle, general view. Knight in armor. Castle, general overview.

“Noble Knight” - A.S. Pushkin. Saint George became the ideal image of a warrior - defender of the Motherland. George the Victorious Medieval knight Roland Alexander Nevsky. The ideal of noble chivalry. V.A. Zhukovsky. Homework. Lessons

Since the seas and rivers provided great visibility for tracking down and attacking foreign invaders.

The water supply made it possible to preserve ditches and ditches, which were an indispensable part of the castle’s defense system. Castles also functioned as administrative centers, and bodies of water helped facilitate the collection of taxes, since the rivers and seas were important trade waterways.

Castles were also built on high hills or in rocky cliffs, which were difficult to attack.

Castle construction stages

At the beginning of the construction of the castle, ditches were dug in the ground around the location of the future building. Their contents were folded inside. The result was an embankment or hill called a “mott.” A castle was later built on it.

Then the castle walls were built. Often two rows of walls were erected. The outer wall was lower than the inner one. It contained towers for the castle defenders, a drawbridge and a lock. Towers were built on the inner wall of the castle, which were used for. The basement rooms were intended to store food in the event of a siege. The area, which was surrounded by an internal wall, was called a “bailey”. On the site there was a tower where the feudal lord lived. Castles could be supplemented with extensions.

What were castles made of?

The material from which the castles were made depended on the geology of the area. The first castles were built from wood, but later stone became the building material. Sand, limestone, and granite were used in construction.

All construction work was done by hand.

Castle walls rarely consisted entirely of solid stone. The outside of the wall was faced with processed stones, and on its inside, stones of uneven shape and different sizes were laid. These two layers were connected using lime mortar. The solution was prepared right on the site of the future structure, and the stones were also whitened with its help.

Wooden scaffolding was erected at the construction site. In this case, horizontal beams were stuck into holes made in the walls. Boards were placed across them on top. On the walls of medieval castles you can see square recesses. These are the marks from the scaffolding. At the end of construction, the building niches were filled with limestone, but over time it fell off.

The windows in the castles were narrow openings. Small openings were made on the castle tower so that the defenders could shoot arrows.

How much did the locks cost?

If we were talking about a royal residence, then specialists were hired throughout the country for construction. This is how the king of medieval Wales, Edward the First, built his ring castles. Masons cut stones into blocks of the correct shape and size using a hammer, chisel and measuring tools. This work required high skill.

Stone castles were an expensive pleasure. King Edward almost bankrupted the state treasury by spending £100,000 on their construction. About 3,000 workers were involved in the construction of one castle.

The construction of castles took from three to ten years. Some were built in war zones and took longer to complete the work. Most of the castles built by Edward the First still stand.

Sources:

How Castles Work, Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. How Stuff Works
Why Were Many Castles Built Near Bodies of Water? Elizabeth Burner, eHow

Many legends surround Bran Castle - this is the real name of Dracula's Castle. In fact, located in Romania, the castle has a very real history of its existence, which has nothing to do with mysticism.

Bran Castle is located three dozen kilometers from Brasov on the border of Transylvania and Muntenia.

Construction of the castle began in 1377 and lasted five years; at that time it was a fortress, thanks to which it was possible to control migration and borders between principalities. Later, in 1622-1625, towers were erected here, the main purpose of which was to monitor trade routes and travelers coming from other states.

The mystical legend of Count Dracula was invented by local residents who are in awe of the mystery and darkness of the castle, which has many secret passages, rooms and labyrinths. This is a unique image for the castle, which is located on a rocky mountain, because the castle itself is made in the Gothic style, which perfectly emphasizes the fear and mystery of what happened here many years ago.

The owners of the castle for a long time were residents of the surrounding area, who built this castle at their own expense, for which they were exempt from paying taxes. After that, the castle belonged to different owners, but the famous vampire Dracula was never listed among them.

A popular place among tourists and lovers of mysticism, it evokes fear and blissful awe, which is fueled by the architecture and interior assembled by Queen Mary. It was to this ruler of Romania that the castle was given into possession in 1920 by the residents of Brasov.

From 1920 to 1927, restorations were carried out at the castle under the direction of the architect Karel Liman. Parks and alleys for walking, a lake and a fountain appeared near the castle.

In 1956, this majestic building became a museum of feudal history. However, by that time the castle was already in ruins. The building began to be restored again in 1987. By 1993, all work was completed.

In modern times, the castle belongs to the grandson of Queen Mary, Dominic of Habsburg.

Video on the topic

Vlad the Impaler, nicknamed Dracula, is a famous Romanian prince of the 15th century, who, not without the efforts of Bram Stoker, acquired a mystical reputation among the people. They talked about the “diabolical” essence of the prince even during his lifetime - most often this could be heard from foreign ill-wishers.

And in our time, the image of Dracula is usually associated with Bran Castle, located near the Romanian city of Brasov on a high cliff. This ominous structure attracts millions of tourists every year, many of whom come here in the hope of meeting the ghost of the bloodthirsty prince.

Local residents are vying to convince guests that there really is a ghost in the castle, and in one of the nearby villages they even show the house where the vampire prince allegedly stayed. In fact, Vlad Tepes never visited Bran Castle. It is only known that he sometimes hunted in the surrounding forests. The widespread legend that the captured prince was allegedly tortured by the Turks in the castle is also not true.

And Dracula was not a vampire, and his despotism was combined with a love of justice. The prince severely punished bribe-taking officials, dishonest merchants, unfaithful wives and cowardly warriors, and, on the contrary, often provided support to the poor and disadvantaged.

He inherited the nickname “Dracula” from his father, Vlad II, who also bore it; it came from the Dragon Order, of which Vlad the Elder was a member and whose emblem he had on his relics.

The idea of Vlad the Impaler as a vampire is a modern fairy tale, the purpose of which is to attract more tourists. In local markets you can see hundreds of T-shirts, dishes and other souvenirs with a portrait of Vlad Dracula. Such products are in endless demand.

The Bran Castle itself was founded in the 14th century at the expense of the residents of Brasov and was intended, of course, for defense. For this construction, the then ruler exempted city residents from taxes. The location of the castle only emphasizes its protective function - it rises on a sheer cliff, no less terrifying than the building itself. However, the castle is also beautiful. Inside the castle there is a whole labyrinth of corridors and halls.

This architectural monument itself holds many mysteries that are not related to the image of the aforementioned Dracula. For example, a well in a courtyard: it is believed that it leads to underground rooms.

The current owner of the castle is Dominic Habsburg, a descendant of Queen Mary and medieval Romanian rulers. This castle was given to the Queen by the residents of Brasov as a sign of special gratitude in 1918. The transfer of the castle to the current legal owner took place recently - in 2006.

Feudal castle as a fortress and home of the feudal lord

Life and customs of feudal lords

In the IX-XI centuries. Europe was covered with feudal castles. The castle, the usual dwelling of a feudal lord, was at the same time a fortress, his refuge from external enemies, and from feudal neighbors, and from rebel peasants. The castle allowed the feudal lord to dominate the entire surrounding area and keep its entire population in subjection. Especially many castles were built in connection with the raids of the Normans, Arabs and Hungarians. From a distance, the castle resembled the nest of a bird of prey: it was usually built on a wooded hill or high river bank, from where one could have a good view of the surroundings and where it would be easier to defend against the enemy. Until the end of the 10th century. castles were built mainly from wood and most often consisted of a two-story wooden tower, in the upper floor of which the feudal lord lived, and in the lower floor - the squad and servants. Here or in the outbuildings there were warehouses for weapons, provisions, premises for livestock, etc. The castle was surrounded by a rampart and a moat filled with water. A drawbridge spanned the ditch. Around the beginning of the 11th century. feudal lords began to build stone castles, usually surrounded by two or even three high stone walls with loopholes and watchtowers in the corners. The main multi-story tower, the “donjon,” still rose in the center. The dungeons of such towers often served as a prison, where the enemies of the feudal lord languished in chains - his captives, rebellious vassals and peasants who had done something wrong. Given the state of military equipment at that time, such a stone castle would have been difficult to take by storm. Usually he surrendered only as a result of a months-long siege.

The castle was surrounded by a deep moat. Several rows of thick stone walls were erected around it, topped with round or quadrangular towers with narrow loopholes. You could get into the castle through a drawbridge, which was lowered on heavy cast-iron chains. The gate tower had massive oak gates bound with iron. Behind the inverted tower there was a lifting door in the form of a cast-iron grate. During the assault, they tried to lower it behind the back of the enemy who had broken through. Behind the first wall there was a utility yard with a mill, a forge, an armory and other workshops. Behind the second row of walls were the main tower of the castle, stables and weapons warehouses. The main stronghold of the castle during the siege was the main castle tower. It contained living rooms for the owners and rooms for guests and servants. Its lower floor was a hall, the entire length of which ran an oak table. On days of riotous feasts, the carcasses of roasted bulls, rams and deer towered on it. A spiral staircase, hidden in the thickness of the walls, led to the upper living quarters. One floor was isolated from the other. If enemies broke into the tower, boiling tar and molten lead were poured onto their heads through holes in the ceiling from one floor to another. The hatch was then tightly covered with a heavy stone slab. At the very top of the castle tower, abundant supplies of food and drink were stored. Thus, the feudal castle was a real fortress that protected the feudal lord from “external” enemies - other feudal lords and from his subjects - serfs, if they rebelled. However, let's look at the castle from the point of view of amenities. Here is how the French historian and critic Lucien Febvre describes the castle of the Middle Ages based on historical documents: “Take your eyes for a moment from the facades in the antique style, from the numerous sculptures, from the superbly decorated marble. Take a look at these luxurious residences simply through the eyes of a tenant inspecting the property. All rooms are located in an enfilade; they are huge, monotonous, cut into squares; blank wall in front, blank wall behind, windows in the wall on the right, windows in the wall on the left. And if anyone wants to go from one end of the floor to the other, there is no other way than to pass, one after another, all the interconnected halls... There is no doubt that in winter they had to shiver from the cold... In vain a whole army of stokers carried full boxes of brushwood and logs from one room where there was a stove, in another the same one... At a distance from the fire, people were freezing. And if the fire was burning, people under the fireplace awning would swelter from the heat.”

Feudal castles of the XII-XV centuries

The system of relationships in the feudal elite was based on vassalage. To honor his outstanding warrior for his faithful service, the king gives him a castle or even an entire dominion (fief) along with the population that lived there and makes him his vassal. This not only tied the feudal lord to the king, but also left a certain imprint on his way of life. In most cases, having received a castle or dominion from the king, the feudal lord lived in close proximity to his subordinates. Often he worked the land and carried on his subsistence farming together with his servants. Therefore, the feudal lord built his dwelling-estate in the center of his domain among the fields. In addition, the right to ownership often had to be proven with arms in hand from other feudal lords. After all, the era of early feudalism was filled with endless civil strife. From the castle, built in close proximity to the subordinate peasants, the feudal lord could control all approaches to his possession, here he defended himself from enemies, and himself prepared for attacks on the possessions of neighbors or merchant caravans. Thus, the feudal castle becomes a symbol of the feudal lord’s power over the surrounding lands. Feudal estates built residential and utility buildings, as well as dugouts and wooden houses for servants. Until the 12th century, on such estates the temple remained a single stone structure. Most often, such estates also had the most basic fortifications. The strengthening of feudal relations brought a certain revolution in the class consciousness of the feudal elite, which developed its own ideology, peculiar only to it. In the countries of Western Europe in the last quarter of the 12th century, the upper class acquired hereditary rights to land ownership, externally reinforced by the appearance of coats of arms and titles. The feudal elite became aware of their dominant position. Thus, the highest nobility, and first of all its honorary representatives, become participants in all outstanding events of the era - both military and political. A significant turn in the development of feudal culture, including construction, was the Crusades, acquaintance with the Arab world of refined culture, with Byzantium. Frequent relations with foreigners required local feudal nobles to match them not only in the wealth of clothing and weapons, but also in such an important area as housing culture. A specific ritual of communication, mutual visits of feudal lords, and their participation in tournaments or hunting is developed. Under those conditions, the wooden building in which the feudal lord lived with his family and where he received guests no longer met its purpose. Therefore, it is quite natural that feudal lords begin to rebuild their homes. Stone is replacing wood as a building material. If in the 10th-11th centuries only the king had the right to build castles in the Central European kingdoms and they were built as administrative centers, then with the development of feudal relations, the former members of the king’s squad gradually became isolated, land donated for their service was assigned to them and their heirs, and together With this, the need arises to build the feudal lord's castle in close proximity to the subordinate peasants. The feudal lord most often builds his stone castle in a hard-to-reach, strategically important place - on a steep rock, a lonely hill that rises above the flat terrain. Thus, the feudal castle becomes a symbol of the feudal lord’s power over the surrounding lands. Castles and kings continue to build, both as administrative centers and to protect free (independent of local feudal lords) royal cities, which arose in the 12-13th century on all significant trade routes and mining sites for various ores and salt. As a rule, the castle was built on a mountain, and the city on a plain at some distance from it. It should be noted that these distances, which were preserved over the centuries, were caused not only and not so much by the topographical features of the area, rather than by strategic considerations: the need to create space for shelling attackers on the castle and at the same time protect the castle from fires, which were quite frequent in the cities of that time with their wooden buildings. On the other hand, the city residents also wanted to maintain a distance from their formidable neighbor, because relations between them were far from peaceful. At the end of the 12th century, new structures began to appear on the estates - stone towers - the predecessors of a new type of castle. The model for the first stone castles was provided by the more progressive feudalism of Western Europe. The Romanesque architectural style, whose name comes from the Latin name of the city of Rome, was also developed and established there. This already hints that the Romanesque architectural style is based on the Roman architectural tradition. But at the same time, it absorbed elements and traditions of Byzantine architecture, and that, in turn, of the architecture of the Middle East. So, the Romanesque style reflected the experience of builders from almost the entire Mediterranean. It was brought to Central Europe, including our region, by construction teams from Western Europe in the 12th century. Original castles are also built in the Romanesque style. First of all, thick fortress walls are built that surround the castle courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard, on a hill, a stone donjon tower is being built, which resembles the watchtowers of ancient Roman fortifications. The tower performed housing and defense functions at the same time. Sometimes there was also a chapel in the donjon. Since the beginning of the 13th century, the construction of feudal castles, the dominant feature of which is a stone tower, has been gaining significant momentum. The impetus for this was the desire of the nobles to further strengthen their power, to oppose themselves to the king, to compare with him not only in wealth, but also in their way of life. The feudal lord builds his stone castle, most often, in a hard-to-reach, strategically important place - on a steep rock, a lonely hill that rises above the flat terrain. These castles no longer performed only defensive and residential functions, but also representative ones. Tower castles, as a rule, had several floors, the thickness of their walls reached 3-4 meters, only at the level of the second and third floors the walls were cut through by narrow windows, rarely placed along the entire wall. The feudal lord's dwelling was located on the second floor, which could be reached through one narrow passage along an attached wooden ladder or steps, which in case of danger could be taken away or burned. On the ground floor there were chambers with food supplies in case of a siege, and an arsenal. On the third floor there were rooms for servants and warriors, and guards were posted on the upper platform. The donjon tower, of course, also had a dungeon where the prison was located. The defense system of the Romanesque castle was very complex for its time. Its first line consisted of earth ramparts and a deep ditch that surrounded the entire territory of the castle. The second is the fortress walls, which in the 12th century were already fortified with small defensive towers. The entrance to the castle, as a rule, led through an underground bridge. Although the castle tower-donjon is an integral part of the castle, it is a completely autonomous structure that can be successfully defended on its own. In the 12th century, next to the donjon there was also a house in which the owner of the castle and his family lived in peacetime. A family chapel, a kitchen, a stable and other utility rooms are also being built here. The most striking representative of the Romanesque type of castles in our region is Serednyansky, as well as the oldest part of the Mukachevo castle, the so-called “Upper Castle”, the main buildings of which were built during the time of Prince Fyodor Koryatovich at the end of the 14th century - at the beginning of the 15th century. The belated construction of the donjon in the Mukachevo castle is explained by its significant distance from the political and cultural centers of Europe, which led to delays in the perception of new ideas. Of course, the Romanesque castle with a donjon tower already had significant defensive capabilities. However, in these castles it was possible to conduct only passive defense. Therefore, when new construction technology appeared at the end of the 13th century, which made it possible to build a much more complex and more flexible castle defense system, tower castles gradually lost their importance. They are being replaced by a Gothic castle with a more advanced fortification system. There is no clear chronological line between the Romanesque and Gothic styles. Already in the middle of the 12th century, during the heyday of the Romanesque style, elements of the new Gothic style appeared in northern France. Its characteristic features are the verticality of the composition, a pointed arch, a rather complex frame system of supports and a ribbed crypt. From France, Gothic already at the end of the 12th century spread to neighboring countries, to England, Germany, and the countries of the Danube basin. Over time, Gothic architecture became a universal pan-European style, within the framework of which a completely original system of forms was created and a new understanding of spatial and volumetric composition was achieved. The name "Gothic" does not reflect the true essence of this style. During the Renaissance, it was a derisive name coined by Italian architects for all construction north of the Alps, supposedly associated with the barbaric Germanic Gothic tribes. In its homeland, France, this style is called “lancet”. The architecture of the feudal castle underwent significant changes during the Gothic era. The development of production forces allows the feudal lord to appropriate a significantly larger part of the products of the labor of serfs and, at their expense, retain a significant number of artisans, including builders. In Central Europe, including our region, a significant impetus for the construction of strong feudal strongholds in strategically important places was the Tatar-Mongol invasion in the mid-13th century, and the constant danger of their re-arrival in the Tiso-Danube lowland. Therefore, the Hungarian kings, unlike the times of the pre-Mongol invasion, directly obliged the feudal lords to build castles, using the latest achievements of pan-European fortification. In the last quarter of the 12th century, a new element appeared in French castle architecture that significantly enhanced the defense capability of castles - a rounded tower with an edge. In the projection from above, the tower has the shape of a triangle, the angle of which is 75-90 degrees. The legs of this triangle - two straight sides - create a sharp edge, which is designed to minimize the effectiveness of direct hits by enemy shells on the walls of the tower. This not only enhanced the defensive capacity of the castle, but also achieved a strong artistic and psychological impression: a dynamic element was created from the neutral body of the rounded tower, without any direction, and a monolithic fortification structure was conceived that would meet the enemy with a strong stone blade directed towards the opposite side of the entrance castle gate. However, despite all the positive qualities of the new element of the fortification system of French castle architecture, in the first half of the 13th century the round tower with an edge did not gain significant popularity in Europe. In the middle of the 13th century, a rounded tower with an edge appeared in France for the second time, and in two versions. In the first version, the rib is reduced and protrudes in the form of a small extension, artistically emphasizing the neutrality of the cylindrical shape of the tower, which has remained unchanged. The former function of the rib is thereby annulled and only the artistic meaning remains, dynamizing the roundness of the tower’s shape. The second option was created by towers that were triangular in plan. Their edge is created due to the convexity of the curved side. Castles grow into a large intricacy of walls, towers, walkways and galleries, the variety of their plans is limitless. Most often, architects and builders of the Gothic era, having certain details and guided by the principles of fortification, built the castle in accordance with the relief of the rock or hill on which the castle was built. The plan of the castle acquired irregular shapes. Such colorful contours of the plan gave the castle a creative naturalness. The castle walls and towers seemed like a continuation of the rock, as if nature itself had given birth to the architectural forms of the castle. And since nature does not like repetition, the architecture of castles, closely connected with it, becomes individual. At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, there was a certain equalization of the capabilities of siege technology and fortification systems of castles. This alignment made it possible to pay more attention to the artistic design of castles, especially their residential part - the palace. As a result, the masters of the Gothic era created a new type of palace, the core of which was a courtyard surrounded by a one or two-story arcade (Uzhgorod, Mukachevo castles). But the internal structure of the halls and rooms of the palace still remains ascetic; considerations of defense still come to the fore, and the main attention is still concentrated on the main defense tower. Royal castles played a leading role in establishing the Gothic style in castle architecture. The king's castle, along with its strategic functions, served as a state residence, which housed the royal court and the king's numerous guards. The king also received foreign ambassadors in this residence. In an effort to appear before foreigners from the best side and to rise above his subordinates and his entourage, the king jealously followed all the changes that took place in the castle architecture. The existing types of castles were thus constantly enriched with new elements, that is, an artistic rethinking of castle architecture is constantly taking place. In the 14th century, based on the ancient types of castles, two new variants appeared, which indicate two different ways of searching for new artistic forms in castle architecture. The first option - the longitudinal axis of the lock is emphasized - is an artistic rethinking of the old type of locks. The emphatically longitudinal axis not only visually increased the distance between the tower and the castle palace. The tower itself is constantly moving forward to meet a potential enemy, and along with it the curve of the castle wall is stretching out. Given the excessive elongation of the longitudinal axis of the structure, one tower is no longer enough to defend the entire castle area. This is how a new element appears in the castle fortification system - a prismatic castle tower. The emergence of new variants of castle types indicates that simple repetition of old architectural forms no longer meets the requirements of the time. First of all, there is an artistic rethinking of the structure. Variations of the old types of castles, which were noted in the 14th century, did not bring about a strengthening of the fortification system. Two variants of castles, which appeared in the 14th century based on castle types from the 12th-13th centuries, indicate two directions in which the search for new artistic forms in castle architecture took place. The first option - emphasizing the longitudinal axis - is only a certain improvement of the old type of locks, while the second option indicates the search for its own solution, albeit on the old basis. The attention that was previously paid to the castle tower is now completely transferred to the fortress wall. In this case, we are talking not only about a mechanical transfer of emphasis from one element of the castle complex to another. The meaning of this transformation is much deeper. It shows that the internal space and the wall that encloses it act as autonomous elements. Variations of older castle types noted in the 14th century proved to be a significant stimulus for the further development of castle architecture. They proved that the large tower, the basis of the fortification system of a Gothic castle and a symbol of the medieval nobility, is not so unshakable. The change in view on the functional basis of the tower caused a change in its cubic shape, which logically emerges from the exclusively defensive function of the tower. The new era puts forward new tasks for the tower and expands the scope of its effectiveness. While leaving the tower with its defensive functions, at the same time it was necessary to deprive it of its asceticism; it was necessary to create living quarters in its interior. Experience suggested that for a structure that would simultaneously perform both defense and housing functions, a tetrahedral shape is much more advantageous than a round one. This broke the old tradition in the construction of stone castles. The tetrahedral tower, together with other structures, created a single ensemble. The introduction of a housing tower into the castle complex made it possible to modify the existing castle type. Therefore, the Gothic style, especially in its modified form, was preserved in castle architecture until the end of the Middle Ages. However, already during this period, several towers appeared in the ensemble of the royal castle and the castle of the highest nobility, some of which simultaneously performed both defensive and residential functions. Such towers not only meant the enrichment of the existing type of castle with new elements, but also turned out to be a transitional stage on the way to further artistic changes in castle architecture. The most clearly expressed features of Gothic architecture among Transcarpathian castles are in Nevitsky Castle: the Gothic towers of Mukachevo Castle were destroyed in the 16th - early 17th centuries. The residential Gothic palaces in the Uzhgorod and Mukachevo castles are well preserved, although they were reconstructed later.

Castles of England

Rochester Castle

Leeds Castle

Bodiam Castle

Castles of Spain

Avila Castle

The castles of feudal lords still attract admiring glances. It’s hard to believe that life took place in these sometimes fabulous buildings: people organized their daily lives, 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 were based on the lifestyle and state essence of the feudal lord.

Feudal lords: who are they?

Before we talk about what the 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, at the top 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. On its lower tier there were knights. Feudal lords located one step higher were called vassals, and the vassal-seigneur relationship was preserved exclusively for nearby levels of the ladder.

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, which greatly weakened the countries.

Relations between feudal lords were not always good neighborly; there were frequent cases of hostility between them and attempts to conquer territories. The feudal lord's possession had to be well fortified and protected from attack. We will consider its functions in the next part.

Basic functions of the lock

The very definition of “castle” implies an architectural structure that combines economic and defensive tasks.

Based on this, the feudal lord’s castle performed the following functions:

1. Military. The structure not only had to protect the inhabitants (the owner himself and his family), but also servants, colleagues, and vassals. In addition, the military operations headquarters were located here.

2. Administrative. The castles of the feudal lords were original centers from which the lands were governed.

3. Political. State issues were also resolved in the lord’s domain, and 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 - be it clothing, art trends or music. In this matter, vassals always relied on their lord.

5. Economic. The castle was a center for peasants and artisans. This concerned both administrative issues and trade.

It would be wrong to compare the feudal lord’s castle, 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 also all residents without exception, while the castle was a fortification structure exclusively for the feudal lord living in it, his family and closest vassals.

A fortress is the fortification of a certain 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 Ancient Rome adopted this tradition. Well, after that the feudal lords of Europe - mainly Great Britain, France and Spain - began building their castles. It was often possible to see such buildings in Palestine, because then, in the 12th century, the Crusades were in full swing, and accordingly, the conquered lands had to be held and protected through the construction of special structures.

The tendency to build castles disappears along with feudal fragmentation when European states become centralized. Indeed, now there was no need to fear attacks from a neighbor who encroached on someone else’s property.

Special, protective functionality is gradually giving way to an aesthetic component.

External description

Before we look at the structural elements, let’s imagine what the feudal lord’s castle looked like in general. The first thing that caught your eye was the moat encircling the entire territory on which the monumental structure stood. Next there was a wall with small turrets to repel the enemy.

There was only one entrance to the castle - a drawbridge, followed by an iron grate. The main tower, or donjon, rose above all other buildings. The courtyard behind the gate also housed the necessary infrastructure: workshops, a forge and a mill.

It should be said that the location for the building was chosen carefully; it had to be a hill, a hill or a mountain. It’s good if you managed to choose an area that was adjacent to at least one side of a natural body of water - a river or lake. Many people note how similar the nests of birds of prey and castles are (photo for example below) - both were famous for their inaccessibility.

Hill for a castle

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, and there were buildings higher than this level.

Particular attention was paid to the rock from which the bridgehead for the castle was made. As a rule, clay was used, peat and limestone rocks were also used. They took material from a ditch that they dug around the hill for greater protection.

Floorings along the slopes of the hill, made of brushwood or boards, were also popular. There was also a staircase here.

Moat

In order to slow down the advance of a potential enemy for some time, as well as 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 imperative to fill the ditch with water - this ensured that the enemy would not dig into the castle territory. 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 perform its protective functions.

There were also frequent cases when logs or stakes were installed in the bottom, which interfered with the crossing. For the owner of the castle, his family, subjects and guests, a drawbridge was provided that led directly to the gate.

Gates

In addition to its direct function, the gate also performed a number of others. The castles of the feudal lords had a very protected entrance, which was not so easy to capture during a siege.

The gates were equipped with a special heavy grille, which looked like a wooden frame with thick iron bars. If necessary, she lowered herself to delay the enemy.

In addition to the guards standing at the entrance, there were two towers on both sides of the gate on the fortress wall for better visibility (the entrance area was the so-called “blind zone.” Not only were sentries located here, but archers were also on duty.

Perhaps the most vulnerable part of the gate was the gate - an urgent need for its protection arose in the dark, because the entrance to the castle was closed at night. In this way, it was possible to track everyone who visited the territory at odd times.

Courtyard

Having passed the control of the guards at the entrance, the visitor found himself in the courtyard, where one could observe real life in the feudal lord’s castle. Here all the main workers were located and work was in full swing: warriors trained, blacksmiths forged weapons, artisans made necessary household items, servants carried out their duties. There was also a well with drinking water.

The courtyard area was not large, which made it possible to monitor everything that was happening on the territory of the lord's property.

Donjon

The element that always catches your eye when you look at the castle is the donjon. This is the tallest tower, the heart of any feudal lord's home. 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 ability to observe the surrounding area and served as a last refuge. When the enemies broke through all the defense lines, 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 took place. At the oak table, which was bursting with all kinds of dishes, sat the feudal lord's squad and himself.

The interior architecture is interesting: spiral staircases were hidden between the walls, along which one could move between levels.

Moreover, each of the floors was independent of the previous and subsequent ones. This provided additional security.

Supplies of weapons, food and drink were stored in the donjon in case of a siege. Food was kept on the highest floor so that the feudal lord's family was provided for and did not go hungry.

Now let’s consider another question: how comfortable were the castles of the feudal lords? Unfortunately, this quality suffered. Analyzing the story about the feudal lord’s castle, heard from an eyewitness (a traveler who visited one of these attractions), we can conclude that it was very cold there. No matter how much the servants tried to heat the room, nothing worked, the halls were too huge. The lack of a cozy home and the monotony of seemingly “chopped up” rooms were also noted.

Wall

Perhaps the most important part of the castle owned by the 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: impressive height (so that stairs were not enough for a siege) and strength, because not only human resources, but also special devices were often used for the assault. The average statistical parameters of such structures are: 12 m in height and 3 m in thickness. Impressive, isn't it?

The wall was crowned at each corner with observation towers in which sentries and archers were on duty. In the area of the castle bridge there were also special places on the wall so that the besieged could effectively repel attackers.

In addition, along the entire perimeter of the wall, at the 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 subordinate to the owner who worked on the territory of the estate. This person took into account how much product was produced and brought, what amounts the vassals paid for the use of the land. Often a manager worked in tandem with a clerk. Sometimes a separate room was provided for them on the castle grounds.

The staff of servants included direct servants helping the owner and mistress, there was also a cook with assistant cooks, a stoker - a person responsible for heating the premises, 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 quite difficult to heat. The stone walls cooled down greatly at night, in addition, they strongly absorbed moisture. Therefore, the rooms were always damp and cold. Of course, the stokers tried their best to maintain heat, but this was not always successful. Particularly wealthy feudal lords could afford to decorate the walls with wood or carpets and tapestries. To retain as much heat as possible, the windows were made small.

For heating, limestone stoves were used, which were located in the kitchen, from where the 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 (burnt clay) made it possible to heat large areas and retain heat better.

What did you eat at the castle?

The diet of the castle residents is interesting. Here social inequality was best seen. Most of the menu consisted of meat dishes. Moreover, it was selected beef and pork.

An equally important place on the feudal lord's table 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 this depends on the quality of the flour. The percentage of grain products was maximum, and meat, fish, fruits, berries and vegetables were only a pleasant addition.

A special feature of cooking in the Middle Ages was the abundant use of seasonings. And here the nobility could afford something more than the peasantry. For example, African or Far Eastern spices, which in cost (for a small container) were not inferior to cattle.