The Medieval Times was an exceptionally rough era for many people. People in Medieval European countries was required to work outrageously hard. The ones that were regarded as common people of this time resided in inadequate cover with little to no luxuries, and the ones of nobility resided in castles. While castle life is believed to be extremely luxurious, residing in a castle during Medieval Times was very hard.
Castles have been a dominant image of the Medieval Time for quite some time and have been used throughout record, from the Roman forts to the complicated buildings in the 15th century (English 158). Castles were built on unnatural hills surrounded by a moat. Those that built the castle would dig a ditch around where in fact the castle would stand and put the dirt on it to help make the manufactured hill (Johnson 93). When castles were first built these were made usually of solid wood (Castle Architecture). The reason for wood being mainly used in the construction of any castle was because wood was found easily in Europe, along with it being less expensive and easy to transport (Castles in the Middle Ages). The first castles also possessed tiers of clay and rock, this is to ensure that castles were strong enough to carry up in a time of battle (Johnson 93). However, castles soon were built with just rock because the hardwood was too flammable (Castle Structures). Using stone actually exercised better because this made the castles more powerful than before. However, it was harder to generate the castles that they desired considering stone is less versatile than wood, which dilemma led to the first castles being less graceful (Castles in the centre Ages). Since stone is quite strong, if the castle was to be ruined or damaged the materials from the castle would be used to produce a new castle or repair the current one (Castle Architecture).
During the changing times of the Medieval Period, there were many changes in the way they did architecture to make castles much better. Those who built the castles of the Medieval Time got the idea of arches from the Roman Empire and created a pointed arch to help make the composition stronger. The change made the drive of all stones decrease and out which locked the stones into place producing a very strong and beautiful castle, along with a strong base (Castles in the centre Age groups).
When arriving to a castle, one would have to cross a moat and a drawbridge (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Some moats were filled up with water and others filled up with spikes (Johnson 94). Upon crossing the drawbridge you might come to a door which experienced towers on both edges (Life in a DARK AGES Castle). Theses towers were used to watch for oncoming enemies or signs or symptoms of rebellion, also these towers were used to take enemies that might be at the gate (Johnson 93). As one enters the castle the first view could be the courtyard which is where those who live in the castle would maintain times of battle. Also, one would start to see the Great hall, the chapel, and the kitchens (Life in a DARK AGES Castle).
The main area of the castle was the Great Hall (Thomas). That's where the Lord or King stayed when war had not been present (Life in a DARK AGES Castle). THE FANTASTIC Hall was essentially a huge room with a loft ceiling. Sometimes the Hall was on underneath floor, but also for better security it was usually built on the second floor. This room was installation like a cathedral will content or pillars in rows encouraging the roof. In order to get to the Great Hall on the next floor you might have to go into by using the outdoors staircase (Thomas). When under strike, the staircase would be removed to protect those in the castle (Johnson 93). Castles in the early part of the Medieval Time were very large and not enjoyable for individuals who lived inside of the castle (Castles in the centre Ages). The castle experienced small rooms, excluding the fantastic Hall, heated up only by fireplaces, and also experienced bad ventilation (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Eventually, the heating up by fireplaces advanced greatly the fireplaces were set up to heat up the wall so that it could then warm the area and the smoke cigars could be carried out (Thomas).
The kitchen was nothing extravagant, it was made originally with real wood and the food was cooked properly by several fireplaces. If there is going to be a huge feast, extra kitchens would be installation with the feast. Today we clean utensils in the kitchen; however, in the Medieval Age utensils were not cleaned in your kitchen but outside the house (Thomas).
The Lord and his family slept at the high end of the Great Hall. Each bedroom usually was separated by a piece of fabric (Thomas). The bedrooms of god, the father and his family were called solars (Johnson 97). Sometimes, god, the father and his better half would have split solars. Their rooms could have peepholes in the wall membrane decorations so they could see that which was occurring in other rooms (Thomas). The cultivated children of the Lord didn't always get their own solars; a lot of times they had to talk about rooms with siblings, or even servants (Johnson 94). The primary items in a solar would be a wooden framed bed with springs made of ropes or leather, a feather bed, sheets, quilts, fur coverlets, and cushions. The bed had curtains that could be pulled back your day and closed at night for privacy as well as for coverage from the freezing. The remaining furniture in the room was a chest, a real wood peg to hold clothes, and a couple of stools (Thomas).
Castles got a central drawing point of drinking water for washing and taking in on about every floor (Thomas). Most castles also had cisterns which would capture the rainfall (Johnson 97). The cisterns would be linked to pipes and carry the normal water to other floor surfaces. There have been also many other pipes that could control the circulation of drinking water and carry from the waste water. People of those times would use wooden tubs bounded by tents, for security, and padded cloths for comfort. The bathroom was as close to the sleeping quarters as maybe it's. In other words, it was an opening in the wall where misuse would get away from from the castle wall structure and secrete into a river or moat (Thomas).
Castles weren't only homes for nobility, but it was also a protection mechanism against opponents (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Sights of Castle Life). During this time, it was also thought if an area didn't have a castle, these were going to be defeated by their enemies. This forced many areas to construct castles (Coulson 31). The ideal location for a defensively strong castle was either on rocky surface, mountain passes, isolated peninsulas, lake islands, and hillsides (Castle Structures). Wherever the castle was built, awareness was taken as to how the land would help protect the castle (Johnson 92). These castles were built-in order to regulate territories and stop people from taking over important parts of land (British 159). Also, these were built to protect the peasants and the overall economy. However, if the area was under assault, peasants were required to bring their pets or animals and produce to the castle. For these things to be safe, it was also considered a fee for the neighborhoods' coverage (Johnson 92). The payment was somewhat deserved; it was very seeking to live in a castle during times of war. Enemies would try to cut off normal water source along with throwing things at the castle, such as, dead bodies. This would distributed disease and force these to surrender (Middle ages Life).
While castles can be considered a place of security, castles were regarded as home for many Lords and Kings. THE FANTASTIC Hall was where in fact the Lord and his family would spend a big amount of time. This hall was a place where the family, along with those asked to the castle, savored some of the items life had to provide like dancing, plays, poetry and a great many other things (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Places of Castle Life). THE FANTASTIC Hall was also where meals were eaten. Inside the hall there is a big, oak, dining table and around the stand were benches and stools where the guests would sit down (Medieval Castle Life). The Lord and his family would be seated at the top of the table on a raised dais. This symbolized that they were above everybody else (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Places of Castle Life). The meals in the hall would usually be at five in the afternoon. "It had been a popular declaring in the centre Ages that to reside in to age 99 yrs. old, you have to wake up at five, dine at nine, have supper at five and go to bed at nine!" (Medieval Castle Life). Apart from the banquets that might be organised in the castle, there was not much to do inside but play chess, pay attention to music or jokes from the jester. Outside of the castle people would usually, search for deer, bears, and untamed boars, however, the primary activities were weapons training and preventing, so they could be ready for struggle. This was thought to be a "great game" (Life in a Middle Ages Castle).
Living during Medieval Times was a whole lot harder than moving into today's society. Although life in a castle might not exactly have been the most difficult life during Medieval Times, it was still much less luxurious as it is pictured to be. Safeguarding the community was the work of the castle and the job of these that lived in the castle, that was why castle life was an extremely severe life.
