Today we will be... Finding out about the structure of medieval castles.
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www.planbee.com Think, pair, share. Why were What can you remember they built? about Norman castles?
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www.planbee.com The Normans invaded England. This means they decided they should be in charge. Some people The Normans were not very needed to build happy about castles to this. They protect fought the themselves and Normans. their soldiers.
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www.planbee.com Think, pair, share. What were What can you remember they made of? about Norman castles?
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www.planbee.com There were two types of Norman castles.
Motte and Stone keep bailey castles castles took were quick to longer to build and were build. They made from were made wood. from stone.
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www.planbee.com Were castles in England only built by the Normans?
Think, pair, share
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www.planbee.com No they weren’t. The Normans ruled Britain during the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages are also called the Medieval Period. The Middle Ages continued and castles continued to be built after Norman rule finished in England. Did you know there was almost 300 years between the end of Norman rule in England and the end of BACK the Medieval Period! NEXT
www.planbee.com This is Hever Castle in Kent. In 1270 a gatehouse and a walled bailey were built here. In 1462 a castle was built.
BACK Hever Castle was built 20 years after the NEXT Normans were no longer in power in England.
www.planbee.com That was nearly This is Bodiam 200 years after the Castle in East Normans were no Sussex. It was longer in power in built in 1385. England.
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www.planbee.com Can you see any similarities or differences between these castles?
Photo attribution: Andy Dingley
Pembroke Castle Chepstow Castle
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Rochester Castle The Tower of London www.planbee.com The castles have stone walls with gaps to shoot arrows through. These are the battlements.
Can you Rochester Castle spot them?
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Pembroke Castle
www.planbee.com The castle walls had towers. These gave the people in the towers a better view of their attackers. Bodiam Castle
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Pembroke Castle
www.planbee.com Many castles had inner and outer walls. You can see both walls clearly at Beaumaris Castle in Wales. Why do you think having two sets of walls Photo attribution: Cadw Photo attribution: Jeff Buck would make a castle easier to defend?
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www.planbee.com Most castles have a moat or a ditch around the walls. Why do you think this was important?
Bodiam Castle
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www.planbee.com Moats or ditches were important because they made it harder for attackers to reach the walls and get into the castle.
Corfe Castle
BACK This is Corfe Castle in Dorset. It doesn’t have a moat NEXT or a ditch because it was built on a steep hill.
www.planbee.com Most castles have a keep. This was the safest place to be if the castle was under attack. The Tower of London
Why do you think the keep was a BACK good lookout post? NEXT
Rochester Castle
www.planbee.com Photo attribution: Wyrdlight The entrance The portcullis into a castle was a strong was through iron gate that the gatehouse. could be The gatehouse lowered in front often had a of the door. portcullis and a drawbridge.
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www.planbee.com Can you match Photo attribution: Wyrdlight the labels to the correct parts of the castles?
Rochester Castle Bodiam Castle portcullis walls
gatehouse moat
battlements BACK tower NEXT keep Bodiam Castle www.planbee.com battlements Photo attribution: Wyrdlight Did you get it right? These
parts of the castle help to gatehouse make it easier to defend.
portcullis battlements Bodiam Castle keep
walls tower tower
BACK Rochester Castle NEXT moat Bodiam Castle
www.planbee.com Plenary If a castle’s defences were too strong for the attackers they might start a siege. A siege was when the enemy surrounded a castle. This meant no one could get in or out. Sieges could last for years! What problems might you have if you were in a castle BACK that was under NEXT siege?
www.planbee.com If the castle was under siege no one would be able to deliver food or drinks. Most castles kept a large store of food to try and stop people from starving before the traders were allowed to return. What do you think would happen if the people in the castle started to run out of food?
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www.planbee.com They had three choices. They could surrender, try and fight off the enemy or starve. That’s not What much of a would you choice! do?
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