Medieval Times: Design Your Own Castle

Medieval Times: Design your own Castle & Coat of Arms

Part 1 Directions: We have already seen many different pictures of castles in class and now it’s your turn to create your own castle. Your castle must include some type of defense feature (moat, drawbridge, location, murder holes, arrow slits, towers, etc.) that must be labeled. Also included in the drawing, you must include the area outside of the castle. This should include the peasant village, mill, common pasture, and church. All these items must be labeled also (pg. 362 for help). Here are some websites for help on your castle. http://www.medieval-castles.org/pictures/pictures/ - Picture database of castles http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castleso.htm - Examples of how castles defended themselves www.castles.org - Great website for the assignment http://www.guide-to-castles-of-europe.com/index.html - Another great site for castles of Europe

Part 2 Directions: On the back of your castle, you will need to create your own coat of arms (Please just don’t copy your family crest). Below is an example of the elements of the coat of arms. You will need to go to this website to find out what different items stand for in a coat of arms so you can create one for your own. www.fleurdelis.com/meanings.htm

This assignment is due on Monday, March 11th. We will work on this in class on Friday, but the rest needs to be completed at home. This will be counted as a TEST grade so please put some time into it so you can get a good grade. The assignment can also be done on plain white graph paper or poster board. Medieval Tournament Video Game

Through warfare, knights helped feudal lords defend their estates, seize new territories, and gain more power. In mock battles called tournaments, knights developed their combat skills. You will design a video war game that imitates a medieval tournament between knights. Describe your ideas in a proposal that you might send to a video game company. Use the Internet or books to find out more about medieval tournaments. Think about the video games that are based on combat experiences. You might adapt some of the rules to your game. Use these questions to help you brainstorm ideas.

 What are the rules of the game?

 What is the system of keeping score of wins and losses?

 How should captured prisoners be treated?

 Which weapons should be used and which should be banned?

 What video game system will carry the game?

 What special gaming devices are needed or could be added to make game play better? Your proposal must answer all six questions above, plus a detailed description on the number of levels, players, and general outcome of the game. Along with the proposal, you must include at least 3 visual aids that give the video game company an idea of what the game will look like (similar to game shots). Below are some websites that will give you a better idea of knighthood and tournaments. Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments Resource Library http://www.chronique.com/ Library/ MedHistory/ histour.htm Links to information on historical tournaments, jousts, and deeds of arms.

Warrior Challenge: Knights http://www.pbs.org/ wnet/ warriorchallenge/ knights/ Profile of the medieval knight, hislifestyle, skills, duties, and equipment.

Knight Life: The Tournament http://historymedren.miningco.com/ library/ weekly/ aa050598.htm Brief explanation of the importance of the tournament and its place in history.