Medieval Castle Vocabulary

crenels is a a is crenels . crenellation

, and a succession of merlons and and merlons of succession a and , a crenel

Drawbridge Battelment with crenels with Battelment Machicolation

The space between two merlons is called called is merlons two between space The

bottom which enabled canons to be fired. fired. be to canons enabled which bottom

architecture. architecture.

vertical opening with a round hole at the the at hole round a with opening vertical Barbican

Arrow slit slit Arrow battlement or crenellated parapet in medieval medieval in parapet crenellated or battlement

the cross. Another common form is the thin thin the is form common Another cross. the

is the solid upright section of a a of section upright solid the is A merlon

in a remarkable variety. A common form is is form common A variety. remarkable a in

Curtain Wall Curtain

Flanking tower Flanking

sometimes a balistraria. Arrow slits come come slits Arrow balistraria. a sometimes

an arrow loop, loop hole, or archere, and and archere, or hole, loop loop, arrow an

Covered Battlement Covered

arrows. It is alternatively referred to as as to referred alternatively is It arrows.

Portcullis

through which archers were launching launching were archers which through

is a thin vertical aperture aperture vertical thin a is An arrow slit arrow

Moat Gardhouse

Gatehouse or or Gatehouse

no one was allowed to live above God. God. above live to allowed was one no Corbel

These could be used as small chapels, as as chapels, small as used be could These

building but does not reach to the ground. ground. the to reach not does but building

Lower Bailey Lower which projects from the main wall of a a of wall main the from projects which Bartizan (Echaugette) Bartizan

window is a form of bay window window bay of form a is window An oriel

of a defensive wall. defensive a of

Allure or Walk-Walk or Allure

could be dropped on attackers at the base base the at attackers on dropped be could Main Bailey Main

Chemin de ronde, ronde, de Chemin through which stones, or other objects, objects, other or stones, which through has since collapsed. collapsed. since has

the supporting corbels of a battlement, battlement, a of corbels supporting the supported the beams of a ceiling which which ceiling a of beams the supported

is a floor opening between between opening floor a is A machicolation often hanging from walls, where they they where walls, from hanging often

Outhouse

Well You can see lots of them in Castles, Castles, in them of lots see can You

humans, animals or imaginary beasts. beasts. imaginary or animals humans,

also be carved with stylised heads of of heads stylised with carved be also

It often has a plain appearance, but can can but appearance, plain a has often It Chapel Watchtower

of stone. stone. of

is a structural piece piece structural a is or A console corbel

Oriel window Oriel Women’s appartments appartments Women’s

wall, which meant they had more room to swing. swing. to room more had they meant which wall,

Corps de logis or great hall hall great or logis de Corps

them to swing their swords. Defenders had their sword hands on the outside outside the on hands sword their had Defenders swords. their swing to them

Keep or Donjon or Keep hand) against the interior curve of the wall and this made it very difficult for for difficult very it made this and wall the of curve interior the against hand)

meant that any attackers coming up the stairs had their sword hands (right (right hands sword their had stairs the up coming attackers any that meant

were often curved very narrowly and in a clockwise direction. This This direction. clockwise a in and narrowly very curved often were Staircases

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES TIMELINE

MINI POCKET Middle Ages / Medieval period Modern times GUIDE Roman Empire Renaissance

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,300 1,400 1,500 1,600 1,700 1,800 1,900 2,000

Roman architecture Romanesque Period Renaissance Architecture Neoclassicism in 527 to 565 AD 800 to 1200 AD 1400 to 1600 AD Architecture Pre Romanesque 1730 to 1925 AD Period: 500 to 800 AD. Designed by Miss Coco Merovingian, Carolingian Gothic Architecture Baroque Architecture Art Nouveau for Road Trips Around The World MEDIEVAL and Ottonian styles 1100 to 1450 AD 1600 to 1830 AD 1890 to 1914 AD Rococo Architecture 1650 to 1790 AD CASTLE 12th Century: the Golden age Love Castles? VOCABULARY of Medieval Castles Visit my blog to see wonderful pictures of European Castles

A Castle is the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. Often built on an a motte, an earthen mound with a flat top, or a prominent rock formation. Early Castles were often wooden constructions guarded by a palisade and tower. The first Keep or Donjon built from stones, appeared in the 10th century. This is the great tower and usually the most strongly defended point of a Castle. The Golden age of Medieval Castle is considered to be the 12th Century. www.roadtripsaroundtheworld.com In the 13th Century, defensive features were added to existing Castles, like towers, gateways, and curtain walls. Castle construction started to fade by the 15th-16th centuries, but existing Castles did not necessarily all fall out of use.