Battery Tower

We just learned about the Hoarding wooden shed attached to the castle wall.

Another fortification is a Battery Tower.

This is a type of tall tower on the edge of a castle, with holes in it for cannons and guns that people can use to defend the castle.


(from: wikipedia - battery tower)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Hohensalzburg Fortress

Hoarding

We just learned about the big gated door called the Yett.

Another kind of castle fortification is a Hoarding.

This is a wooden shed that is built on the outside of a stone castle, to help protect archers and defenders of the castle during a battle.

These hoardings are usually not built on the castle until there is a battle.
When they are put up, there are holes in the side of a castle called putlogs or putlocks that they would put logs into, and then build the hoarding on top of that.


(from: wikipedia - hoarding (castle))

(from: wikipedia - putlog hole)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Spiš Castle

Yett

We just learned about the Portcullis door that slides down.

Another type of castle door is the Yett.

This is a door made out of wrought iron bars, but it is on hinges and swings open and closed sideways like a normal door.



(from: wikipedia - yett)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Buda Castle

Portcullis

We just learned about the Drawbridge.

Another castle fortification is the Portcullis.

This is a big heavy door to a castle that opens and closes by sliding up and down.

It was set into grooves on both walls, and then using ropes, pulleys and cranks it could be raised and lowered.

Because it was set into the walls and was very heavy, it couldn't be shoved open as easy as a normal door.

Some castles would even make two portcullis doors, so they could trap the attackers in between them.



(from: wikipedia - portcullis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Himeji Castle

Drawbridge

We just learned about the Castle Keep.

Another part of a castle is a Drawbridge.

This is a type of bridge that goes across a moat, that can be pulled up to keep people from getting into the castle.

Drawbridges are still used today for bridges that go across rivers or lakes.

There are a few different types of drawbridges, like a bascule bridge that has two ends that lift up in the middle, a vertical lift bridge that has one piece that goes up and down together, or a swing bridge that spins in the middle.






(from: wikipedia - drawbridge)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Citadel of Aleppo

Castle Keep

We just learned about the Bastion that sticks out from the curtain wall.

Another castle fortification is a Keep.

This is a tall tower that is part of a castle where someone would hide out if the rest of the castle was being attacked.

Sometimes a keep was surrounded by another big curtain wall, and the kings or owners of the castle would stay in the keep to be protected in case someone broke through the other fortifications.


(from: wikipedia - keep)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Prague Castle

Bastion

We just learned about the Butter Churn Tower.

Another part of a castle is a Bastion, also sometimes called a bulwark.

This is a part of the curtain wall that goes around a castle, and it sticks out beyond the wall.

The bastion was made for cannons and other weapons to be further out from the curtain wall, to fight off the people coming to attack the castle.


(from: wikipedia - bastion)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kronborg Castle

Butter Churn Tower

We just learned about the Outworks.

Another type of a castle part is the Butter Churn Tower.

This is a tower that has an upper and lower defensive wall.

It gets its name because it looks kind of like a butter churn.


(from: wikipedia - butter-churn tower)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Mehrangarh

Outworks

We just learned about the part of a castle called the Roundel.

Another part of castle buildings are Outworks.

These are extra things built on the outside of the castle to help defend it.

There are a lot of different types of outworks:

ravelin - A triangular shaped wall outside the main wall of a castle

(from: wikipedia - ravelin)

tenaille - A v shaped wall that looks like a pair of pincers out in front of another wall

(from: wikipedia - tenaille)

lunette - A half moon shaped wall outside of the castle walls

(from: wikipedia - lunette (fortification))

There are other types of outworks like flèches, caponiers and more!
People really worked hard to come up with ways to protect the walls of their castles.


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Blarney Castle

Roundel

We just learned about the Palisade fence in front of a castle.

Another part of a castle is a Roundel.

This is a rounded end of a castle wall where people could stand and defend their castle.


(from: wikipedia - roundel (fortification))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bran Castle

Palisade

We just learned about the watery Moat that goes around a castle.

Another part of a castle is a Palisade, also sometimes called a stakewall or paling.

This is a fence made from iron or wooden stakes that was put around a castle to help defend it.
Because it wasn't very big like a stone wall, these defenses could be put up very quickly if people were afraid of an attack coming soon.



(from: wikipedia - palisade)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Malbork Castle

Ramparts

We just learned about the Moat that goes around a castle.

Another type of defense for a castle is the Ramparts.

These are hills or walls that are put up to try and hide behind or stand up on to look down on defenders.



(from: wikipedia - rampart (fortification))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Edinburgh Castle

Moat

We just learned about the small castle guard buildings called Barbicans.

Another part of a castle is a Moat.

A moat is a trench or ditch going around the outside of the castle walls, to try and make it harder for attackers.
Usually a moat has water in it, but sometimes it doesn't and is called a "dry moat".

Moats make it so that people can't dig tunnels under the ground to sneak into the castle, and they also make it hard for attackers because they have to swim over to the castle.

Sometimes the water in moats was also used as water for the people in the castle to grow plants.

In some countries like Japan a castle might have 3 different moats, and the moats might be built like a winding river going around the castle.


(from: wikipedia - moat)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cité de Carcassonne

Barbican

We just learned about the small back door on a castle called the Sally Port.

Another part of a castle is a Barbican.

This is a small building on the outside part of the castle that was built to help defend the castle.
Sometimes a barbican has a wall that goes from the barbican back to the castle, that defenders can walk on.

These small buildings would usually have some soldiers in them to help be the first line of defense before attackers could get to the main castle, and also help warn the castle that danger was coming.



(from: wikipedia - barbican)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Leeds Castle

Sally Port

We just learned about the Curtain Wall that goes around the outside of a castle.

Another part of a castle is a Sally Port.

This is like a small door on the back or side of the castle that can be used to let people in or out.
It was usually in a protected location, like by the water, and sometimes the people in the castle would sneak out to go fight the people attacking the castle, and then go sneak back in.

Sometimes this door is also called a Postern.


(from: wikipedia - sally port)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Veste Coburg

Curtain Wall

We just learned about the hole in a castle wall called the Machicolation.

Another part of a castle is a Curtain Wall.

This is another wall that goes around the main castle, to help protect the castle inside the wall.

Its name makes sense because it's like a big curtain going around the outside of the castle.


(from: wikipedia - curtain wall (fortification))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Castel del Monte

Machicolation

We just learned about the Battlements on the top of the castle where people defend from attackers.

Another part of a castle's defense is the Machicolation.

This is a place where the top of the wall sticks out a little and there is a hole where people can drop things down on attackers.
It isn't a low spot in the wall like a crenel, the wall is still high there like a merlon, but it sticks out.
In the old days people would use that spot to drop big rocks or pour hot water or oil on people trying to break into the castle.

One famous machicolation we already learned about is at Blarney Castle in Ireland.
The stone on the bottom of the machicolation is called the Blarney Stone, and kissing it is for good luck!



(from: wikipedia - machicolation)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Schwerin Castle

Battlements

We just learned about the high part of a castle wall called the Merlon.

Another part of a castle is the Battlement.

Let's go over what we've learned about the things on top of a castle wall.
Wall Walk - The place to walk along the top of the wall
Parapet - Short wall that people can hide behind
Crenel or Embrasure - Open spaces in the parapet wall where people can throw things down on attackers
Merlon - High part of the parapet wall that people can hide behind. Opposite of a crenel.

All of these things together are called the battlements.

They were called that because people on top of the wall would be doing battle against people trying to attack the castle from the ground.


(from: wikipedia - battlement)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Caerlaverock Castle

Merlon

We've already learned about parts of the tops of castles, like the Wall Walk where people can walk along the edge of the castle behind a wall, the Parapet which is a short wall and the Crenel which is a small gap in the wall.

Another part of a wall walk on the castle is the Merlon.

This is the opposite of the crenel, and is a higher part of the wall where people can hide behind.
So usually castles would have merlons and crenels right next to each other, so they could hide behind the merlon and attack people from the crenels.

Having a bunch of crenels and merlons right after each other is called crenellation.



(from: wikipedia - merlon)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Bodiam Castle

Crenel

We just learned about the short wall on top of a castle called a Parapet.

Another part of a castle is the Crenel.

Sometimes people would have gaps in the parapet wall, so that they could attack their enemies with arrows or even throw rocks on them.

The gap or low spaces on the parapet walls are called the crenel, or embrasure.


(from: wikipedia - battlement)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Balmoral Castle