LiFe AnD DeAtH In MeDiEvAl TiMeS Castle under attack


Attacking a castle was very difficult. Most armies laid siege to the castle (they surrounded the castle and waited for the people inside to starve). If an army wished to capture the castle more quickly they had to use weapons to get over the walls or to break them down. Soldiers used scaling-ladders (1) to climb up the walls and get over the top. This was very dangerous as the defenders could shoot arrows at them as they climbed. Siege towers (2) were towers on wheels. They were covered in animal skins for protection and had ladders inside them. Battering rams (3) were used to break down the door of the castle. Catapults (4) fired boulders and fireballs at the wall and into the bailey. Sometimes human and animal excrement was fired in to spread disease in the castle. Ballistas (5), similar to a large crossbow, were able to fire huge arrows at the wall and the defenders. Attackers sometimes dug underneath the walls of the castle and then collapsed the tunnel bringing the outer wall down with it. This was called undermining (6) the walls.


RECALL


1. List four types of food that were eaten in the castle.


2. Why did cooks use spices in their dishes? 3. What did nobles do to entertain themselves?


4. Why do you think a dowry was important for a young girl?


HISTORICAL EMPATHY


5. Write about life as a lord or a lady in a medieval castle. Use the following headings as a guide: (a) The castle (b) Food and clothes (c) The feudal system (d) Entertainment


4


1


2


3 6 4


5 Fig 4.11 A castle under attack. 89


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