My Trip To Medieval Castles

For anyone to react effectively in a situation, a level of maturity is required in order to think through the correct course of action. A time of constant change, not only of the world at large, but also of the individual is described by Cynthia Rylant. In I Had Seen Castles, Rylant uses the change of the time and of the world’s view to show the change and growth in Diane’s emotional and mental maturity.

Ian Mortimer uses his book The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century to describe how one might live in the fourteenth century. This book covers a wide range of topics from what one might see and smell when approaching a city, to what one might wear, to how to stay alive. Mortimer’s clever use of a travel guide inspired book lends itself to a much wider audience. The evidence presented in this book is both engaging and intriguing, and provides easy reading for academics and non-academics both.

At first knights and soldiers in the armies were of little social status. “Many knights in fact possessed little more than peasants” (Spielvogel 244). War was looked as kind of a barbaric act in the beginning and many knights could be found fighting each other. While some of this was tolerated, as they were seen as “defenders of society”, the Catholic Church decided that there should be some ground rules. At the start of the eleventh century, the church urged knights to take an oath to protect churches, and to not harm noncombatants. These rules allowed for battles to follow a civil path and to be carried out in a noble way.

Castles are huge, strong houses, where kings and lords once lived with their families, soldiers and servants. They were built to provide safety from attack and to display the owner's wealth. The first proper castles were built in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were introduced by William the Conqueror, when he invaded England from his homeland in France.

Castles were extremely important during 1066 – 1500 and they changed overtime to get more protection. A castle is a fortification that was used in the middle ages to protect territory against an invasion. They were important during these times because many kings and lords wanted to show off how wealthy they are and they used them as bases, controlling their land and people from a higher point.

During the Middle Ages, castles were extremely important. Castles were either a peaceful home for nobles, knights and their servants or a busy military command centre. Because castles were such important features of the Middle Ages, it makes sense that they would last nearly the whole period of time and beyond. The Middle Ages lasted from 476ce through to the renaissance, which lasted from the 14th- 17th century. Throughout the Middle Ages the styles of fighting and defence changed, which also meant that the designs of castles changed to support the new techniques of war. Castles were introduced after William the Conqueror introduced feudalism after winning the battle of the Hastings in 1066ce. Feudalism was the social organization of Medieval

Life in a medieval castle would have been ordered and organized, full of ceremony, and cold and smelly. Castles were first built in 1066, in England. Essentially, castles were the heart of the society in Medieval times. They sorted out a new social system of feudalism in place. Each new castle secured the power of a local lord over his vassals, “who was a holder of land by a feudal tenure on conditions of homage and allegiance to the land.” (Google Dictionary). Medieval castles did not have electricity back then so people would only use candles or open fires for heat and to see in the dark. Medieval castles had their own traditions such as Heraldry, jousting, and hunting and hawking.

The original motte and bailey castles were incredibly cheap to construct. They were built from just earth and wood and didn’t require any special design. A wooden keep called a motte sat on an elevated bank of soil and overlooked the bailey, an enclosed courtyard. Although some cases consisted of the motte sitting upon a hill, most of the time mottes were on a man-made piece of earthwork. Men would pile up dirt and clay and flatten out the top to create a stable surface for the motte. The keep was the building, originally made of wood, that sat upon the motte. This is where the lord and his wife lived. It was surrounded by a protective wall,

Medieval castles were used from the early 10th century right through to the mid 17th century. During this time they changed a lot from the early motte and bailey castles through to castles with thick stone walls.

Castles first came to England in 1066 when William, Duke of Normandy, won the battle of Hastings. The Normans needed castles because they had taken control of England by force and were hated by many English people. The Normans had to protect themselves from English rebellions and they needed to keep power over and show strength to the English people. William made sure that castles were built all over England in major towns. The first castles were built very quickly and were very simple, but during the reign of William and throughout the rest of the Middle Ages (1066-1500) the design of castles changed. In this essay I will talk about how much castles changed during the Middle Ages and the reasons for this.

The rise of towns in the late middle ages had a direct effect on the feudal system in the middle ages. As agricultural practices improved production of crops was accomplished with less labor this allowed farmers to turn their attention to other endeavors which allowed them to make more money. The noble class was forced to sell the peasants their freedom so they could fund the crusades, pay loans and buy luxury items. The peasants not being tied to the farm, produced goods that could be sold at the local market place which gave many the funds to by their freedom. The market place where they sold these goods was located along trade routes, towns evolved from these market places. With the ability to buy their freedom most of the peasants moved to these growing towns looking for work. Most had

A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the castle fall to an adversary. The first keeps were made of timber and formed a key part of the moat-and-bailey castles. People began to build stone keeps during the 10th and 11th centuries; these included Norman keeps, with a square or rectangular design, and circular shell keeps. Stone keeps carried considerable political as well as military importance and could take up to a decade to build.

The life of a lord and a lady in old times was nowhere comparable to a common marriage in modern days. The lord and the lady would live somewhere to protect them from any surprise attacks, usually being a castle. The castle would be made by stone so it could not be burnt down by enemies. The castle would have bedrooms, a kitchen, an office, and a “party” room among many other essential parts. The castles had many servants that did the work for everybody in the castle such as cooking and cleaning. There were also knights that helped defend everyone in the castle.

Castles were built during the Middle Ages for the purpose of protection from foreign invaders. In Britain, many castles were built along the borders in order to stop raids from the Welsh and the Scots. By building castles along the borders, the British could also launch a series of raids in return. A castle also demonstrated a lord's power over a particular land. If invaders had taken over a castle, they could use it to help control the land that they had taken. A castle was a home for a lord and his family. It was a defensible place where a lord could defend himself against his enemies like his rival lords. A castle was a safe place where a lord and his knights could return to. The Normans successfully conquered Britain in 1066. The leader

A JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF GOD WITH TERESA OF AVILA Introduction The interior Castle by Teresa of Avila is one of the most well known and much- treasured books on mysticism and spirituality. Though hundreds of years have passed since it was written, Christians today still find in it a rich source of help and guidance in their journey towards a deeper union with God. Written towards the end of her life, Teresa could draw from her own long experience of her spiritual journey towards perfection and what immediately stands out in this book is the simple yet lively temperament of this humble nun whose main aim in life was growing in union with God and helping others do the same. About the author Born in Avila to a Catholic