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Medieval Houses

Medieval Houses. Serfs’ Huts and Lords’ Castles. Serf Huts. Houses were usually built out of wood, dirt, mud, and straw Most homes had one room, the wealthier serfs may have had a 2-room home The floor was made from packed dirt Windows were very small, the huts were dirty and drafty

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Medieval Houses

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  1. Medieval Houses Serfs’ Huts and Lords’ Castles

  2. Serf Huts • Houses were usually built out of wood, dirt, mud, and straw • Most homes had one room, the wealthier serfs may have had a 2-room home • The floor was made from packed dirt • Windows were very small, the huts were dirty and drafty • Many huts had a stable nearby, but if not, the serfs had to take some livestock in at night

  3. Castles • Very expensive to build, often took a long time to complete • Many people lived in a castle, not just a lord and his family

  4. Why Build a Castle? • Castles were fortified homes that could withstand a major attack • Powerful lords built castles because they were constantly threatened by enemies • Castles were built of strong, sturdy materials and designed for defense • If a castle was under attack, the people inside could live for weeks on stored food and water

  5. Motte and Bailey Castle • Early castles relied on the surrounding landscape to provide much of the protection • made of wood and built on hills or "mottes“ • These fortifications proved very easy to burn • Stone was used more often after Battle of Hastings

  6. A Typical Stone Castle

  7. What Does a Castle Include? • Keep: inner stronghold; lord’s residence • Kitchen • Chapel • Great Hall: where most castle events took place • Towers: connect stretches of wall, serve as lookouts • Gatehouse: Fortified entrance into the castle

  8. The Castle Keep • Often contained not only the lord’s residence but also the chapel, great hall, and kitchen • The Keep was supposed to be the safest place in the castle

  9. Keep Interior • Dark, had small windows • Stuffy, hot in the summer and cold in the winter • Often quite dirty, lower floors were usually rat-infested

  10. The Great Hall Large room for dining and entertaining Usually the most decorated room in the castle They hung carpets on the walls, but never put them on the floor In early castles, nobles used sheets to divide the hall into smaller rooms

  11. The Castle Chapel • Located very close to, if not inside, the keep • Lord and guests would go here at least once a day for prayer • Some were decorated, others were not

  12. Designed for Defense • Moat: water or sewage-filled trench surrounding the castle • Gatehouse: funnels castle visitors through fortified entrance • Drawbridge: can be raised or lowered to control castle traffic • Battlement: thin, saw-toothed wall that protects defenders during battle • Tower: helped defend the rampart and castle wall

  13. Label the Medieval Castle • Keep • Chapel • Tower • Gatehouse • Drawbridge • Battlement • moat

  14. Castles across Europe

  15. The Tower of London • Built in part by William the Conqueror, actually a series of buildings and towers built over 200 years • White tower is in the middle, 13 towers surround the perimeter • Used as a fortress, royal palace, and prison

  16. The Tower of London (cont.) Has a sordid reputation Many famous people were imprisoned and executed here Many others were brutally tortured The Tower is reportedly haunted by several ghosts Legend of the ravens

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