What Does A Castle’S Internal Wall Mean?

Medieval castles were typically built with sturdy stone walls filled with rubble, often ranging from 7 to 30 feet thick. The interior walls, including the curtain wall, were crucial for fortification and surrounded the inner sanctum, towers, gates, and the donjon, the nobility’s living quarters. These walls were usually made of stone and formed the same boundary ring.

The inner ward or quadrangle was a large inner courtyard around the keep, focusing on day-to-day residential life. The outer ward was an open courtyard inside the castle walls. Loopholes, also known as embrasures or arrow loops, were narrow slits in the walls.

Curtain walls were used to protect the interior courtyard, or bailey, of a castle, which was often connected by a series of towers or mural towers. The Bailey at its base contained support buildings such as a hall, kitchens, chapel, barracks, stores, stables, forges, and workshops.

Internal exterior walls were about +/- 1 meter (3-4 feet) thick, while subdividing walls were about 2 feet feet thick. Both interior and exterior stonework of medieval castles were often whitewashed, and interiors were also plastered, paneled, or ornamented with paintings or other decorative elements.

Interior castle walls were often decorated with cross-walls, cut, and corbels, which were stone brackets used to separate rooms within the castle. The medieval castle structure was characterized by its strong walls, imposing towers, and a variety of internal rooms that were similar to domestic rooms.


📹 Life Inside a Medieval Castle (Cross Section)

Medieval Castles needed to be multiple things at once. They needed to be reflections of the leaders they represented – large and …


What is the inner wall of a castle called?

The inner bailey, also known as the inner ward, is a fortified enclosure at the heart of a medieval castle, protected by the outer ward, a Zwinger, moats, a curtain wall, and other outworks. It houses the most important living quarters and defensive elements for the lord and his family, such as the great hall, palas, tower house, and keep. The inner bailey is usually the oldest part of a castle, as it contains the first buildings built during its construction. It often has flanking towers that allow grazing fire to be brought to bear and provide additional protection to the castle gate.

What are castle walls?

The battlements of medieval castles in France and Spain have a long history and were constructed using masonry or stone as defensive walls, thereby ensuring the structure’s ability to withstand significant force.

What is the inner stronghold of a castle?

A dongjon, or keep, is the innermost defensive structure of a castle, situated within a tower. A drawbridge is a structure comprising a timber platform that is utilized to span a moat between a gatehouse and the surrounding terrain. An embrasure is defined as the low segment of a battlement, while an enceinte is defined as an exterior wall of a fortified place.

What are fort walls called?

The primary defensive structure of a fort, also referred to as a curtain wall, is situated between two bastions. The ditch, which serves as a defensive trench, is designed to impede the ascent of attackers up the fort walls. It is typically lined with stone. The embrasure is an opening for cannons that is flared outward to expand the field of fire. It can be closed with a wooden cover when not in use.

What does a castle have inside?

The keep, the main residence of the ruling lord, was made of stone and could be square or circular. It could be attached to walls or freestanding and had various functions. Residential apartments contained beds and furnishings, heated by fireplaces and light from glass windows. The great hall, located in the keep or separate buildings, was used for eating, sleeping, entertaining, and holding court. It usually had high ceilings and large fireplaces, with stone or dirt floors. The castle’s auxiliary buildings varied from castle to castle, with some buildings integrated or separated.

What is the inner wall called?

An interior wall is a wall within a house or structure that serves as a decorative element. It is designed to either support the structural weight of the home or divide sections of the interior. However, interior walls are also perfect for painting, hanging artwork, and decorating to your heart’s desire. They can be used to either bear the structural weight of the home or divide sections of the interior. In essence, interior walls are a versatile and functional addition to any home.

What are the parts of a castle called?

The terminology used in the context of castles encompasses a number of key concepts, including the alley, hall, ward, and inner ward. A wall-walk is a passageway located behind the wall. The hall is the primary living space within the structure, while a ward is a covered wooden gallery. In contrast, a ward is an open area situated in the center of the structure.

What are interior walls called?

Non-load-bearing walls, also known as curtain or partition walls, are interior walls that don’t support vertical forces or floor loads. They can be easily removed during remodeling to create an open floor plan. These walls may appear load-bearing due to their wood studs and drywall coverage. It’s important to check if a wall is load-bearing before demolition. Other types of walls builders may encounter include other types.

What is a curtain wall in a castle?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What is a curtain wall in a castle?

A curtain wall is a defensive wall between fortified towers or bastions of a castle, fortress, or town. Evidence for curtain walls can be found in historical sources from Assyria and Egypt, such as ancient Tel Lachish in Israel and Buhen in Egypt. Curtain walls were built across Europe during the Roman Empire, with the early 5th century Theodosian Walls of Constantinople influencing medieval castle builders.

In medieval castles, the area surrounded by a curtain wall is known as the bailey, with the outermost walls, integrated bastions, and wall towers, making up the main defensive line. The bailey is the area surrounded by the curtain wall, with integrated bastions and wall towers.

What is the large open area inside the castle walls called?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What is the large open area inside the castle walls called?

Castles are structures designed to protect against attacks and provide defense against external threats. They can be categorized into various types, such as allure, arcade, arrow loop, ashlar, Bailey, baluster, balustrade, barbican, barrel vault, bartizan, bastion, battis, battlement, belvedere, berm, blockhouse, bonnet, boss, brattice, breastwork, bessumer, Burg, buttery, buttress, flying bridge, pilaster, capital, casemates, cesspit, chamfer, chancel, chemise wall, chevron, clasping, crunch, cob, column, concentrate, coping, counterguard, counterscarp, course, ceasing, crocket, cross-and-orb, crownwork, cupola, curtain wall, cushion, cusp, cyclopean, daub, dead-ground, diper work, diphragm, dog-legged, dogtooth, donjon, dormer, double-splayed, and drawbridge.

Arcades are rows of arches supported on piers or columns, while arrow loops are narrow vertical slits cut into the wall for arrow firing. Ashlar is squared blocks of smooth stone neatly trimmed to shape, while the Bailey is the ward or courtyard inside the castle walls. Balusters are small columns, while balustrades are railings along paths or stairways. Barbicans are gateways or outworks defending the drawbridge. Bastions are small towers at the end of a curtain wall or in the middle of the outside wall, with solid masonry projections.

Battlements have parapets with indentations or embrasures, while belvederes are raised turrets or pavillions. Berms are flat spaces between the base of the curtain wall and the inner edge of the moat.

Battis, brattices, breastwork, bressumers, burgs, butteries, buttresses, buttresses, flying bridges, pilasters, capitals, casemates, cesspits, chamfers, chancels, chemise walls, chevrons, clams, clogs, cobs, columns, concentrates, copings, counterguards, counterscarps, courses, ceasings, crockets, cross-and-orbs, crownwork, cupolas, curtain walls, cushions, cusps, cyclopean, mud, dead-ground, diper work, diphragms, dog-legged, dogtooth, donjons, Dormers, double-splayed, and drawbridges are all important features of castle architecture.

The castle is a complex structure built to protect each entrance through a castle or town wall. It is composed of various elements such as dressing, drum tower, drystone, enceinte, fascine, finial, fluting, footings, forebuilding, fosse, freestone, gable, gallery, garderobe, gate house, glaciis, great chamber, great hall, hood, hornwork, inner curtain, inner ward, jamb, keep, keystone, Lancet, lantern, louvre, machicolations, mantlet, Merlon, moat, narthex, nave, necking, newel, nookshaft, offset, oilette, open joint, oratory.

The castle’s interior features include carved stonework around openings, drum towers, drystone, embrasure, enceinte, fascine, finial, fluting, footings, forebuilding, fosse, freestone, gable, gallery, garderobe, garderobe, gate house, glacis, great chamber, great hall, hood, hornwork, inner curtain, inner ward, jamb, keep, keystone, Lancet, lantern, louvre, machicolations, mantlet, merlon, meurtriere, moat, moline, mortar, motte, mullion, mullion, murder holes, nailhead, narthex, nave, necking, newel, nookshaft, offset, oilette, mullion, oubliette, outer curtain, outer ward, palisade, palmette, parados, parapet, pediment, peel, and pellet.

Drawing is a large, circular, low, squat tower built into a wall. Enceinte is the enclosure or fortified area of a castle. Fascine is a huge bundle of brushwood used to revetting ramparts or filling in ditches. Finials are slender pieces of stone used to decorate the tops of merlons, spires, towers, and balustrades. Fluting is concave mouldings in parallel, while footings are the bottom part of the wall. Forebuilding is an extension to the keep, guarding its entrance.

Fosse is a ditch. Freestone is high-quality sand- or lime-stone, and the castle has various features such as gables, galleries, garderobes, garderobes, hoods, hoods, hornwork, inner curtains, inner wards, jambs, keep, motte, mullions, mullions, murder holes, narthexes, narthexes, neckings, newels, nookshafts, offsets, oilettes, mullions, obliette, outer curtains, outer wards, palisades, palmettes, parados, parapets, pediments, peels, and pellets.

In summary, castles are complex structures built to protect entrances through towers, bridges, and barriers. They feature various elements such as dressing, drum towers, drystone, embrasure, enceinte, fascine, finials, fluting, footings, forebuilding, fosse, freestone, gables, galleries, garderobes, garderobes, gate houses, glaciis, meurtrieres, mortars, mottes, mullions, Murder Holes, oratory, and more.

The castle structure is composed of various elements such as boss, petit appareil, pier, pilaster, pinnacle, piscina, pitch, plinth, portcullis, rampart, rath, ravelin, rear-arch, redoubt, retirata, revetment, rib, ringwork, roll, roofridge, rubble, rustication, saltire, sally-port, scaffolding, sill, sleeper, soffit, solar, turret, turret, truss, tufa, tura, turning bridge, turret, vault, vitrified, volte, voussoir, wall-plate, wall-stair, wall-walk, water-leaf, wattle, wave, weathering, Wicket, wing-wall, yett, and iron lattice gate.

The castle structure includes various features such as the boss, small cubical stonework, pier, piscina, pitch, pitching, putlog, putlog hole, quadrangle, quirk, quoin, rampart, rath, ravelin, rear-arch, redoubt, retirata, retirata, revetment, rib, ringwork, roll, roofridge, rabble, rustication, salient, saltire, sally-port, scaffolding, sally-port, sally-port, sally-port, scaffolding, slop, sleeper, soffit, solar, spandrel, spring, squint, stepped, steyned, stockade, stringcourse, tau cross, transom, truss, tufa, turret, vault, vitrified, volte, voussoir, wall-plate, wall-stair, wall-walk, water-leaf, wattle, wave, weathering, wicket, wing-wall, yett, and wedge-shaped stones.

The castle structure also includes defensive stone or earth walls, such as the rath, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin, ravelin,

What does castle wall refer to?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What does castle wall refer to?

A battlement is an architectural element found in castles and fortresses. It is typically an upper wall with short structures attached to it. Typically, a battlement is formed from a low, narrow wall situated atop the outermost protective wall.


📹 What rooms are inside REAL medieval castles?

Castles look incredible from the outside, but what’s on the inside? What type of rooms would you expect to find within a historical …


What Does A Castle'S Internal Wall Mean?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Rafaela Priori Gutler

Hi, I’m Rafaela Priori Gutler, a passionate interior designer and DIY enthusiast. I love transforming spaces into beautiful, functional havens through creative decor and practical advice. Whether it’s a small DIY project or a full home makeover, I’m here to share my tips, tricks, and inspiration to help you design the space of your dreams. Let’s make your home as unique as you are!

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

About me

10 comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Now THIS is something that I have been waiting and asking for for a long time. I am a HUGE fan of anything and everything “medieval” and I am so grateful that SH finally decided to make a new history article on this topic. I have rewatched the old ones so many times that I can literally recite them by heart lol. As always, I love to hear Chris in these articles, they just wouldn’t be the same (nor as pleasing to the ear) without you. Also, kudos to the creation team.., ty you guys for all your hard work! Together, y’all have developed the absolute best animated history website on YouTube.

  • The castles that you have showed you can also see in Balkan peninsula as well, believe it or not. The rumor says that there is one Medieval Caste in Serbia. The location of that castle is near Novi Sad, Serbia. Besides the castles that were built near sea, and lakes, some of them were built on rivers as well. What I’m about to say is that some fortresses were also built as well. They were built near river Danube. The fortress that were built on river Danube are Kalemegdan in Belgrade, and Petrovaradin in Novi Sad. Petrovaradin fortresses has white clock. The big pointer shows hours, while smaller one shows minutes. They called that clock a drunken clock. And these pointer helped sailors when sailing across river Danube to see what time is it. Although one thing I might add is, that Petrovaradin fortress was built in 1692, by one French architect. Believe it or not, King Richard The Lion Heart was healing his wounds or illness in sanatorium in Balkan peninsula during the crusades. That sanatorium is near city of Novi Sad, and there is a commemorative plate there.

  • Interesting and very fascinating. I did not know that Wales had so many. Life in those castles, even for the lords and nobility, was not nearly as comfortable as our lives today. They had little knowledge of hygiene, germs, contagions, infections, healthy diets, et al. And so many of them were illiterate. Medieval life in a castle seems so romantic to us, but few of us would trade our modern lives to go back and live in those times.

  • Always enjoy your content, this is a new topic for me and was disappointed to see it was no longer than it was. Still, I’ll take what I can get. Pretty sure we are all grateful for any new post and looking always looking forward to future post. I can’t imagine the work that goes into one of these articles, and thank you for that.

  • 0:30 For a fact: For people in the medieval ages, there was no real difference between castles and cities. That’s why many german cities have the ending “-burg” (castle), like Regensburg, and why people back then sometimes called their city-gates “Burgtore” f.e. It’s also where the german word Bürger (citizen) derived from (Burgherr; eng.: castle lord/inhabitant).

  • 0:14 Wales have only 427 castles sure it’s a lot but it’s nowhere near the country with the most castles in the world France with 45 000 of them even the second place Germany is only at 25 000. So whales isn’t even the country with the most castle concentration as if France, Germany or Italy regions were counted independently wales would be near the last place as just Languedoc-Roussillon Region in France have 2500 castles.

  • *while building the castle* “My lord, we have run out of grey bricks. Also, we accidentally skipped ‘Step 17’, and it’s too late to go back…So now the whole structure is leaning to the left a bit. Finally, we ran out of the elements needed to complete everything, so we may have to resort to ‘Duplos’?”

  • I saw Windsor castle in the UK when I was 18 back in 2004. It was an amazing place to see. Also the old Roman town of Bath in the UK was super amazing. So many of its roads are still in use today. Here in the US it’s so boring there is nothing really anything exciting historically wise here. Some battlefields, propaganda monuments and some old houses are all that we have that are historical.

  • for anyone wanting more research, look up Neuremburg and its castle system. One of the most well defended castles of its age. I took a tour of it, and it had a tunnel system that ran under the castle with windows that opened up and allowed defenders to fire / shoot from inside the tunnels towards the gates. It also held secret tunnels and exits that lets defenders run into the fight without opening the main gate.

  • just a quick tip the motte was not the hill the motte was the land excavated to create the bailey and the hill for the keep the excavated land was filled in with water, but no the motte was not the hill the motte was the trench which went around the entire fortification also the bailey was not just the part of the fort that was not attached to the keep in later depictions and what we see in real castles is that the part of the bailey gets moved inside the keep so that fletchers, granary, stables etc could all be guarded in side the keep so that when a siege happens even if they take the main outer defences they would not get anything from it they would have to attack the bailey and then attack the keep in order to attain victory which is why sieges took so long the later on we go in history because there became less incentive to surrender if all your food and supplies are safe with you then why surrender? yes the very very earliest motte and baileys did have a keep on a hill and then the bailey just to the side but for obvious reasons this was abandoned and motte and baileys incorporated the bailey on the hill. although your articles are very cool there’s a lot of misinformation that goes into your articles, obviously everyone is a historian nowadays and everyone knows exactly what went on 1000s of years ago however that being said it is very common knowledge the motte was the trench like when you see a castle and you see a trench filled with water what is that called? a motte….

Pin It on Pinterest

We use cookies in order to give you the best possible experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies.
Accept
Privacy Policy