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... Between 1050 - 1450 castle building was at its peak - hundreds were built. ... Medieval castle life was not as easy as one would picture it to be. Life was challenging and even the wealthy found living in a castle difficult sometimes. To understand castles and what they meant, it is important to look at the castle itself, the community, and castle life.
"A castle had many roles, from a home for the lord and lady, to storerooms and quarters for servants and soldiers." The castle was a self-contained community but few stood in isolation for long. Farmers, merchants, and craftspeople were attracted to the castle for its offering of protection and market goods. Castles needed to be able to provide all the inhabitants with shelter, food and fuel, therefore the site of each castle was chosen with great care. ...
"The greatest symbol of feudal life was the castle" . ... When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he took with him an enthusiasm for castle building, six castles became over five hundred. "Building a castle was costly and only the most important and powerful lords could afford them. ... Castle walls were massive, consisting of an outer layer of well finished and trimmed blocks, on the inside a rubble and flint-stone filling held together by a mortar, and either a rough stone or trimmed block inner shell. ... At first the towers of a castle were rectangular, but later castles builders preferred round towers which were harder to build but easier to defend. ... The first line of defense at a castle was the moat, a deep ditch running around the castle area, usually filled with water. ... "The castle also had many high towers, so that defenders could shoot down on attackers from several positions." Deep slits called embrasures were narrow on the outside and wide on the inside of the castle walls to allow defenders to shoot out at many angles, put prevent attackers from shooting in. ... Solid pieces of masonry called merlons sat on top of the castle walls for soldiers to shelter behind, while machicolations were used to drop missiles on soldiers below. ...
Then man who occupied the castle was called a lord, his life was centered around land. ... The finery of their castle-courts often rivaled that of the kings and many kept permanent armies at their beck and call. ...
Life in a castle was not always hard work, everyone looked forward to the festivals and fairs that marked important days of the year. ... During Christmas the castle was decorated with holly, ivy, and a Yule log would be burning in the fireplace.
Approximate Word count = 2142
Approximate Pages = 8.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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