Britain is home to thousands of castles, from the powerful Norman stone keeps that first brought castles to the British Isles, to the concentric castles that represented the most formidable defensive fortifications of the medieval period. Today many of these incredible structures survive, while still more lie in various states of ruin and disrepair. Below … Read more
Deriving from the Latin turris meaning ‘tower’ and the Italian Torretta meaning ‘little tower’, turrets were small towers added onto existing structures in castles, usually walls and towers. Turrets were a later medieval development and became popular because they afforded the garrison of a fortification a greater field of vision since turrets usually extended higher … Read more
Known for marking the transition from the middle ages to the early modern period, the Italian Renaissance revolutionized many aspects of our society. Although predominantly associated with art, it also shaped architecture, science, education, and music for centuries afterwards. Beginning as early as the 14th century and ending as late as the 17th century, the … Read more
Medieval warfare revolved around sieges. Set-piece field battles were not only incredibly bloody but were also highly risky for both sides involved – even a winning army could sustain so many casualties that they would be unable to continue fighting a war and be forced to disband. As a result, battles were generally avoided and … Read more
Castle dungeons have a fearsome reputation in the modern imagination – they are dark, subterranean prisons, where unfortunate captives would be held in squalid conditions and sometimes subjected to horrendous tortures. However, this image is not quite true, and there are many myths surrounding the castle dungeons. It is true that dungeons existed to hold … Read more
Throughout the medieval period castles were built in a huge variety of styles and with many different functions – there were simple wooden motte-and-bailey castles, stone keeps, and enormous concentric fortifications constructed at vast expense. However, there is perhaps one element that tied almost all castles together without fail in the middle ages, and that … Read more
Curtain walls, defensive walls between two towers or bastions, were an intrinsic part of many medieval castles and fortifications. From simple motte-and-bailey castles with small wooden palisades to late medieval concentric castles featuring multiple layers of vastly thick stone walls, the curtain wall was a key defensive element of the castle. The concept of curtain … Read more
Castle turrets are essentially small towers that were built into medieval castle fortifications, most typically walls and towers. The name ‘turret’ comes from the Italian torretta, meaning ‘little tower’, and the Latin word turris meaning ‘tower’. Castle turrets developed out of the need for increased defensive capabilities and were highly effective in providing defenders with … Read more