Knights and Castles

A Journey Back in Time

Imagine you could travel back hundreds of years, to a time called the Middle Ages. There are no cars, no electricity and no televisions. Instead, you see stone castles standing tall on the hills, and brave knights riding by in shining armour.

This time in history lasted roughly from the years 1000 to 1500. It was an age of kings and queens, lords and ladies, and the soldiers we call knights. People built mighty castles to protect themselves and to show how powerful they were.

In this book, we will explore those castles from top to bottom, meet the knights who defended them, and find out what life was really like long ago. Historians have learned all of this from real castles that still stand today and from old writings that have survived. Let's lower the drawbridge and step inside.

Why Were Castles Built?

A castle was much more than a grand home. It was a fortress — a strong building made to keep its people safe from enemies.

In the Middle Ages, lands were often fought over. A powerful lord needed somewhere he and his people could defend if they were attacked. A castle was the perfect answer. Its thick stone walls were very hard to break through, and from high up, the defenders could see enemies coming from far away.

A castle was also a sign of power. When people saw a great castle towering over the land, they knew that an important and mighty lord lived there. The castle helped him control the land and people around it.

The very first castles were built quickly from wood and earth. But wood could be burned down, so people soon learned to build castles from stone, which was far stronger and could last for hundreds of years.

The Parts of a Castle

A castle was cleverly designed so that every part helped to keep it safe. Let's walk around one and learn the names of its parts.

Around the outside was often a wide ditch called a moat, sometimes filled with water. The moat made it very hard for enemies to dig under the walls or wheel their machines up close.

To cross the moat, you had to use the drawbridge — a bridge that could be pulled up to seal off the castle. Behind it was often a heavy iron grille called a portcullis that could be dropped down to block the gate.

The tall, thick outer walls were called the curtain walls. Along the top ran a walkway with gaps called battlements, where defenders could shoot arrows and then duck behind the stone for cover. At the corners stood tall towers for keeping watch.

In the middle of it all was the strongest tower of all, the keep. This was the heart of the castle. If enemies ever broke through the walls, everyone could shelter inside the keep, which was the safest place of all.

Who Were the Knights?

A knight was a special kind of soldier who fought on horseback. Knights were among the most important and respected fighters of the Middle Ages.

A knight served a lord or a king. In return for land and a home, the knight promised to fight for his lord whenever he was needed. This promise of loyalty was a very serious bond.

Knights were expected to follow a set of rules called the code of chivalry. This code told a knight to be brave in battle, loyal to his lord, fair to others, and kind to those weaker than himself. Of course, not every knight followed the code perfectly, but it was the ideal they were meant to live by.

Knights were also wealthy. A warhorse, a suit of armour and good weapons were very expensive, so only families with money could afford to make their sons into knights.

Becoming a Knight

A boy did not simply decide one day to be a knight. It took many years of hard training, usually starting when he was only about seven years old.

First, the young boy became a page. He went to live in the castle of a lord, where he learned good manners, how to ride a horse, and the very first lessons of fighting. He also helped with everyday tasks around the castle.

When he was older, around fourteen, he became a squire. A squire served an older knight, looking after his horse, cleaning his armour and following him into battle. The squire trained hard with swords and lances, growing stronger and more skilled each year.

Finally, if he proved himself brave and worthy, the squire was made a knight in a special ceremony. The lord or king would tap him on each shoulder with a sword. This was called being dubbed a knight. From that day, he was a true knight.

Armour and Weapons

To stay safe in battle, a knight wore armour — a protective covering for his body.

Early knights wore chain mail, a shirt made of thousands of tiny iron rings linked together. It was flexible and good at stopping cuts. Later, knights wore plate armour, made from shaped sheets of metal that covered the whole body. A full suit of plate armour could weigh as much as a large dog, yet it was so well made that a fit knight could still run, climb and ride in it.

On his head, a knight wore a metal helmet with a visor that could be lifted to see and lowered for protection. He carried a shield to block blows, often painted with a special pattern called a coat of arms so people could tell who he was.

A knight's main weapon was the sword, kept sharp and strong. He might also use a long pole called a lance when charging on horseback, or heavy weapons like the mace and battle-axe.

Castle Under Attack

Sometimes an enemy army would try to capture a castle. This was called a siege.

Attacking a strong castle was very difficult. The attackers might surround it for weeks or even months, hoping the people inside would run out of food and water and be forced to give up.

To break in, attackers used giant machines. The catapult and the trebuchet could fling heavy rocks at the walls. A battering ram — a huge log, often with an iron tip — was swung against the gates to smash them open. Tall siege towers on wheels were rolled up to the walls so attackers could climb across.

But the defenders fought back fiercely. They shot arrows through the gaps in the battlements, dropped rocks on attackers below, and used the strong keep as their final place of safety. A well-built castle could hold out for a very long time.

Life Inside the Castle

A castle was not only for fighting. It was also a busy home where many people lived and worked every day.

At the centre of castle life was the great hall, a large room where the lord and his family ate their meals, held feasts and welcomed guests. On special days, there might be music, dancing and travelling performers.

A castle was full of workers. There were cooks busy in the kitchens, servants cleaning and carrying, blacksmiths hammering out tools and weapons, and stable hands caring for the horses. Together they kept the castle running.

Life in a castle was not always comfortable, though. The thick stone rooms could be cold and dark, lit only by candles and warmed by open fires. There was no running water as we have today, so water had to be carried up from a well. Even so, the castle was the safest and grandest place for many miles around.

What We Learned

We have travelled back to the Middle Ages and explored the world of knights and castles! Let's remember what we found.

Castles were strong stone fortresses built to keep people safe, with clever defences like moats, drawbridges, battlements and a mighty keep. Knights were soldiers who fought on horseback and followed the code of chivalry, training for many years as pages and squires before being dubbed. They wore armour and carried swords, shields and lances. When castles were attacked in a siege, both sides used powerful machines, but a good castle was very hard to capture. And inside, the castle was a busy home with great feasts in the great hall.

The age of knights and castles ended long ago, but their stone walls still stand today, telling us their stories.

Want to explore more history and adventure? Soar through time with A Short History of Flight, or set sail and dive deep in Explorers of the Deep Sea.