Were medieval castles comfortable?

Were medieval castles comfortable?

Castles were built for defence not comfort. During such times, wealthy castle owners began to employ large numbers of servants rather than soldiers. They made the cold, dank castle rooms more comfortable by laying rushes on the floors, and hanging fabric tapestries on the walls.

What was bad about life in a medieval castle?

To our modern standards of living, most Medieval castles would have been incredibly cold, cramped, totally lacking privacy, and would have been disgustingly smelly (and likely home to more than a fair share of rats!). Firstly, why were these castles so dark and cold? Well, most Medieval castles were made of stone.

How did people stay warm in medieval castles?

Castles weren’t always cold and dark places to live. But, in reality, the great hall of castle had a large open hearth to provide heat and light (at least until the late 12th century) and later it had wall fireplace. The hall would also have had tapestries which would have insulated the room against too much cold.

Who worked in a medieval castle?

An English medieval castle, if a large one, could have a household staff of at least 50 people, which included all manner of specialised and skilled workers such as cooks, grooms, carpenters, masons, falconers, and musicians, as well as a compliment of knights, bowmen, and crossbow operators.

What would life be like in a medieval castle?

Many people would have lived and worked in the castle. They would cook and clean for the lord or king. There would also be a gardener, stable hands, a blacksmith, a baker and a treasurer who counted all the money. Life in a castle in medieval times was very dark and cold.

Where do servants sleep in a castle?

Most domestic servants would have slept in shared chambers in either the cellars or attics of the castle buildings. There might also be simple buildings outside the castle for herdsmen, mill workers, wood-cutters, and craftspeople such as rope-makers, candle-makers, potters, basket-weavers, and spinners.

What was the design of a medieval castle?

Medieval castles’ design reached its pinnacle with the development of the concentric castle during the 12 th and 13 th centuries. Simply speaking, a concentric castle is “a castle with two or more concentric curtain walls, where the outer wall is lower than the inner and can be defended from it.”

Are there any castles that are not medieval?

All other castle-like structures that don’t conform to this medieval standard are not real medieval castles, and should have a prefix in their description, such as converted-castle, Japanese-castle, house-castle, fantasy-castle, or fake-castle.

What was the cause of the decline of medieval castles?

One of the factors that led to the emergence of these structures is the collapse of the Carolingian Empire, which ruled over Central and Western Europe during its height of power. When the empire collapsed, these territories were no longer controlled by a central government, and was divided between local lords and princes.

What was the prison like in a medieval castle?

Most castles had prisons or dungeons. An oubliette is basically a little coffin/cell/cave thing carved into the back or bottom of one, where particularly hated prisoners could be tossed in and forgotten about. (Fittingly, “oubliette” comes from the French word oublier, meaning “to forget.”)