Editing Castle (section)

==Common features==

===Motte===
{{see also|Motte-and-bailey}}
[[File:Chateau-de-Gisors.jpg|thumb|alt=A small castle comprising a round keep surrounded by a tall encircling wall on top of a man-made hill|The wooden palisades on top of mottes were often later replaced with stone, as in this example at [[Château de Gisors]] in France.]]
A motte was an earthen mound with a flat top. It was often artificial, although sometimes it incorporated a pre-existing feature of the landscape. The excavation of earth to make the mound left a ditch around the motte, called a moat (which could be either wet or dry). Although the motte is commonly associated with the bailey to form a [[motte-and-bailey]] castle, this was not always the case and there are instances where a motte existed on its own.<ref name="Friar 214">{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=214}}</ref>

"Motte" refers to the mound alone, but it was often surmounted by a fortified structure, such as a keep, and the flat top would be surrounded by a [[palisade]].<ref name="Friar 214"/> It was common for the motte to be reached over a flying bridge (a bridge over the ditch from the [[counterscarp]] of the ditch to the edge of the top of the mound), as shown in the [[Bayeux Tapestry]]'s depiction of [[Château de Dinan]].<ref>{{harvnb|Cathcart King|1988|pp=55–56}}</ref> Sometimes a motte covered an older castle or hall, whose rooms became underground storage areas and prisons beneath a new keep.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|p=397}}</ref>

===Bailey and enceinte===
{{see also|Enceinte|Inner bailey|Outer bailey}}
[[File:Raseborg 06042008 Innenhof 01.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|A courtyard of the 14th-century [[Raseborg Castle]] in [[Finland]]]]
A bailey, also called a ward, was a fortified enclosure. It was a common feature of castles, and most had at least one.<ref name=":0" /> The keep on top of the motte was the domicile of the lord in charge of the castle and a bastion of last defence, while the bailey was the home of the rest of the lord's household and gave them protection. The barracks for the garrison, stables, workshops, and storage facilities were often found in the bailey. Water was supplied by a [[Water well|well]] or [[cistern]]. Over time the focus of high status accommodation shifted from the keep to the bailey; this resulted in the creation of another bailey that separated the high status buildings&nbsp;– such as the lord's chambers and the chapel&nbsp;– from the everyday structures such as the workshops and barracks.<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=22}}</ref>

From the late 12th&nbsp;century there was a trend for knights to move out of the small houses they had previously occupied within the bailey to live in fortified houses in the countryside.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|pp=408–410, 412–414}}</ref> Although often associated with the motte-and-bailey type of castle, baileys could also be found as independent defensive structures. These simple fortifications were called [[ringwork]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|pp=214, 216}}</ref> The enceinte was the castle's main defensive enclosure, and the terms "bailey" and "enceinte" are linked. A castle could have several baileys but only one enceinte. Castles with no keep, which relied on their outer defences for protection, are sometimes called enceinte castles;<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=105}}</ref> these were the earliest form of castles, before the keep was introduced in the 10th&nbsp;century.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|p=399}}</ref>

===Keep===
{{Main|Keep}}
[[File:Chateau-de-Vincennes-donjon.jpg|thumb|alt=A tall stone tower surrounded by a shorter square wall|The 14th-century keep of [[Château de Vincennes]] near Paris towers above the castle's curtain wall. The wall exhibits features common to castle architecture: a gatehouse, corner towers, and machicolations.]]
A keep was a great tower or other building that served as the main living quarters of the castle and usually the most strongly defended point of a castle before the introduction of [[#Innovation and scientific design (12th century)|concentric defence]]. "Keep" was not a term used in the medieval period&nbsp;– the term was applied from the 16th&nbsp;century onwards&nbsp;– instead "[[donjon]]" was used to refer to great towers,<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=163}}</ref> or ''turris'' in Latin. In motte-and-bailey castles, the keep was on top of the motte.<ref name="Friar 214"/> "Dungeon" is a corrupted form of "donjon" and means a dark, unwelcoming prison.<ref>{{harvnb|Cathcart King|1988|p=188}}</ref> Although often the strongest part of a castle and a last place of refuge if the outer defences fell, the keep was not left empty in case of attack but was used as a residence by the lord who owned the castle, or his guests or representatives.<ref>{{harvnb|Cathcart King|1988|p=190}}</ref>

At first, this was usual only in England, when after the Norman Conquest of 1066 the "conquerors lived for a long time in a constant state of alert";<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|p=402}}</ref> elsewhere the lord's wife presided over a separate residence (''domus'', ''aula'' or ''mansio'' in Latin) close to the keep, and the donjon was a barracks and headquarters. Gradually, the two functions merged into the same building, and the highest residential storeys had large windows; as a result for many structures, it is difficult to find an appropriate term.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|pp=402–406}}</ref> The massive internal spaces seen in many surviving donjons can be misleading; they would have been divided into several rooms by light partitions, as in a modern office building. Even in some large castles the great hall was separated only by a partition from the lord's chamber, his bedroom and to some extent his office.<ref>{{harvnb|Barthélemy|1988|pp=416–422}}</ref>

===Curtain wall===
{{Main|Curtain wall (fortification)}}
[[File:Beaumaris aerial.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Beaumaris Castle]] in [[Anglesey]], [[North Wales]], with curtain walls between the lower outer towers, and higher inner curtain walls between the higher inner towers.]]
Curtain walls were defensive walls enclosing a bailey. They had to be high enough to make scaling the walls with ladders difficult and thick enough to withstand bombardment from siege engines which, from the 15th&nbsp;century onwards, included gunpowder [[artillery]]. A typical wall could be {{convert|3|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} thick and {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, although sizes varied greatly between castles. To protect them from [[Mining (military)|undermining]], curtain walls were sometimes given a stone skirt around their bases. Walkways along the tops of the curtain walls allowed defenders to rain projectiles on enemies below, and [[battlement]]s gave them further protection. Curtain walls were studded with towers to allow [[enfilade|enfilading]] fire along the wall.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=86}}</ref> Arrowslits in the walls did not become common in Europe until the 13th&nbsp;century, for fear that they might compromise the wall's strength.<ref name="Cathcart King 84">{{harvnb|Cathcart King|1988|p=84}}</ref>

===Gatehouse===
{{Main|Gatehouse}}
[[File:001. Château de Châteaubriand.JPG|thumb|A 13th-century gatehouse in the [[château de Châteaubriant]], France. It connects the upper ward to the lower one.]]

The entrance was often the weakest part in a circuit of defences. To overcome this, the gatehouse was developed, allowing those inside the castle to control the flow of traffic. In earth and timber castles, the gateway was usually the first feature to be rebuilt in stone. The front of the gateway was a blind spot and to overcome this, projecting towers were added on each side of the gate in a style similar to that developed by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]].<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|pp=124–125}}</ref> The gatehouse contained a series of defences to make a direct assault more difficult than battering down a simple gate. Typically, there were one or more [[portcullis]]es&nbsp;– a wooden grille reinforced with metal to block a passage&nbsp;– and arrowslits to allow defenders to harry the enemy. The passage through the gatehouse was lengthened to increase the amount of time an assailant had to spend under fire in a confined space and unable to retaliate.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|pp=126, 232}}</ref>

It is a popular myth that [[murder hole]]s&nbsp;– openings in the ceiling of the gateway passage&nbsp;– were used to pour boiling oil or molten lead on attackers; the price of oil and lead and the distance of the gatehouse from fires meant that this was impractical.<ref name="auto">{{harvnb|McNeill|1992|pp=98–99}}</ref> This method was, however, a common practice in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean castles and fortifications, where such resources were abundant.<ref name="imnara">{{cite journal|journal=L-Imnara |last=Jaccarini |first=C. J. |date=2002 |title=Il-Muxrabija, wirt l-Iżlam fil-Gżejjer Maltin |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/L-Imnara/L-Imnara.%2007(2002)1=26/05s.pdf |volume=7 |issue=1 |publisher=Rivista tal-Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor |page=19 |language=mt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418035928/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/L-Imnara/L-Imnara.%2007%282002%291%3D26/05s.pdf |archive-date=18 April 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=Vigilo|last=Azzopardi|first=Joe|date=April 2012|title=A Survey of the Maltese Muxrabijiet|url=http://dinlarthelwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/41_Final.pdf|publisher=[[Din l-Art Ħelwa]]|location=Valletta|issue=41|pages=26–33|issn=1026-132X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115112647/http://dinlarthelwa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/41_Final.pdf|archive-date=15 November 2015}}</ref> They were most likely used to drop objects on attackers, or to allow water to be poured on fires to extinguish them.<ref name="auto"/> Provision was made in the upper storey of the gatehouse for accommodation so the gate was never left undefended, although this arrangement later evolved to become more comfortable at the expense of defence.<ref>{{harvnb|Allen Brown|1976|p=64}}</ref>

During the 13th and 14th centuries the [[barbican]] was developed.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=25}}</ref> This consisted of a [[Rampart (fortification)|rampart]], ditch, and possibly a tower, in front of the gatehouse<ref>{{harvnb|McNeill|1992|p=101}}</ref> which could be used to further protect the entrance. The purpose of a barbican was not just to provide another line of defence but also to dictate the only approach to the gate.<ref>{{harvnb|Allen Brown|1976|p=68}}</ref>

===Moat===
{{Main|Moat}}
[[File:Caerlaverock Castle from the air 1.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=An aerial view of a stone building with a triangular plan. It is surrounded by a ditch filled with water.|[[Caerlaverock Castle]] in southern Scotland is surrounded by a moat.]]
A moat is a ditch surrounding a castle – or dividing one part of a castle from another – and could be either dry or filled with water. Its purpose often had a defensive purpose, preventing [[siege tower]]s from reaching walls, along with making mining harder, but could also be ornamental.<ref name=Friar208/>{{sfn|Liddiard|2005|p=10}}{{sfn|Taylor|2000|pp=40–41}} Water moats were found in low-lying areas and were usually crossed by a [[drawbridge]], although these were often replaced by stone bridges.<ref name=Friar208>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=208}}</ref> The site of the 13th-century [[Caerphilly Castle]] in Wales covers over {{convert|30|acre|ha|abbr=on}} and the water defences, created by flooding the valley to the south of the castle, are some of the largest in Western Europe.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|pp=210–211}}</ref>

===Battlements===
[[Battlement]]s were most often found surmounting curtain walls and the tops of gatehouses, and comprised several elements: [[Battlement|crenellations]], [[hoarding (castles)|hoardings]], [[machicolation]]s, and [[Embrasure|loopholes]]. Crenellation is the collective name for alternating crenels and [[merlon]]s: gaps and solid blocks on top of a wall. Hoardings were wooden constructs that projected beyond the wall, allowing defenders to shoot at, or drop objects on, attackers at the base of the wall without having to lean perilously over the crenellations, thereby exposing themselves to retaliatory fire. Machicolations were stone projections on top of a wall with openings that allowed objects to be dropped on an enemy at the base of the wall in a similar fashion to hoardings.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=32}}</ref>

===Arrowslits===
[[Arrowslit]]s, also commonly called loopholes, were narrow vertical openings in defensive walls which allowed arrows or crossbow bolts to be fired on attackers. The narrow slits were intended to protect the defender by providing a very small target, but the size of the opening could also impede the defender if it was too small. A smaller horizontal opening could be added to give an archer a better view for aiming.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|pp=180–182}}</ref> Sometimes a [[sally port]] was included; this could allow the garrison to leave the castle and engage besieging forces.<ref>{{harvnb|Friar|2003|p=254}}</ref> It was usual for the latrines to empty down the external walls of a castle and into the surrounding ditch.<ref>{{harvnb|Johnson|2002|p=20}}</ref>

===Postern===
A [[postern]] is a secondary door or gate in a concealed location, usually in a fortification such as a [[city wall]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Medieval castle. |year=1991 |publisher=North Star Press of St. Cloud |location=St. Cloud, Minn |isbn=9780816620036 |page=17 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m-TqPC6cRNYC&q=Postern&pg=PA17 |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125161126/https://books.google.com/books?id=m-TqPC6cRNYC&q=Postern&pg=PA17 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Great hall ===
[[File:WLM - roel1943 - Ridderzaal.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Ridderzaal]] in [[The Hague]] is the main building of the 13th-century inner square of the former castle of the [[counts of Holland]] called [[Binnenhof]]]]

The great hall was a large, decorated room where a lord received his guests. The hall represented the prestige, authority, and richness of the lord. Events such as feasts, banquets, social or ceremonial gatherings, meetings of the military council, and judicial trials were held in the great hall. Sometimes the great hall existed as a separate building, in that case, it was called a hall-house.{{Sfn|Lepage|2002|p=123}}