The 3 types of castles in the Middle Ages (and their characteristics)

The castle is, along with the cathedral, the symbol of the Middle Ages. This building has been recreated in a multitude of films and novels, and constitutes an important part of the imaginary popular with respect to this historical period, as well as the place par excellence where the stories are located classics.

But what were, really, the medieval castles? What function did they have? What were the types of castles? In this article we are going to delve a little into the construction of these fascinating buildings, and we will understand a little more what meaning they had in the Middle Ages.

The main types of castles in the Middle Ages

The medieval castle has been erected, indeed, as the symbol of the medieval era. However, in the thousand years that this historical period lasted, there have been many types of constructions. Let's see them below.

1. The first castles, made of wood

The eminent medievalist Jacques Le Goff (1924-2014) collects in his essential book The Middle Ages explained to young people

an interesting fact that we often forget: that the first castles were built of wood, not stone.

Indeed; During the first medieval centuries, these border constructions were built using organic materials. Wood, in a Europe where forests abounded, was much easier to find and, moreover, much more manipulable than stone.

Another of the causes for this constructive option emanates directly from the historical context: during the centuries immediately after the fall of the Roman Empire, the borders were very unstable and, therefore, so much, the places of settlement of the king and his troops moved constantly. Thus, a wooden building was more practical, both for the ease of finding the materials and for the speed of its construction.

What was the disadvantage of fortresses built in wood? Which, obviously, were easily engulfed in flames. Fires were frequent, and there were not a few castles that burned on all four sides, sowing chaos, desolation and death.

From the 11th century, and following Le Goff again, we begin to find stone castles. Again, this change in typology makes perfect sense; in the 11th century the borders are more or less stabilized, and Europe is experiencing a period of prosperity and growth. It is the time of the Crusades, of the flowering of the first Gothic, of the rebirth of cities, of universities, of Scholasticism. A new construction for a new world.

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2. Castles of the feudal era: stone fortresses

The castle is the symbol of the feudal system, the pillar of the central centuries of the Middle Ages. Let's remember that Feudalism It was a political, economic and social system that prevailed in Europe more or less from the 9th century to the 14th century. This is not to say that feudalism did not exist after the 14th century (nothing could be further from the truth), but it did mean that it was a evolved and changed feudal system, which practically had nothing to do with the feudalism of the Middle Ages, the time of its maximum splendor.

The central figure of the feudal system was the lord, around whom revolved a series of vassals who swore allegiance to him. These pacts were extremely complex, and often had nothing to do with wealth or power. For example, the Plantagenet of England they were, in the twelfth century, vassals of the King of France; however, his possessions more than doubled those of the French king (a fact which, incidentally, was one of the causes of the Hundred Years' War).

Thus, the knight received some lands in exchange for loyalty to his lord, and became the owner of these territories for all purposes. Europe became, in this way, a conglomerate of plots of a private nature, which belonged to a family or lineage. The concept of the state, of "public thing" (the Roman res publica), had ceased to exist.

The gentleman who received the lot of land received the peasants who worked on it. These peasants, known as serfs, were forced to work the terra indominicata, which belonged directly to the lord. At the same time, they were granted a small plot for their own subsistence, which they owned only in usufruct, since everything contained in the lands was the property of the lord. Even mills, bridges, and forests were under his jurisdiction, and he often set a fee or tax for their use.

In this social and economic context, medieval castles proliferate, constructions that have nothing to do with what the movies show us: cold, uncomfortable and dark. We will talk about it in more detail in the next section.

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3. The last castles in the transition to the Renaissance

In the 14th century, a new invention is all the rage on the battlefield: gunpowder. that's when new siege weapons begin to proliferate that mean the end of medieval castles. The canyon is one of them.

The walls of the castles of the Middle Ages were not prepared to withstand the impact of a projectile launched from a cannon. Soon, this new weapon renders the walls useless.

Thus, little by little, partly because of these technical innovations, partly because of the political change that is taking place in Europe, castles evolve from impregnable fortresses to luxurious residences, which serve as a delight to their owners. It is enough to contemplate the magnificent castles of the Loire Valley, in France, to realize the change that has taken place in this type of building. Castles such as Chambord, built by Francis I in the 16th century, or Chenonceau, where he lived for long seasons Queen Catherine de Medici, are a living testimony of the new mentality that was taking shape in Europe.

In the fifteenth century some changes began to operate. The rulers ordered the construction of Renaissance-style fortresses, oriented towards comfort and leisure. Although it is true that they still show defensive elements, such as walls or towers, the castles of this time are already designed for enjoyment and ostentation. Actually, these castles (which in French retain the name chateau) can no longer be called as such; they are palaces created for the personal enjoyment of the monarch.

The following century represents the deployment of this type of castle-dwellings. The construction has definitively lost any defensive function and has become the place where the king and his court stay.

then proliferate magnificently decorated halls, spacious halls, comfortable rooms where there is no shortage of luxurious beds, curtains and exquisite furniture; and, above all, art multiplies everywhere. The aforementioned Francisco I was an extraordinarily cultured monarch who, displaying the prevailing humanism in the time, protected artists of the stature of Leonardo da Vinci, who died precisely in France, in the castle of amboise. The groups of rude soldiers have given way to the refined Renaissance courts.

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Characteristics of the castles

The typical castle of the feudal heyday (s. X-XII) is a building of variable size, whose main spaces are the parade ground and the keep. The first is the large central opening from where the dependencies of the fortress are distributed, and where the soldiers carry out their exercises. The parade ground also allows the entry of cars, animals and merchandise.

On the other hand, the keep is the most important space in the castle, and also the most luxurious. Actually, the word "luxurious" is excessive, since at that time even the nobles lived with a certain modesty, although the idea may be surprising to us. The keep is the part of the castle where the lord lives with his family. It is generally a tall and not very wide tower, where there is a large multipurpose space that serves as a dining room, audience room and meeting and celebration place.

Precisely because of its multipurpose nature, this space lacks furniture; the tables are mobile, as well as the chairs and other objects. It is common for the walls to be covered by splendid tapestries, which fulfill a double function: first, that of mitigating the intense cold; second, to demonstrate the wealth of the owner, since the tapestries were a very expensive product.

The lord and his wife sleep in a room in the tower; often the only one with a bed. Other elements that we can find are chests to store clothes and some oratory, in addition to the fireplace, essential to keep the room at a good temperature. The rest of the family can have their own chamber or they can sleep together in a large room. Because, unlike what we see in movies, medieval castles have almost no rooms.

Intimacy is quite rare; in fact, the soldiers all sleep together, on pallets, as do the servants. Of course, according to Jacques Le Goff, the cleanliness of these fortresses was impeccable (and here we break another cliché about the Middle Ages): the castles were equipped with numerous latrines that served all the inhabitants. These inhabitants could be quite numerous; many castles were as large and populous as the surrounding villages, housing within their walls the lord's family, soldiers, and servants with their families.

One of the meeting places was, of course, the chapel. All the castles had one, since the religious element was inseparable from daily life. The liturgy and other important ceremonies such as weddings or baptisms were celebrated in the chapel or church, as well as other more profane celebrations, such as meetings and appointments.

The walls, the moat and the drawbridge

The first castles were not houses, but fortresses. The lord lived in them, but the main function of the building was defensive. Therefore, his typology was a military typology; some essential elements were the walls, the moat and the drawbridge.

The walls surrounded the entire enclosure and obviously served as the main defense of the square. They used to be tall and thick and had a patrol path for the soldiers. The battlements, typical in the representations of medieval castles, also fulfilled a protective function, as they allowed soldiers to protect themselves from enemy arrows. The walls were obviously windowless; we find extremely narrow openings, the loopholes, with just enough space to allow the launching of arrows from within, but, at the same time, to prevent the projectiles from penetrating the besiegers

Many medieval castles used to have a moat surrounding the building, which did not always contain water. This moat constituted a natural barrier that stopped the advance of the enemy. On the other hand, the entrance to the fortress was mobile; the drawbridge was raised at night to prevent unwanted entry.

Rural castles, but also urban

The typical image we have of a medieval castle is rural, but we must bear in mind that we also find this type of construction within cities. Two examples are the Palais Royal and the Louvre, both in Paris and which, originally, were medieval fortresses that stood in the heart of the city.

Habitually, the inhabitants of these urban fortresses were the kings and counts. It is important to point out that, in the Middle Ages, the courts were itinerant; that is to say, the king or the nobleman in question moved regularly through his domains and did not have a fixed place of residence, as would happen in modern times. Thus, monarchs or nobles such as Isabella I of Castilla or Eleanor of Aquitaine often traveled to the different castles distributed throughout their lands.

Here we find another of the topics about the Middle Ages: that people did not travel. Well, yes, he did, and more than we think. Obviously, it was not about constant (and fast) trips like the ones we can do today and, naturally, a peasant hardly left his native village; but we do find nobles, kings and queens who are constantly on the move, as well as pilgrims traveling from one place to another. Medieval men and women were much more restless than we suppose.

The types of medieval castles in Europe

During the Middle Ages, castles flooded the European continent. Despite the fact that they all share common characteristics, it is no less true that in each region acquired special aspects, depending on the context and the reality of the place. Let's take a look at it briefly below.

1. France and Iberian Peninsula

The castles of the Mediterranean area present the characteristics that we all have in mind when we think of a medieval castle. Broad towers and long walls, all built of stone. In general, this typology of castle, we can say, "southern", gives the impression of a compact stone mass, almost always located on high promontories.

As examples in France we have the castle of Foix, whose initial construction dates back to the 10th century, and the castle of Gaillard, an impressive building that overlooks the Seine River 100 km from Paris. The Gaillard fortress was erected by order of Richard the Lionheart, and at the time it was much larger and more imposing than what is preserved today.

In Spain, the most paradigmatic examples are Loarre's castle, a magnificent construction from the 11th century that is located in Aragón, in the province of Huesca, as well as the castle of Frías, in Burgos, or that of Osma, in Soria.

On the other hand, the conversion of the medieval castle-fortress to the castle-dwelling is amply exemplified in the numerous castles that dot the Loire Valley in France. We have already cited some examples, such as Chambord and Chenonceau, but we can also add Chaumont, Blois and Amboise. In most of these castles features of the Italian Renaissance are inserted.

2. Italy

Medieval fortresses can be traced all over the Italian peninsula. Despite being obviously part of the Mediterranean area, the Italian reality is different, since it has historically received influences from the Byzantine East, especially in the Veneto area.

The Castello di Soave, whose origins date back to the 10th century, is a beautiful example of Venetian medieval military architecture.

Tuscan castles They are also interesting examples of a medieval Italian fortress. The fortress of Montalcino, from the 13th -14th centuries, witnessed the fierce fights between Welfs (supporters of papal power) and Ghibellines (supporters of the Holy Roman Emperor) Germanic). Its beautiful pentagonal shapes offer a wonderful complement to the panoramic view of the place. On the other hand, the Castello dei Conti Guidi, in Poppi, is a magnificent example of Trecento Tuscan civil construction, despite the fact that its origins date back to the 12th century.

3. Eastern Europe

The typology of fortresses that we find in Eastern Europe differs significantly from those that dot the Mediterranean area. An example that perfectly illustrates these differences is Malbork Castle in Poland, built by the Teutonic Order in the 13th century. Its original name was Marienburg, "Castle of Mary" (in reference to the Virgin). It is an impressive fortress located in the north of the country, on the banks of the Nogat River, a tributary of the Vistula. Its style is Baltic Gothic, characterized by the profuse use of red brick, and represents the largest castle built with this material.