Category Archives: Castles

Christmas in a castle

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Ruth

As you remember from the castle series, there were no true castles in Charlemagne’s time. As soon as you’re in a stone castle with a keep, maybe a round tower, and a gatehouse, the year is at least 1100 and … Continue reading →

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Three 15th century castles

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ruth

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle was built in Wales, but long after Edward I’s pragmatic purpose-built castles like Harlech and Conwy. Raglan had no military purpose when it was built in the 15th century. It took two hundred years for its … Continue reading →

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15th century castles and chateaux

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ruth

If you do an internet search of “castles for sale,” you’ll always find an array of beautiful stone houses, mostly in France. Most of them are “chateaux,” that is, the word “castle” updated into modern French. As the word changed, … Continue reading →

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Two 14th Century Castles

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ruth

Schloss Berlepsch, Germany In the 13th and 14th centuries, as the Holy Land Crusades became intermittent exercises in futility, the Crusading spirit moved to the north. Instead of taking back the Holy Land, they could take new pagan lands. The … Continue reading →

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Gunpowder and castles

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Ruth

I’ve made some references to the changing nature of warfare in the 14th and 15th centuries, which it’s worth spelling out in more detail. Gunpowder changed the nature of war by changing siege strategy; whole cities could be besieged and … Continue reading →

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15th century castle kitchens

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Ruth

By the 1400s, castles were more and more residential and less and less military. When the government needed a real fortress, the king now built a compact stone fort with very thick walls and artillery stations. The castle residences could … Continue reading →

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Bodiam Castle

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Ruth

Near the end of the Hundred Years War, England was losing badly. We know from the modern map that England lost all of its continental possessions except for the Channel Islands. Calais was part of the British Empire until 1558, … Continue reading →

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14th century castles

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Ruth

Wales was conquered; the Crusades had effectively closed even if they didn’t want to admit it. The Hundred Years’ War between England and France continued to rage all through the 14th century, off and on, taking turns with the plague … Continue reading →

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Three Welsh castles

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Ruth

Caerphilly Castle has been somewhat restored and its moat re-flooded. Not all, but some of its wooden parts have been rebuilt. Wooden bridge and wooden hoarding (rooftop for archers) can be seen in this video. Caerphilly is different from the … Continue reading →

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Meditation On Harlech Castle

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Ruth

We should not love a castle, but we do; we place ourselves within its keep, not where we’d really stand. For thousands, not a few, the parapets were meant to strip you bare. We love the castle for its inner … Continue reading →

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