Medieval society and castles

Historians use the terms “middle ages” and “medieval times” to describe the centuries
that stretched from the fall of Ancient Rome to the Renaissance and Reformation in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
In earlier centuries, the Vikings from Scandinavia attacked Ireland, Britain and other
areas of Europe. They became known as the Normans. In 1066 the Normans, led by William
the conqueror, invaded England and defeated Harold, the Anglo-Saxon king of England, at
the battle of Hastings.
One hundred years later, in 1169, Anglo-Norman lords invaded Ireland. They were
led by strongbow, Richard de Clare, earl of Pembroke, who landed with his army at
passage, co. Waterford.
Land was very important in the middle ages. The ownership and control of land
was organised through feudalism or the feudal system. There was a ceremony for the
handing over of land (or fief). The lord who was receiving the land knelt down before the
king and placed his hands in the hands off the king. He swore an oath to become a vassal
of the king:
“I will be your man from this day onwards. I shall be true and faithful to you for the lands I
hold from you.” The knights were given manors, that is, villages with land around them.
The knights kept some of the land for their own private use – this land was called the
demesne. They divided the rest among their tenants, who were called peasants or farmers.
Castles were built to defend the land, to provide a place to live, and to provide
shelter for people living around. The first castles were called motte and bailey castles. The
motte was a mound of earth on top of which a timber fence and a timber tower, or keep,
were built. Below it was a flat area called the bailey. The bailey contained lodgings for the
soldiers, stables for horses, workshops and kitchens, and the hall where meals were eaten
and where the lord conducted his business.
Stone castles soon replaced motte and bailey castles. Stone castles were built in the
same way as the motte and bailey castles, with a keep and bailey. A moat and tall stone
walls surrounded castles. The walls were up to 45 feet tall and 15 feet thick. They were
called curtain walls. Inside the wall there was a walk, which was protected by the
battlements. Towers were built at intervals along the wall to strengthen it and to allow
soldiers to shoot arrows through slits or loopholes. The drawbridge over the moat was
lowered by chains. The portcullis was an iron grill that was raised to allow people to enter
and leave. The gatehouse controlled the machinery for the drawbridge and the portcullis.
The great hall was a long room with the lord and lady’s table at the top. Tapestries often
hung on the walls.
The lord organised the business of the castle and kept his territory under
control. Noblewomen were married off by their parents.
Both lord and lady threw feasts for important people of the surrounding area. Very
few people used plates, so food was placed on large slices of stale bread called trenchers.
It was very difficult for attacking armies to capture castles. Their best hope was to
capture it by surprise or with the help of a traitor inside. Otherwise they had to put the
castle under siege. The attackers built machines to fire rocks, fireballs and large arrows at
the castle. They also tried to fill in the moat so that scaling-ladders and siege towers could
be used against the walls. They could also use battering rams against the walls of the
gatehouse. One of the most successful methods of attack was undermining the wall.
The knights fought for the kings and the barons. Training began at seven years of
age, when a boy became a page. At fourteen he became a squire. At twenty-one, he was
ready to be dubbed a knight. The new knight took his vows of chivalry. He promised to be
truthful, generous and loyal, to be courteous to the poor, and to protect women and
children.
Knights practised their fighting skills in tournaments. The knights wore a coat-of-
arms on their shields so that they could be recognised.