1. Our Medieval Castle This castle was built by students in the Atlantic Home School Assistance Program. We have been learning about the Middle Ages, which went from about 800-1500AD.
2. Early Castle Construction The first castle were built around 950 AD. Most were built between 1050 and 1350. They were built on high hills. They always had a wall around them. The rise of the feudal system made more castles. When a lord received land he quickly built a castle to protect it. By Chase, Cory & Seth
4. Peasant Life Peasants didn’t own much. They did all of the work in the castle, they served the noblemen. They took care of the animals and did the cooking and gardening. They never had a day off. They ate mostly stale bread, onions, turnips or a little cheese. By Kassidy
7. Peasant Life Falconry In the Middle Ages people took their falcons everywhere they went. Falcons were used for hunting small prey. The job of a falconer was to train and take care of the falcons. To train a falcon The falcon got used to being carried and fed A rope was tied to it and it flew after bits of food Then it was able to fly freely After all that, it would kill small prey and bring it back The falcons were kept in a mew. By Mitchell
8. Stables There were four main types of horses in the Middle Ages. Destrier - in the Middle Ages these were well bred highly trained stallions. They were used at war or tournaments. They were a little like modern dressage horses. Palfrey- It was a well bred horse that was bred for general purpose riding. Courser - The most common horse used in warfare. They were bred to be long winded horses and didn’t cost as much as Drestriers. Rouncy – These horses were used for working or riding. They were also called hackneys, which is where our word “Hack Horse” comes from. By Mariah
9. Peasant Life Hunting The kennel boys took care of the hunting dogs. The Lymer sniffed out the prey while the other dogs chased it. The dogs were kept in luxury kennels. They were better fed and more comfortable than the kennel boys who looked after them. Poachers were not allowed to kill any creature even to protect their crops. If they were caught they were penalized. By Chase & Seth
11. Peasant Life: Your Job is Your Name Smith: a metalworker Cooper: someone in charge of casks for storing beer or wine Constable: high-ranking official Granger: someone in charge of the barn or grange that stored grain Salter: someone in charge of salt production Butler: from the word “bottler,” in charge of the wine cellar
12. Peasant Life: Even More Jobs Ladies-in-waiting Laundress Baker Brewer Carpenter Huntsman Gardener Reeve Bailiff Carter Privy cleaner Servants to clean the castle Seamstress Entertainer Juggler Jester Steward Taster Pantler Butler Ewerer Carver Cupbearer Mat Weaver Spinner Groom Sweeper Falconer
13. Peasant Life: The Kitchen Cooks prepared the food, sometimes for up to 200 diners. Trenchermen carried and served the food. A spit boy turned the spit to roast meat. People ate off of hard pieces of bread called trenchers instead of plates. Food was eaten with your hands or maybe a spoon.
14. Peasant Life Servants and blacksmiths took care of the horses. Blacksmiths made horseshoes. Armorers built and repaired the weapons and armor.
15. Medieval Health There weren’t many doctors in the middle ages. Those few were not real doctors. They believed in using astronomy – relying on the stars - and whether the patient lived or died was God’s doing. By Heather
16. Medieval Health They believed in four liquids in the body. These were blood, yellow bile, black bile & phlegm. If you had too much of one liquid you would get sick. Doctors used blood letting to release the excess blood that they thought was making a person sick. By Heather
17. Protection Castle Guard This is where the knights slept and armor and weapons were kept. They slept on straw pallets.
18. Protection Dungeon Dungeons were in the lowest part of the castle. They were dark. The prisoners were fed moldy bread and water. Sometimes family members would bribe the jailer to bring prisoners blankets or bread. By Cory
19. Protection Guillotine The guillotine is when a sharp blade chops off someone’s head. Dr. Guillotin invented the guillotine. By Kassidy
20. Protection Battlements Crenels & Merlons The top of the castle had openings called crenels The sections of wall in between were called merlons. Together they formed the castle’s battlements. Knights could drop boulders or boiling oil on attackers from up there.
23. Before a boy could become a knight, he had to be a page, helping to serve food and stuff like that.
24. After a boy had been a page for several years, he became a squire. A squire was like an apprentice knight. He would help the knight to put on armor, and he would also train to be a knight.
25. Knights served and protected the nobility. They took a vow to serve the king.
26. Knights fought with swords, lances, and the occasional mace or ball-and-chain.
27. Sometimes knights had jousts where they fought with lances to practice, show off, and provide entertainment. By Hannah
28. Knights Tournaments Tournaments were held from the 12th to the 14th centuries. Tournaments were used to practice for war. They helped knights get better at fighting. They were also entertainment. They gave Lords and Ladies the chance to show off their wealth. Even though tournaments were for practice knights still sometimes died or got hurt. By Cory
30. Life of Nobility The Lord and his Lady are at the top of the feudal system. Being a child a noble usually meant you got traded to a relative when reaching a certain age. Boys would learn to be pages when sent away. Girls would go to learn how to be a wife. Marriage was usually arranged while children were still babies. Girls married at age 14. By Michalla
31. Life of Nobility Kings gave land to nobles, in exchange for their loyalty and help in war. One of the Lord’s jobs was to check to make sure everything was going right with estates and tenants. If the king summoned the Lord he had to go right away. By Michalla
34. Nobility Running the Estate The Lord’s Personal Organizer The Estate Steward helped the bailiffs make sure the estate ran efficiently and that the taxes were paid. Because people got bored with salted food, food was highly priced and the steward kept it under lock and key. By Heather
38. Girls would combine their coat of arms with that of their husband to create a new design.
39. Boys used a variation of their father’s depending on where in the family they came.By Heather
40. Life of Nobility The Lady’s important job was to make sure they had enough supplies & food. The Lady watched over the upbringing of the children. She also gave overnight guests a room and entertainment. By Michalla
41. The Church Most castles had a church or a chapel. People went to church every Sunday and many went every day to pray and worship. The chaplain or priest was many times the only one who could read and write in the village. He would end up keeping records for the castle and teaching the pages how to read. Some people became saints if something unusual happened to them, like dying in an uncommon way. The word ‘holiday’ comes from the medieval word ‘holydays.’ People enjoyed celebrating these holydays by putting on plays or going to church. By Angela
