Castles were fortified structures built during the Middle Ages predominantly for nobility and royalty. They had features like moats, curtain walls with arrow slits, and keeps for defense. The word "castle" derives from the Latin "castellum" meaning fortified place. Castles served as residences for royalty as well as military defenses. Famous castles include Windsor Castle in England, Cite de Carcassonne in France, Hohensalzburg Castle in Austria, and Malbork Castle in Poland, the largest castle by area.

1. CASTLES
A TYPE OF HOUSE
By A. Karavas

3.  A castle is a type of fortified structure built
during the Middle Ages predominantly by
the nobility or royalty and by military orders.
 This is distinct from a palace, which is not
fortified; from a fortress, which was not
always a residence for royalty or nobility;
and from a fortified settlement, which was a
public defence – though there are many
similarities among these types of
construction.

5. ETYMOLOGY
 The word castle is derived from
the Latin word castellum, which is a diminutive of
the word castrum, meaning "fortified place".
 The Old English castel, Old
French castel or chastel, French château,
Spanish castillo, Portuguese castelo,
Italian castello, and a number of words in other
languages also derive from castellum.
 The word castle was introduced into English
shortly before the Norman Conquest to denote this
type of building, which was then new to England.

9. CASTLE PARTS

10. CASTLE FEATURES
Although castle design varied widely throughout Europe, there were
some similar features that many castles incorporated:
 Moat - A moat was a defensive ditch dug around the castle. It
could be filled with water and there was typically a drawbridge
across it to get to the castle gate.
 Keep - The keep was a large tower and the last place of defense
in a castle.
 Curtain Wall - The wall around the castle which had a walkway
on it from which defenders could fire arrows down onto attackers.
 Arrow Slits - These were slits cut into the walls that allowed
archers to shoot arrows at attackers, but remain safe from return
fire.
 Gatehouse - The gatehouse was built at the gate to help
reinforce the castle defenses at its weakest point.
 Battlements - Battlements were at the tops of castle walls.
Generally they were cut out from walls allowing defenders to
attack while still being protected by the wall.
.

11. FAMOUS CASTLES

12. WINDSOR CASTLE
 William the Conqueror built this castle after
he became ruler of England. Today it is still
the primary residence of English royalty.

13. CITE DE CARCASSONNE
 Famous castle in France started by the
Romans.

14. HOHENSALZBURG CASTLE
 Sitting on top of a hill in Austria, it was
originally built in 1077, but was greatly
expanded in the late 15th century.

15. MALBORK CASTLE
 Built in Poland in 1274 by the Teutonic
Knights, this is the largest castle in the world
by surface area.