101 Amazing Facts about Castles

Jack Goldstein

Description

Did you know that the world's oldest football was found in a room at Stirling Castle? Do you know what the person in charge of a castle's buttery is called? What is the difference between a trebuchet and a mangonel? And what is an oubliette? The answers to all of these questions and more can be found in the excellent quick-read guide to castles. Whether you're King Richard the Lionheart himself, or just some unlucky peasant, this book containing over one hundred facts is sure to keep you entertained.

Sujets

• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 18 juin 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783338061
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
101 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT CASTLES
Jack Goldstein



Publisher Information
Published in 2014 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
The right of Jack Goldstein to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998
Copyright © 2014 Jack Goldstein
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Any person who does so may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
All information contained within this book has been researched from reputable sources. If any information is found to be false, please contact the publishers, who will be happy to make corrections for future editions.
Chateau Gaillard photo courtesy of Casper Moller
Krak des Chevaliers photo courtesy of Arian Zwegers
Bodiam Castle photo courtesy of Brian Snelson
Malbork Castle photo courtesy of Arian Zwegers
Himeji Castle photo courtesy of alisdair
Portcullis photo courtesy of Kevin King



Introduction
Did you know that the world’s oldest football was found in a room at Stirling Castle? Do you know what the person in charge of a castle’s buttery is called? What is the difference between a trebuchet and a mangonel? And what is an oubliette? The answers to all of these questions and more can be found in the excellent quick-read guide to castles. Whether you’re King Richard the Lionheart himself, or just some unlucky peasant, this book containing over one hundred facts is sure to keep you entertained.
Follow Jack Goldstein on Twitter @GoldsteinBooks
Visit Goldstein Books at www.jackgoldsteinbooks.com



The Basics Castles are strong buildings, designed to keep the inhabitants safe from attack. They were built by kings and noblemen to be both homes and fortresses. The earliest structures that we would today call castles were built around the 9 th or 10 th centuries AD and were often made of wood and earth. There were defensive structures built for many years before this, although we refer to them as hill forts ; the key difference is that a castle contained a recognisable household structure, whereas a hill fort was purely built for military purposes. As time progressed, castle building became an art form in itself. Perhaps the most significant innovation was the change of building material from wood to stone, although there were many other advances made over the next five hundred years. Many castles were built on hilltops, as this provided additional defensive strength. Others were built next to rivers, in locations where a large proportion of their walls could be surrounded by water; this was because it was much harder to attack this way than by land.