Dover Castle

Not all Castles hold princesses in the top of them, or end up on a Disney movie; some castles walls have seen things that would leave one speechless. Haunted castles are in abundance in throughout Britain. Chuck Palahniuk said, “If the living is haunted by the dead, then the dead are haunted by their own mistakes.” Steeped in history, the castles Chillingham, Portchester, and Dover are true examples of the haunted castles with its own ghosts, spirits or hauntings. Chillingham Castle is located in the heart of Northumberland, England. “It was built for one purpose and one purpose only, killing” (User, Super Chillingham). The history of this horrifying castle will send chills down ones spin. Chillingham was ruled by King Edward I and was the…

ingen which is believed to have been invented in China as early as 300BC. The Traction Trebuchet required a large group people to pull on a heavy rope in order to launch the projectile. The trebuchet didn’t reach Europe till the early dark ages around 500 AD. during this time the trebuchet went through very significant changes, the most important of which being the replacement of the troop of men pulling on a rope in order to launch the projectile, with a large fixed counterbalance weight.…

Castles were constantly being changed. They had to change defences so it could be could be as defensive as possible. It had to be defensive enough to survive a siege which could go on for months. They did not only change defence such as walls and weapons but they also changed what was inside because the first castle only trained knights but they upgraded it so now it has a chapel, living rooms and the king and queen can own a castle. Why did castle designs Change? They had to change the designs…

The trebuchet was used to hurl large stones at castles in the medieval era. The trebuchet was a new war machine that terrorized castles throughout the British isles. With it’s origin dating back to China in 300 B.C., the trebuchet was used primarily by the French until the twelfth century. During the Siege of Dover, the French attacked the British stronghold at Dover. Once King Edward the first of Britain laid his eyes on this weapon he knew he must construct one for Britain. He told his master…

Prince Louis utilized it when he employed it at Dover Castle as he attempted to take the English thrown. The first siege of the castle started in July 19, 1216 and ended October 14th and a truce was struck between the castle of Dover and Prince Louis. The second siege was started in May 17, 1217 with prince Louis setting up a trebuchet trying to fire on the walls and gate but this proved ineffective. This was the first use of it in England at the time and many people say in awe the rarity of…

the most spectacular private castle of the decade. Bodiam is the kind of castle that most people imagine when they think what a medieval castle is supposed to look like, with its large stone walls and towers surrounded by moat looking very dramatic and highly defensive. Bodiam to this day remains very intact and is one of the most visually striking medieval England castles. The only time that Bodiam castle was under threat was during the Wars of Roses, when forces of Richard III were sent to…

It is debatable whether siege warfare became as important as it was due to the presence of the defensive monstrosities that were castles or if it was siege warfare that led to the advancement of castles, but siege warfare is a key focus regardless. When analyzing medieval warfare, some historians make the mistake of ignoring siege engines or warfare and instead choose to focus their inquiry on knights or horses . Knights on horseback had a minor impact on siege warfare, which was the leading…

Tall stone walls, numerous holes located throughout the property, crumbling bricks, narrow hallways, small stairwells. These are just some of the features of the crumbling medieval castles that still stand today. Yet, only a few hundred years ago, these castles were the homes of the wealthy and a shield for the low-lights in society. The bigger and stronger the castle, the more wealth was shown, and the better protected the people of the village were. A successful medieval European castle would…

The Castel Medieval castles were built to be as defensive as possible. Every part of them was designed to make sure that the castle was as strong as it could be, and could hold out against sieges - which could sometimes last months. The Outer Curtain Wall The ‘curtain wall’ was a stone wall which wrapped around the outside of a castle. This wall was the main layer of defense, and it was very strong - for example, the curtain wall of Caerphilly Castle in Wales was more than 2 meters (that’s more…

and castles that date back to Medieval times scattered all over the beautiful countryside. Most of the castles found in Ireland were built using stone. Many of them date back to the 1100's. The Irish started building castles after the Normans invaded the country. There were castles built all over Ireland's beautiful countryside. Many of them now lie in ruins. There are others that have been restored. Many of the castles are open to the public. The Bunratty Castle was built in the 15th…