|
Castle Protection
|
Moats -
Moats were built by digging a wide trench around the outer wall of a castle and then filling it with water. These were relatively simple defensive barriers and were effective at preventing invaders from getting their siege engines right up against the walls of a castle. Moats also made it much more difficult for attackers to dig tunnels under the walls.
Drawbridges -
Drawbridges were heavily built wooden bridges would be raised to prevent people from crossing the moat when the castle was under threat of attack. When not under siege the drawbridge would often be left down during the day to allow convenient access to the castle's main gate. The drawbridge was the most vulnerable part of the castle, so enemy forces would try to achieve surprise in their initial attack and catch the castle defenders off guard with the drawbridge still down.
Walls -
The outer walls of Medieval castles were constructed with big blocks of stone and were often several feet thick. The outer wall would be the highest and strongest, but there was often a second and sometimes even a third wall for additional protection. If the first wall was breached, the attackers would have to start over and lay siege to the next wall. The defenders tried to hold out until the attackers depleted their supplies and were forced to withdraw.
Battlements -
Battlements were defensive structures at the top of a castle wall. The walls were crennelated, or notched, to give the defenders the ability to monitor and attack the invaders. A relatively small number of troops could hold off much larger numbers from these effective defensive positions as they tried to cross the moat or climb the castle walls with scaling ladders.
Gates -
Large iron gates known as portcullises could be raised up and down. One of these was usually located at the main entrance where the drawbridge was located and a second gate was further inside the castle at the end of a short tunnel. Invading soldiers who were able to get past the drawbridge could be trapped between both gates and attacked from above with weapons such as rocks, arrows and boiling oil.