Castle Terms
Castle Terms
- Arrow loop: A narrow slit in a castle wall that allowed archers to shoot arrows while remaining protected
- Battlements: A defensive wall or parapet with alternating low sections (crenels) and high sections (merlons)
- Battering ram: A heavy, wooden device used to break down castle gates or walls during a siege
- Bailey: The courtyard of a castle, often surrounded by a protective wall
- Castle: A fortified residence, often the residence of a lord or king, used for defense and as a symbol of power
- Crenellation: The notched or toothed top of a castle wall used for defense and as a firing platform
- Curtain wall: The outer wall surrounding the bailey of a castle
- Dungeon: A dark, underground prison cell used to hold prisoners or enemies of the castle lord
- Gatehouse: The entrance or gateway of a castle, often protected by a portcullis, drawbridge, or other defensive mechanism
- Great hall: The main hall of a castle or manor house used for dining and entertaining
- Machicolation: A projecting gallery or platform at the top of a castle wall, used for dropping rocks or other missiles on attackers
- Mantlet: A portable shield used to protect soldiers during a siege or attack on a castle
- Moat: A defensive ditch surrounding a castle, often filled with water to make it more difficult for attackers to breach the walls
- Murder hole: A hole in the ceiling or floor of a castle used to drop objects or pour boiling oil on attackers below
- Portcullis: A heavy, sliding gate that could be lowered to close off a gateway or entrance
- Keep: The central tower or stronghold of a castle
- Keep watch: A guard or lookout who keeps watch over the castle and its surroundings
- Trebuchet: A type of medieval siege engine used to hurl large rocks or other projectiles at castle walls
- Turret: A small tower or lookout built on the corners or along the walls of a castle
MLA Citation/Reference
"Castle Terms". HistoryLearning.com. 2024. Web.