The Genius Design of Medieval Castles

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Medieval castles were meticulously engineered to withstand sieges and serve as centers of power. In this Deconstructed video we break down how these fortresses evolved from early motte-and-bailey designs to advanced stone structures, balancing military defense with daily life. Castles featured complex defensive systems, including barbican gateways, concentric rings, and machicolations, while also providing supplies and shelter during prolonged sieges. We explore how innovations like bascule bridges, portcullises, and tower geometry were designed to counterattack and reinforce the structure’s resilience.

The engineering behind medieval castles was remarkable for its time. Walls were built to handle ballistic attacks, while the placement of defensive elements ensured maximum protection and functionality. Logistics, supply chains, and local resources were critical to maintaining these strongholds over time. Discover how medieval castles were not just symbols of power, but cutting-edge solutions to the challenges of medieval warfare, showcasing the ingenuity that made them so advanced for their time.

In this video, we’ve modeled an entire medieval castle inside and out to break down its design, show how it was built, explain how its defensive systems worked, and give a glimpse into what life was really like within its walls. We’ve also created a Medieval Castle poster, desk mat, and hoodie you can grab to support the channel.

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Chapters
00:00 – 00:48 Intro
00:48 – 03:10 Feudal Origins
03:10 – 06:40 Approaching the Barbican
06:40 – 09:11 Types of Bridges
09:11 – 11:00 Outer Gatehouse
11:00 – 13:40 Inner Gatehouse
13:40 – 16:50 Curtain Wall
16:50 – 19:54 The Keep
19:54 – 21:54 Outro – Giveaway!

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#Castle #MedievalCastle #History

In the age of knights and kings, nothing commanded power like the medieval castle. More than a home, it was a fortress armed with layer defenses to keep enemies at bay. A drawbridge that could rise in an instant, leaving only the black waters of the moes below, upward cullis of iron and wood, ready to slam shut in the attacker’s path, and murder holes reigning danger from above. In this video, we’ve modeled the ultimate medieval castle from the outmost walls to the heart of the castle to reveal the engineering that made it nearly impossible to take. But before we get into it, I’m Lion and this is Deconstructed. We break down the engineering behind history’s most fascinating and today’s most advanced machines and structures. So, let’s see how it all works. The product of a feudal world, the medieval castle was built during the Middle Ages by royalty, nobility, and powerful military orders. More than just stone walls, it was a fortified private residence, a stronghold for defense, an administrative hub, and the seat of daily life for those within its protection. In the 9th century, the Carolian Empire, founded by Charlemagne, united much of Western and Central Europe under a single Christian rule, spanning present-day France, Germany, Northern Italy, and parts of Eastern Europe. But when the empire collapsed in the late 9th century, central authority crumbled and power splintered into the hands of regional lords and nobles. It was in this fractured landscape that castles emerged. Localized power centers where nobles could protect and govern their lands. Under the feudal system, land was exchanged for loyalty and military service. And castles became the physical embodiment of that bond. Facing constant threats from Maguars, Muslims, and Vikings, defense was paramount, and location was everything. To maximize visibility, castles were often built on elevated terrain overlooking key rivers and trade routes. The earliest castles in medieval Europe built from the 10th century and onwards were simple m and bailey designs. A wooden tower on a raised mound with a lower bailey enclosed below. During the 12th century, a scientific approach to castle defense emerged and castle building entered its golden age. Driven by the ambitions of the Norman rulers, these fortifications grew from simple timber structures into massive stone strongholds with thick curtain walls, fortified gateous, and flanking towers. At their heart stood the stone keep, the ultimate refuge. In this video, we’ll focus on the most advanced form of the medieval castle, the concentric fortress, combining the most iconic features into one detailed reconstruction. While no two castles were identical, our model blends elements from the 11th to 14th centuries to create the ultimate medieval stronghold. Before we jump inside, a quick note. We’ve put together a medieval castle collection to go with this video, and it’s discounted for a limited time. I’ll share more about that later. Now, let’s follow the path an attacking force would face when attacking the ultimate castle, advancing step by step towards the heart of the castle. Before making it inside the castle walls, the first obstacle would be the barbin, a fortified gateway positioned in front of the main entrance, designed to expose attackers to defensive fire before they even reached the main gate. The gate itself was built of thick timber reinforced with iron capable of absorbing relentless battering at what was often the most targeted point of attack. From the inside, it was secured by a massive draw bar, a thick wooden beam that locked the doors in place. The beam sat in deep sockets carved into the stone walls on either side of the entrance. To secure the gate, the beam was slid from one socket across the door and into the other, bracing it against impact. Towering overhead, the battlements formed a defensive crown, a parapet cut with evenly spaced gaps called embracers or krenels. Between them stood the Merlons, solid stone shields for the defenders above. From here, they could dart out to fire arrows or drop projectiles, then vanish back into cover. Behind the battlements ran the wall walk, an elevated path accessible by stairs or ladders, allowing defenders to rush along the ramparts and reinforce any point that came under siege. From the wall, the battleman towers loomed higher still, giving defenders sweeping views and deadly attack angles. From these elevated positions, they could sweep the walls with flanking fire, hitting anyone trying to approach or scale them. Sometimes set into the Merlons were narrow vertical openings called areroslits, secured firing points that allowed archers or crossbowmen to strike while staying almost entirely hidden. Some were shaped to suit specific weapons and tactics. And in places, wooden shutters offered yet another layer of defense between shots. But even the strongest defense mechanisms can be tested. Just recently, there was a security scare at Windsor Castle. an intruder making it past security before being stopped. There were a variety of headlines like intruder arrested on the grounds of Windsor Castle and men arrested at Windsor Castle for trespass drug possession. The thing is the same story can be told in completely different ways and it’s easy to miss half the picture without even realizing it. I like being able to see how multiple outlets report the same event. How certain words can subtly change the tone and even which details like the mention of drug possession or Prince William are included or left out. Which is why I use Ground News, an app and website that shows how many outlets are covering a story and lets you compare headlines across the political spectrum side by side so you can see how each version is framed. You can check out each outlet’s bias rating, factuality, and ownership details, and even use their blind spot feature to find stories one side of the spectrum might be missing entirely. I like it because it takes minutes, not hours, to get the full picture. You’re not stuck in a news bubble, and you can make up your own mind about what matters. Use my link, ground.news/deconstructed for 40% off their Vantage plan. It’s private, adfree, and a better way to see the world without the spin. All right, back to the castle. Breaking the barbec was no guarantee to progress for enemies. The modes, a deep white ditch often filled with water, encircled the fortress like a final warning. It stopped siege towers and battering rams long before they could touch the outer walls, forcing attackers to first fill it with earth just to get within striking distance. The moat also served another purpose. It made undermining nearly impossible, blocking the tactic of digging underneath the castle walls to collapse them using a wooden framework that was then set on fire. With the moat stretching out before the gate, the only direct path to the outer gate was across the drawbridge. Built as a heavy wooden deck hinged at the gate house threshold, it could be raised or lowered to control entry. In its most common form, chains attached to the outer end ran through pulleys above the gate, operated by a windless in the room above the passage. When raised, the bridge folded up flush against the gate house, becoming yet another barrier between enemies and the castle. Only lighter bridges could be lifted this way without any counterweight assistance. For larger, heavier bridges, a counterweight system was often added. As the windless turned to raise the deck, the counterweights descended inside the gate house, offsetting the bridgeg’s weight and making the lift far easier. Another approach was the Bascial Bridge. In this design, the bridge extended into the gate passage and over a pit. When raised, the intersection swung down into the pit, assisted by a counterwe beneath the bridge. Chains attached to the inner end and operated by a windless in the room above allowed it to be lowered or raised smoothly. This setup also prevented the bridge from flipping if someone stepped on its inner end, while the pit itself created an extra obstacle for anyone trying to cross. By the 14th century, a simpler variant emerged. Like the first and second types, it used chains, but these were fixed to pivoting arms called gavs mounted above and parallel to the bridge. These arms extended back into the gate house where heavy counterweights were mounted on their inner ends. This balanced the bridge so well it could be raised or lowered by hand. When lifted, the arms lock neatly into slots in the gate house wall, holding the bridge securely in its upright position. With the drawbridge lowered, attackers could rush straight into the next trap, the outer gate house. This fortified gateway controlled access to the outer bailey. The first open courtyard inside the castle walls. At its entrance stood another massive wooden gate secured from within by a heavy bar lock. A thick wooden beam resting across the door held in place by sturdy metal brackets. Up above, battlements like at the barbkin crown the structure while miculations jutted out from the wall. These floor openings sit between stone supports called corbills allow defenders to drop stones and arrows on anyone trapped below. There were also arrow slits on the second floor of the gate house. Some gate houses were even built as half towers open at the rear so that if attackers broke through, they couldn’t hold the position. Instead, they’d be exposed to fire from the walls and towers deeper inside the castle. In a siege like this one, defenders might add temporary wooden structures on top of the wall battlements called hoardings. Through aerosol slits in the walls and holes in the floor, they could fire down on attackers at the base. These worked much like metriculations, though being wooden, they were vulnerable to fire, which is why defenders sometimes covered their roofs with wet animal hides to resist flaming arrows. Even the base of the wall works against attackers. The tailless, an outward sloping section of stone, also called the batter or plinth, would blunt the impact of battering rams, push scaling ladders into angles where they were more likely to break, and stop siege towers from getting close enough to deploy their draw bridges. Should the outer defenses fall, the next objective for any attacking force was the inner gate house, the final and most heavily fortified gateway in the castle. This four-story stronghold controlled access to the inner Bailey where the keep stood and its arched gate passage was flanked on both sides by massive semi-ircular towers. High above the entrance, many of the same defense mechanisms used at the barbin and outer gate were deployed. Meticulations allow defenders to drop stones and arrows onto anyone below. Battlemens provided cover for archers while arrow slits cut into the towers. gave them clear firing angles on the enemy’s approach. Just inside the entrance stood another heavy wooden gate and beyond it the portalis, a massive gritted barrier of wood and iron running in vertical grooves on either side of the passage. At its base, sharp metal spikes were designed to crush anyone caught beneath as it dropped. The Porcelis was attached to chains running through pulleys above, operated by a windless in the room over the passage. Counterweights also help balance the load. In an emergency, defenders could release the chain to let it slam down under its own weight with deadly force. Passing through the gatehouse passage along the center of the gate house would be even more dangerous. narrow and enclosed. It funneled attackers into a confined space where they would be targeted from above and from both sides. Many castles had two or more port cullises, trapping attackers between them. In this killing zone, they would be bombarded through murder holes in the ceiling. Openings between the port cullises where rocks, arrows, bolts, or boiling oil could rain down. Arrows slits in the side rooms also allow defenders in nearby rooms to fire into the passage as well. Inside the gate house, the first level often housed a dungeon or ooliet, which is French for to forget. This underground prison cell had a narrow opening at the top with a wider chamber below and was only accessible from above through a trap door. Guard rooms could be placed on both sides of the gate house, manned by soldiers ready to defend the gate from within. The second level typically served as an armory, storing weapons, armor, and siege supplies. Above that, the third level held the barracks, the communal living quarters for the guards who kept watch over the castle’s most critical gateway. The inner gate house was a fortified doorway within the castle’s strongest line. The inner curtain wall, taller and thicker than the outer wall, sometimes exceeding 10 m in height. It was built to dominate the space around it. From the wall walk along its top, defenders protected by battlements could fire down not only on attackers outside, but also on those who had managed to get into the inner bailey. The wall’s strength came from its construction. two outer layers of stone packed with rubble and mortar between them. Hidden within its length was sometimes the postn gate, a small, often concealed doorway at the rear, allowing defenders to slip in and out unseen, perfect for messengers, scouts, or counterattacks. At regular intervals along the curtain wall rose the wall towers, reinforcing the defense just as the barbec had before. From these elevated positions, defenders could unleash flanking fire along the walls, striking any force trying to approach or scale them. Each tower was stopped with battlements, and areroslits cut into the walls allowed archers to shoot while staying protected. Inside, the towers were multi-level structures. Some floors might store food, wood, projectiles, and tools, while others could house armories, guard rooms, or barracks. The towers came in different shapes, each with distinct strengths and weaknesses. Square towers were easier and faster to build, and offered larger interior space, but their corners were structurally weak, making them more vulnerable to undermining or battering, and flat walls were more easily damaged by projectiles. Round towers solved many of these issues. Their curved surfaces deflected projectiles and resisted tunneling better, but they were more complex and time-conuming to build with less interior space. D-shaped towers offered a compromise, a curved exposed side with the defensive advantages of a round tower paired with a flat rear that was easier to construct. Though it still retained some of the square towers vulnerabilities. Inside the inner Bailey, daily life continued even under siege. This open space enclosed by the inner curtain wall was where much of daily life and work took place. The stables kept the castle’s horses ready. Vital for transport, communication, and mounted defense. Workshops for blacksmith, carpenters, and other craftsmen maintained weapons, armor, and the castle itself. The kitchen stored food and prepared meals for soldiers, servants, and laborers, while the chapel provided a place of worship, keeping faith close to home in a world where religion shaped daily life. At the center, the well offered a reliable source of fresh water, ensuring the castle could endure even the longest siege without surrender. Reaching this point meant the siege had broken through nearly every defensive line, leaving only the keep. The keep, also called the dungeon, not to be confused with the dungeon, was the castle’s ultimate stronghold, a massive multi-story fortified tower, often the largest and strongest in the entire fortress. By the late 12th century, stronger curtain walls and rounded towers made keeps unnecessary. with main rooms moved into towers or separate buildings in the inner Bailey. When the keep was still central to a castle’s defense, it was both the lord’s main residence and a last resort refuge if every other defense fell. Built with extra thick walls, few windows, and reinforced with four corner towers that served as elevated lookout points and firing positions, it was designed to be nearly impossible to take. Most keeps were approached through a four building, a fortified structure shielding the main entrance on the first floor above. Narrow stairs led up to a first floor doorway, forcing attackers into a tight, easily defended space. Arrow slits lined the four building, and some even included another drawbridge and their own gate to delay attackers. Inside the keep rose floor after floor connected by spiral staircases built into the towers. These typically ascended clockwise, a design that favored right-handed defenders coming down, their swords arms free while cramping the swing of right-handed attackers climbing up. The ground floor or cellar stored the provisions needed to survive a long siege. dry goods, perishable food, wine, ale, and sometimes a well for fresh water. Some keeps also had a kitchen here reserved for preparing meals for the Lord’s family and honored guests. The first floor, the entrance level, was dominated by the great hall where the Lord conducted business, hosted meetings, and held grand feasts. Often the largest room in the keep, it sometimes spanned two stories with a soaring ceiling. Above on the second floor gallery, a mural walkway ran within the thickness of the walls, its windows bringing light into the hall below. If the hall was breached, defenders could use this gallery to fire down on attackers from above. Guest chambers for important visitors were located on the third floor. On the same level was the solar, the private living and sleeping quarters for the Lord and his family. This floor also contained the private chapel reserved for their use as well as the guarder robes from the French for wardrobe. Simple toilets were waste dropped down vertical shafts into pits or in some cases directly into the moat. At the very top, the keep’s battlements and wall walks offered a commanding view of the surrounding countryside and one last elevated line of defense. If the keep fell, the siege would be over. Defenders captured, banners torn down, nor fortress could hold out forever. By the 15th century, a new threat emerged that no port cullis wall or tower could truly withstand. Gunpowder artillery transformed warfare, reducing once impenetrable stone fortifications to rubble under the thunder of cannon fire. By the 16th century, the medieval castle was militarily obsolete. In its place rose artillery forts with low angled walls to deflect cannonballs and earthen ramparts from mode excavations to absorb their impact. Built purely for war, they offered no role as a noble residence. The nobility shifted to chataus, grand estates designed for comfort, aesthetics, and prestige over defense. Some castles survived as residences or administrative centers. Others were abandoned, fell into ruin, or were repurposed as prisons. Today, castles stand as more than just relics of war. They are enduring symbols of medieval ingenuity, social hierarchy, and cultural identity. Monuments to a time when stone walls were both the heart of a home and the edge of a battlefield. We’ve put together a medieval castle poster, desk mat, and a hoodie to go with this video. For the next 7 days only, they’re all 10% off. And we’re giving one poster away. To enter the giveaway, like the video, subscribe, and comment below. What surprised you the most about Medieval Castles? We’ll announce the winner in the next upload, or you can just grab one. The link is in the description. Before we go, we want to announce the winner of our last giveaway. Congratulations and a big thank you to all our Patreon and YouTube members. You will be getting this exclusive desktop background. Thanks for watching. Stay curious.