Did people live in a castle keep?

At the time of Chr tien de Troyes, the rooms where the lord of a castle, his family and his knights lived and ate and slept were in the Keep (called the Donjon), the rectangular tower inside the walls of a castle. This was meant to be the strongest and safest place.



Yes, the keep was the heart of residential life in a castle, though its primary function was defensive. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the keep (or donjon) was the safest and most substantial building where the lord and his family lived, ate, and slept. A supportive peer "daily life" insight: life in a keep was far from glamorous by modern standards. It was often dark, damp, and smoky due to limited ventilation and small windows designed more for archery than light. The main hall served as a multipurpose space for feasting and business, while the upper floors held private chambers (solars). As architectural styles evolved into the 14th century, many nobles moved their living quarters to more comfortable "palace" wings within the outer walls, but the keep remained the final refuge during a siege and a symbol of the lord's ultimate power and status.

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Since the 16th century, the English word keep has commonly referred to large towers in castles. The word originates from around 1375 to 1376, coming from the Middle English term kype, meaning basket or cask, and was a term applied to the shell keep at Guînes, said to resemble a barrel.

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Without electricity and just wood for heat, castles were often dark and cold in Medieval times, Bachrach said.

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Castles and manor houses often smelled damp and musty. To counteract this, herbs and rushes were strewn across the floors.

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Some castles had their lordly living rooms in a completely separate building; a castle within a castle, which could be defended even if the rest of the fortress fell. The Earls of Northumberland's Great Tower within Warkworth Castle had its own wine-cellars, kitchens, hall, chapel and bedrooms.

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By the 1600s, people didn't want to live in cold and damp castles anymore. Kings, queens and noble men wanted to show off how important and rich they were so they built palaces and great houses. Many existing castles were replaced with much grander homes.

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Some 25,000 castles, palaces and mansion houses bear witness to Germany's history: from splendid, perfectly preserved landmarks to ruined reminders of former glory.

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In most castles of a modest size you can use and live in all the rooms, with plenty of room for guests too. However, some larger estates might open up parts of the castle to day visitors or tours, either to help with finances or for the sheer love of sharing history.

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Some later medieval castles had walls that were only about 15 to 20 feet (4.6 m to 6 m) high, but the walls of the stronger castles typically measured about 30 feet (9 m) in height and sometimes more.

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In the medieval period luxury castles were built with indoor toilets known as 'garderobes', and the waste dropped into a pit below.

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The stench of horse manure The 17th century was also full of foul smells; the stench could be dreadful everywhere. Mains water, sewer systems, deodorant, toothpaste, washing machines, fridges: none of these existed yet – with all the inherent consequences.

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The purpose of a moat was primarily to protect the castle from attack. As a defense mechanism, moats were very effective. Although they're usually depicted as wide, deep bodies of water, moats were often simply dry ditches.

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A bailey is the sturdy wall around a castle that keeps invaders out. The bailey of a medieval castle was usually built of stone. You might see a bailey — or the remains of one — if you tour a castle in England or France.

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The entrance to the castle was always its weakest point. Drawbridges could be pulled up, preventing access across moats. Tall gate towers meant that defenders could shoot down in safety at attacks below. The main gate or door to the castle was usually a thick, iron-studded wooden door, that was hard to break through.

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