What were the main features of a medieval castle?

Features of a Medieval Castle Barbican - a fortification to protect a gate. Curtain Walls & Towers - the perimeter defensive wall. Fortified Gatehouse - the main castle entrance. Keep (aka Donjon or Great Tower) - the largest tower and best stronghold of the castle.



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A typical European castle was like a little village inside, with kitchens, workshops, gardens, stables, and a chapel. This castle is built of stone, but many early castles were wooden.

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The drawbridge is one of the most important parts of a castle and one you've probably heard of before! A drawbridge was a type of bridge between the gatehouse and the opposite side of the moat. During raids, the drawbridge would be raised to keep invaders out.

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Walls and towers Thick stone walls and tall towers kept the castle's inhabitants safe from attack, even when an enemy army besieged (surrounded) the castle.

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Castle Features
  • Outer defenses.
  • Moat.
  • Walls (inner and outer)
  • Towers (inner and outer)
  • Gatehouses, drawbridges and barbicans.
  • Inner defenses.
  • Baileys or wards.
  • Living quarters and support buildings.


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The typical features of a medieval castle were: Moat - a perimeter ditch with or without water. Barbican - a fortification to protect a gate. Curtain Walls & Towers - the perimeter defensive wall.

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What other rooms were there in a Medieval castle? 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.

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Fire - Early castles were made of wood, so they were easy to attack by setting fire to them. Battering ram - A large log that was hit against the castle walls to weaken them. Catapult - Catapults, or trebuchets, threw large stones and burning objects at the castle.

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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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Castle walls could be plastered and whitewashed to protect the walls and mortar.

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The Gate. The entrance was often the weakest part in a castle. To overcome this, the gatehouse was developed, allowing those inside the castle to control the flow of traffic. Gatehouses were inside the wall and connected with the bridge over the moat, but they were more than just doorways.

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Over the centuries around 23 different siege attempts were made on Edinburgh Castle – making it the most besieged place in Europe.

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What other rooms were there in a Medieval castle? 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.

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barbican • \BAR-bih-kun\ • noun. : an outer defensive work; especially : a tower at a gate or bridge.

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Medieval castles flew flags from their highest points for one of two reasons: either the flag was representative of the family who owned it (most often royal standards of heraldry), or to display the country to which they belonged.

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Usual height for the motte of a large motte and bailey: 30 feet (9 m). Height of the walls of Framlingham Castle in England: 40 feet (12 m). Height of the keep at Dover Castle in England: 80 feet (24 m). Height of the tallest tower at Warwick Castle in England: 128 feet (39 m).

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