Why was it so difficult to capture castles?

A castle was built to withstand attack from enemy. Castle builders added many defensive features to make their castles difficult to attack. Many castles were built on high ground with clear views of the surrounding land. Attackers were easy to shoot whilst swimming or rowing across the moats filled with water.



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Soldiers either scaled walls with ladders or overran castle walls breached by tunnels, battering rams, or artillery. Sometimes they attacked two or three spots around the castle at once to surprise their foe or divide castle defenses, and sometimes they approached the wall hidden within a trench or tunnel.

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Living in a medieval castle was often uncomfortable and even hazardous, particularly for those who were not part of the nobility or royalty. For example, despite their grandeur and imposing appearance, many castles lacked basic amenities like running water, central heating, and proper ventilation.

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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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If they had enough supplies, they were VERY GOOD INDEED for the most part 'till cannons got powerful enough to start rendering them obsolete. There's a reason some of castle sieges ended by treachery from within, a HUGE number ended with surrender of the defenders due to starvation, and very few ended by assault.

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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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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 of Zafra, Campillo de Duenas It holds the distinction of never being conquered. It also holds the distinction of appearing in “Game of Thrones” in three episodes.

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The End of Castle Building By the 14th century, the golden age of castle building was coming to an end. With the advent of gunpowder, castles were no longer the impregnable fortresses they had once been. The pounding of cannon fire could breach the walls and leave the castle vulnerable and open to attack.

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There is a reason we have so many well preserved medieval castles still standing today: from spiral staircases built to give those going down the upper hand in battle in case of an attack to the crenelated walls which gave access to archers to shoot at the lower ground, to complex and maze-like moats, walls, and ...

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Arrow slits, also known as loopholes, were narrow openings in castle walls that allowed archers to shoot arrows at attackers while remaining protected behind the walls. These openings were designed to be very narrow, which made it difficult for attackers to shoot back, and also provided protection for the archers.

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