Putting Your Castle Together
http://www.yourchildlearns.com/megamaps/castle.html
Instructions for Build a Medieval Castle
Castles were built in a large variety of shapes--rectangular, hexagonal, or round. One was built in
the shape of a shield. The best site for a castle was a place that could be easily defended--on a
piece of solid rock that stood above the surrounding countryside or on the edge of a cliff above
the water. The shape of the castle and the locations of the towers were often irregular, to fit the
building site. These instructions are for a castle with four towers, arranged in a rectangle, with a
front gate. It is perfectly accurate, however, to build your own castle in a different shape or with
more towers, etc.. See Extras below for ideas on changes and additions to the basic castle.
Materials and Tools:
Scissors, tape or glue, markers or crayons, paper, a PC with printer and Build a Medieval Castle
free software.
Helpful: a large piece of paper or cardboard or several sheets of paper fastened together to go
underneath the castle; paper clips to hold parts together during construction; toothpicks and
colored paper to make pennants to put on the towers; index cards.
General Rules:
CUT on the heavy lines. FOLD on the dashed lines. Where there is a blank space inside the cut
lines, instead of stone pattern, it means that another piece is meant to be glued over it (this does
not apply to the shed). Tabs that are meant to be folded are separated from the rest of the piece
by a dashed line. Fold all tabs away from you.
Hints: The walls and towers are different heights. Make sure the bottom edges match up. Paper
clips, especially the plastic ones, will hold glued pieces together while they dry. They will also
hold pieces in the proper alignment while you tape them.
1
Print out the pieces:
For the basic castle you will need to print out these pieces:
Tower
Front Wall
Side Wall
Gate 1
Gate 2
Back Wall 1
Back Wall 2
Keep 1
Keep 2
Keep Top
Shed
Shed Roof
4
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
There are two Keep Tops on a page, so you only need to print two copies for four tops.
If you make a mistake, or change your mind, just print out new copies of those pieces.
Color the pieces first. It is easier to color the walls with paint or markers since there are large
areas to color. It is also authentic to leave the walls white, since castles were sometimes whitewashed after they were built, to make them seem even more impressive. The walls and towers
could be any stone color. There were small holes left in the wall from building (timbers were
inserted to hold up the scaffolding as the wall went up); ivy and small plants, like the ones you
see in rock gardens might grow in these holes.
Cut Out the pieces on the heavy lines. Note that the shed and the Keep Tops have extra cut
lines that are not outlines. Cut the doors on the top and one side so that they open and shut. The
gatehouse has doors which are cut in the middle, and they hinge on each side. There are doors in
the towers, the gate house, the keep and the back (postern) door in the castle wall. You may also
want to cut the doors in the shed. You can cut holes for the windows if you wish--use small
scissors.
Assembly:
Towers: Start with the four towers, rolling the pieces and gluing or taping them to cover the
blank area with no stone pattern. The door and window in each tower should face into the castle
courtyard, and the narrow slits should face out. Put your four towers into the shape of a
rectangle, and decide which is the front of your castle. The front and back are longer than the
sides.
Walls: The 2 Side Walls have small, equal blank areas on each end. Fold these away from you as
you look at the printed side. Tape or glue each of these side walls to a tower, so that each wall
2
has one tower on each end of it. You should have 2 separate pieces of a wall with two towers
flanking it:
O---O O---O
Take the piece of back wall (Back Wall 2) with the small door in it. This is the left side piece of
the back wall. The other piece of back wall (Back Wall 1) that has a large blank (no stone
pattern) piece on it; it is the right side of the back wall. Glue or tape these together so that the
blank area is covered up. This makes a stronger wall that would be achieved by cutting off part
of that piece of wall. You should have a wall piece that is longer than a single piece of paper, is
double thickness for part of it, and has a door in the middle. Cut out the extra thickness of paper
for the door. Fold on the dashed lines, away from you as you look at the stone pattern, and fasten
the tabs to the towers, so that you now have a single piece, three sides of a rectangle. Make sure
that you put the back wall on so that the doors on the towers face into the courtyard.
Gatehouse: Gate 1 and Gate 2--Fold on the dotted lines, away from you as you look at the stone
pattern. The dashed lines are a little hard to distinguish in the pattern of the stones. After folding
the tab, fasten (tape or glue) the tab on each piece under the edge (the edge with no tab) of the
other piece, making a rectangle. If you are using tape, it is generally easiest to tape the inside
(unprinted) parts first, and then tape the pieces together on the outside. The front has a large
door, big enough for a mounted knight to ride through easily, and arrow slits to shoot at
approaching enemies.
Take a short piece of wall (Front Wall) and fold both tabs back, away from you as you look at
the printed side. Attach one tab to a tower, making sure that the side with the stone pattern is on
the outside. Attach the other tab to the side of the gatehouse. The walls should attach to the
gatehouse more than halfway back; that is, the gatehouse should stick out from the wall more
than halfway. Attach the other piece of wall to the other tower and to the other side of the
gatehouse.
Keep: Keep 1 and Keep 2 go together the same way you did the gatehouse. Fold on the dotted
lines, away from you as you look at the stone pattern. After folding the tab, fasten (tape or glue)
the tab on each piece to the edge (the edge with no tab) of the other piece, making a rectangle. If
you are using tape, it is generally easiest to tape the inside (unprinted) parts first, and then tape
the pieces together on the outside. The front of the keep has the large door in the middle of the
wall. The slightly smaller door leads to a kitchen. The Great Hall, where banquets were held, and
the lord held court, is on the second floor. Note that there are no windows on the first floor, to
make the keep easier to defend if necessary. The chapel would have been on the upper floor of
the keep, or on the upper floor of one of the towers.
To make the tops of the keep (Keep Top, 4 pieces) fold on the dashed lines and tape or glue to
form a square. If you haven’t already cut them, cut the two lines from the bottom that go almost
halfway up the top of the keep. Slide one of these pieces onto the top of the front left edge corner
3
of the keep, with the front side of the keep and the left side of the keep each going into one the
slits. Put the other three pieces on the remaining corners.
Shed: (Shed and Shed Roof) After cutting the shed on the heavy line, also cut the two heavy
lines that continue into the pattern, leaving a triangular piece on the side. Fold the tabs away
from you, and fold on the dashed lines. Cut the doorways. Tape or glue the tabs onto the side
pieces. Fold the roof on the dashed lines. Tape or glue the tabs on the triangular side pieces onto
the roof. The shed would have been made out of wood, or wattle-and-daub; not stone. It goes
inside the castle courtyard, and is a utility building. If attackers got past the walls, the castle
defenders would barricade themselves in the keep, and try to continue to defend themselves until
help came. The sheds would not be defended. You might want two sheds. Sheds might be used to
keep horses, as temporary sleeping quarters for servants who were visiting with their masters, as
a place for a blacksmith, carpentry shop or other labor, or as a kitchen. The small side door of the
keep generally went to the kitchen.
Extras:
You can easily add more towers and more plain wall sections to make your castle larger, or a
different shape.
Put colored pieces of paper, perhaps in a long triangle shape with the short end fastened to the
toothpick, to make banners. Decorate the banners. Put the banners on top of one or more towers,
fasten with tape. Standards, showing the heraldic symbols of the lord of the castle, would be
displayed also.
Use an index card to make a drawbridge to go on the outside of the gatehouse.
Take another index card, and cut it in half lengthwise. Fold each piece lengthwise as sharply as
you can. Fasten one piece, vertically, on one side of the outer gatehouse door. Fasten one half as
flat as you can, leaving the other half free. Put an index card so that it slides up and down in the
slot you have created, and fasten the other piece of index card to hold the other side. Draw
vertical and horizontal bars on the index card to make a portcullis.
Put a well, an herb garden, a dove-cote, a fish pond, a bee hive, a fruit tree, or a rabbit hutch in
the castle courtyard. All of these things gave a little variety to the food for the people in the
castle.
Decide where the castle chapel is located--either on the top floor of the keep, or in one of the
towers. Cut out the appropriate window, and put color cellophane in it for the stained glass of a
chapel.
4
How Did People Live in your Castle?
Decide what the people in your castle need, where they get it--from the peasants in the
surrounding countryside, from infrequent fairs or sent from a larger town, from the castle itself,
or from the forests around the castle. Where do they store it? How do they make sure it is safe,
both from the weather or animals, and from people? Much of the food would be stored in the
bottom level of the towers, which had the advantage that it could be used by warriors defending
that tower.
Where do the lord and lady have their private rooms? Where are the rooms for guests? For the
guests’ servants? Where is the dungeon? (Usually under the keep).
The postern gate, in the back wall of the castle, was used by tradesmen and servants during peace
time. The postern gate was generally made so that only one person, unmounted, could go through
at one time. It was firmly barricaded during times of conflict--unless, of course, the castle wanted
to send a messenger out. If possible, it would be built on a steep cliff, accessible only by a path
that could be traveled only on foot. (In that case, I expect that another gate was also built for
tradesmen.)
5
History of the Building of Castles
Castles were an important part of cultural, military, and political history in
Europe for many centuries. Although the Vikings began raiding medieval
towns and monasteries in the late 8th century, it took a while for the
development of elaborate fortifications. Defenses developed from moats,
mounded dirt and wooden palisades to sophisticated stone castles built as a
defense against both raiders and foreign armies. Stone castles remained
important until the effective use of gunpowder in the 15th century made
them easy to demolish. (Other cultures, notably Asian, had their own
buildings that served the same purposes as castles, but we are only dealing
with European castles here.)
Typically the lord of the castle had a grant of land from the king or other
higher lord, which he ruled from his castle. Peasants were bound to the land
they worked, unable to go elsewhere. They owed part of their harvest, and
other taxes, to the lord. From his portion, the lord had to feed himself and
his family, his knights that fought for him, and various servants around the
castle, and pay for other things that were needed.
The castle was for both defensive and offensive purposes. When attacked by
outsiders, people from the surrounding area would take shelter in the castle.
A fair number of people could live for weeks within the castle walls, if they
had brought adequate provisions in with them. Essential to a castle’s
defense during a siege was a good, reliable well, within the castle wall or,
better within the keep itself.
A castle was designed around the concept of layers, forcing the enemy to
have to breach multiple obstacles or give up. To attack a castle, the enemy
had to get past the palisade, if there was one, and across the moat, a deep
ditch usually filled with water. To cross the moat there was a drawbridge,
which could be pulled up if an enemy threatened. A good, wide moat made it
more difficult to use siege engines against the stone walls, or to try to
undermine the castle walls. Also, the attackers had great trouble getting
6
their horses close to the castle, so the attackers would be on foot. All of this
time they would be under fire from the fighters in the castle.
Beyond the drawbridge was a portcullis, a grate made of iron or wood in a
vertical slot which could be lowered quickly to stop intruders. There were
doors on the other end of the gatehouse, so that the attackers could be
trapped between the doors and the portcullis, and then attacked from above.
In the ceiling with appropriately named murderholes made specifically to
allow defenders to bombard attackers with trash, hot tar, burning oil, or
arrows. On staircases to the guard towers—used for better sight of the
battle, better vantage points for archers, and dumping tar, mud, and fire on
the enemy—were spiral staircases, nearly impossible for a right-handed
warrior to fight upward, but easy for a right-handed man to fight downward.
Inside the castle wall was the keep, a large, heavily-built building that was
the most secure place in the entire castle. This was where the Great Hall was
located, and where the private apartments of the lord and his family were,
possibly with a chapel, or a solarium. If the castle walls were breached, the
keep is the place everyone would run to. In many cases, if a castle were
attacked by an enemy army, and the castle put under siege, the lord had
already sent out messages to allies to help relieve the siege. In that case,
the castle defenders were trying to hold out until help arrived. There was
generally a postern gate in the castle wall, at the back or side, probably near
the kitchen, for use by tradesmen bring food, etc., to the castle. It would
consist of a low door, wide enough to allow only a single person through and
as concealed as possible. It would be barricaded during an attack, but it also
provided a “sally port”—someone inside the castle could (maybe) sneak out
to get a message through, or even start a sneak attack on the besiegers.
Besides being a defensive fortification, the castle provided a base from which
the lord and his knights could ride out into the surrounding countryside, to
exert control of the area around the castle. To be able to arrive quickly, with
armed knights at your side, at any place in the surrounding area, kept down
the possibility of rebellion or outlawry, or attack by an invader. The lord’s
control over his grant of land—either directly or through men he appointed—
was essential in keeping order. It provided some security to peasants and
7
townspeople from bands of outlaws, but it also made sure that any rules or
taxes imposed by the lord were enforced.
The castle was both a fortification and a residence, and the degree to which
it was one or the other could change with the political situation. Castle were
fortifications first, being built of stone, and were not comfortable to live in.
The lady of the castle would add tapestries to the walls and have straw and
sweet-smelling herbs strewn on the floors, to help make the castle rooms
more livable. As the lord’s wealth increased, he would add features to the
castle to make it both more livable and more impressive.
The wife of the lord often was the one who actually ran the domestic
arrangements of the castle, attending to her husband, and supervising the
servants.. A noble lady was also expected to be well-learned in etiquette,
embroidery, and sewing. Castles were always cold; they were made entirely
out of stone, so no heat circulated or was kept inside. Fires needed constant
tending all over the castle. Any opening that allowed fresh air or light also
let in the cold. The amount of glass was limited; some castles had stained
glass in the chapel, if the lord was rich enough to afford it.
Children were often cared for by servants until the age of seven, when they
were considered small adults. At that age, they were sent off to serve in
another noble’s household. This both formed alliances and educated the
children. Boys learned politics and falconry while girls learned manners and
embroidery. The nobility would seek to arrange advantageous marriages for
their children, often when the children were toddlers. Marriages were made
to keep the peace, expand territory, and to make sure there would be a next
generation of nobles. Girls were suitable for marriage at thirteen and boys at
fifteen, but arrangements were often made years before the weddings.
Life in a castle was very different for servants, though it might still be more
pleasant that working in the fields. Servants woke up before the lady of the
castle, preparing food, setting the large table in the grand hallway. The
kitchen of a castle was generally located outside of the keep, but near the
great hall. Good food took a long time to cook and the lord, lady, and
knights loved to eat a variety of it. When one meal was done, another was
8
being prepared. The kitchen centered around two fires, one for roasting
large livestock or game, and one for a large cauldron for soup and stew.
People were always skinning animals, plucking birds, stirring the cauldron,
tending the fire, turning the spit, or moving dishes. Feasts lasted for hours,
constantly requiring more food to be brought into the great hall. Dishes were
not washed in the kitchen, but outside, along with the laundry.
Peasant life was very different from life in a castle. Serfs were peasants that
were forced to work the land around the castle in exchange from protection
from invaders. They lived in rough huts, probably made out of wattle and
daub, worked the land, and were hungry much of the time. Certain religious
holidays were marked with feasts at the castle for those close enough to get
there. When war threatened, the peasants would take refuge in the castle.
The peasants depended on their lords and castles more than they depended
on their king. Roads between towns and cities were leftover from the
Romans, so they were often broken, abandoned, and full of robbers and
murders while most of the stones from centuries ago had been looted for
building. Trade was difficult because travel was still problematic due to the
weather; rains turned the roads to impassable mud, snow became a danger
to animals and people while obscuring the road.
The advent of gunpowder--and then artillery that made efficient use of
gunpowder-- made it easy to attack and take over a castle. No longer useful
as a defensive fortification, castles went out of use. Their stones were taken
away to build roads and other buildings.
9