During the Medieval era of history, life was lived by a very different set of political, economic, and social rules. The only form of government was a Monarchy where the king or queen ruled by "divine right." "Divine right" simply meant that God appointed the king or queen to rule with absolute power. The main economic system was
Feudalism in which the king appointed a baron or knight to oversee a portion of his land in return for loyalty and protection in case of invasion. The baron or knight would oversee the serfs who labored on the land in return for protection given by the baron or knight. In order to better understand Feudalism and Monarchy, click here before you begin your task.
You are a Medieval Castle Builder living in Wales in the year 1076. You are hired by the Norman Baron William de Clare to build him a fantastic castle in Wales. The population you will be accommodating, is approximately 300 serfs, 150 soldiers in residence, a household staff of about 50 people and approximately 20 family members. Before beginning the design of the castle, it is important that you see the location. Be sure to note any geographical features that you will want to accommodate in your plans.
Before you can begin the castle design, you must first become familiar with the
Welsh people who are going to inhabit this castle. It is important for you to research the purpose of the castle and become familiar with the daily life of a Welsh castle.
After researching and taking notes on what daily life in a Welsh castle is like, you will then begin the design of the Baron's new castle. Be sure to follow the Baron's list of things he wants in the castle, and then you may use your imagination to design the rest.
Your design may take the shape of a three-dimensional model.
The design must be complete and detailed and must give the viewer a true sense of what the castle will look like when it is actually built.
You are also required to give a 1-2 minute presentation on your castle design, construction materials, and castle specifications.
If you do not present your castle model you will be deducted an automatic
15 points from your overall final grade. Note cards and eye contact required with your presentation!

To begin your research look at the Internet site "Life in a Medieval Castle" which will give you a good look at daily life in a Welsh castle. Keep a "Builder's Journal" in which you record all of the important aspects of daily life so you can address these areas in the design of the Baron's castle. If you choose to use another website besides the one provided, please include the name and address of websites used.
Use the following guide questions to help you take notes on certain important areas:
1.
What was the purpose of a "Great Hall" in a castle?
2.
What did a typical hall look like? Flooring? Lighting?
3.
Describe how heating was accomplished in the medieval halls.
4.
Describe the kitchens usually found in medieval castles.
5.
Did castles have water accessible on all floors? Explain.
6.
Where was the chapel located in early castles?
Once you have taken notes on the life of the castle inhabitants, you are ready to review Baron William de Clare's specific requirements. Use the Internet's "Glossary of Castle Terms" to identify each thing that the Baron is requiring in his castle. Write the definition of each word on a sheet of paper and keep it next to the computer for your reference. Be sure you do not leave anything the Baron wants out (he is not a forgiving man), so review the list carefully! In your castle construction please
have 8 to 10 of the Castle terms constructed into your castle.
1.
wicket
2.
allure
3.
turret
4.
5.
rampart portcullis
6.
postern gate
7.
bailey
8.
barbican
9.
10.
battlement outer ward
11.
buttery
12.
outer curtain
13.
murder holes
14.
cross-wall
15.
moat
16.
donjon or keep
17.
Hall
18.
great chamber
19.
drawbridge
20.
gate house
21.
dungeon
22.
23.
garderobe gallery

Once you have made a list of all of Baron de Clare's requests, you may begin researching other castles for design ideas. Be sure you stay focused on castles from the same approximate time frame - 1000 to 1150. A good place to begin your search is at the Castles on the Web Internet site.
As you browse through other castles, be sure to look for features that will help you make the Baron's castle as strong as possible. In other words, it must be able to withstand the strongest and longest attack from any enemy! Some good information on castle defenses can be found at the Castle Siegecraft and Defense site. This site will give you lots of information on how to design your castle to withstand attacks successfully. Nothing is to be handed in for step three.
Now that you have researched several different castles, it is time to begin a blueprint of the Baron's Castle. Begin by establishing the dimensions of the castle, be sure it is large enough to accommodate all of the castle inhabitants, including the serfs, in case of a siege.
Next, draw an outline of the main castle and of all the outbuildings that you will need. Include all gardens and food storage facilities that you will need. Remember food capacity is crucial to survive in case the castle is under siege. Some sieges lasted for over a year in medieval times!
Be sure that each area of your blueprint is clearly marked with dimensions and has its function clearly labeled.
Now that you have completed your blueprint, begin the construction of the model.
Your rendering may take the form of a three-dimensional poster or a threedimensional model. You will also be required to present your castle upon its completion. Your materials will vary depending on the type of model you produce.
In conducting your research, use the "magical device" known as the Internet to help you locate other castles. No one in medieval history knows what the Internet is, so the Baron will be impressed by how much information you gathered and how fast your horse rode all over Europe!

Try looking up these Internet sites:
 The Daily Life of a castle is one of several helpful sites that explain in detail life in a Medieval castle.
 The Castle Siegecraft and Defense is a good site for looking at types of defense structures you may want to include in the design of your castle.
 The Castles for Kids page also has great information on the life and defense of castles.
Keep a sketch pad next to the computer so that as you see things on different castles that you would like to add, you can sketch pictures and take notes. For example, if you wanted to add a specific turret from a castle in Scotland, you could make notes on the specific features so you would remember to add them to the
Baron's castle.
Be sure you do not forget to add everything to the Baron's castle that was on his list of things he wanted! Keep that list next to the computer as you work on your research.
Look up the Castle Terminology to view each section of this castle design. You can click on the outer curtain, the outer bailey, and other areas!
Your castle will be judged based on how well you cover the following areas:
 Research on the background of Medieval daily life
 Covering all of the Baron specific requests for the castle
 Creative design of the castle
 Strong defensive features
Many of the castles you have researched on the Internet are still standing and are visited by thousands of people each year. Understanding the need for castles is very important to understanding the basic ideas of the Medieval era. Perhaps, in the future, you will be lucky enough to visit one of these castles and walk in the footsteps of kings!
Students will have the option to work either individually or in pairs to construct the castle models, each student will be responsible for their own research including
(vocabulary terms and questions answered). Once students complete the castle construction they will be responsible for presenting their castle to the class in which we will have a group discussion, discussing the strengths and weakness of each castle construction to see if your defenses are actually sound.