Table of contents:

Pg 3: Castles

Pg 8: Knights

Pg 12: Citations

Castles

Here is my castle

Castles were a big part of the middle ages. They were usually built on top of a hill if one was handy. That way, the guards would spot attackers approaching. They had a moat that went around the castle. A draw bridge that went over the moat. A keep  which was one of the largest spaces behind the thick walls. The keep was a storage area topped by a huge square tower with slotted windows for castle archers to use. The keep also stored food, wine, and grain in case of siege. They had the barracks that were the homes of the knights and their families. 

The Great Hall was a passageway that connected the lord's home to the keep. The chapel was built either inside the lord's home or as a separate building. The chapel was a place to hold religious  services. The gatehouse was a building used by the guards at the gates. The portcullis was the grating of the iron bars at the gateway. Castles was built for protection, but it was not so great for comfort. Castles were drafty places, and gloomy, and usually damp.

  Knights

What was a Knight? A knight was a special warrior. Most knights were of noble birth. You didn't have to be a noble to become a knight, but it was a lot easier since you needed money to get the training and to buy the armor. But anyone who proved themselves in battle could be knighted.

A knight pledged loyalty to their liege lord, promised to be brave in battle and protect the church and those weaker than themselves, and to be courteous to noblewomen. How did one get to be a knight? It was not easy. You started off by becoming a page. A noble's son could start training to be a knight when he was seven years old. Once they reached a certain point in their training, they would be appointed as a squire.  A squire, who was generally a teenager, had a different set of duties. They had to teach the pages of course, but they also had to wait on the knights. They continued their training in battle, but also were assigned to a specific knight who completed their training. As a squire you

went into battle with the knight and fought at his side. This was where you proved if you had the ability to be a knight. Once you had proved your ability, you were made a knight in a very formal ceremony.

Each knight had his own coat of arms that identified him. The pattern and colors of his coat of arms was on his shield and any other items that belonged to the knight. Knights even had flags with their coat of arms on it. 

All pages, squires and knights had to follow an elaborate code of conduct. This was called Chivalry.

Always show chivalry