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 (peasants) who labored on the land in return for protection given by the baron or knight. In order to better understand Feudalism and Monarchy review Chapter 10 Lessons One and Two in your social studies book.

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The Task

You are a Medieval Castle Builder living in Wales in the year 1076. You are hired by the Norman Baron Gilbert de Clare to build a fantastic castle in Aberystwyth, Wales. The population of Aberystwyth 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. Locate Aberystwyth on the map of Wales. Be sure to note any geographical features that you will want to accommodate in your plans.

The Baron wants his castle to not only be beautiful, but also the strongest castle of defense ever built. You are confident that you can build the Baron this castle because you have the technology to search out many different castles all over the world and select the best features from each.

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.  To do this, start with the “History of Wales” handout.

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, then you may use your imagination to design the rest.

Your design may take the shape of a three-dimensional model, or a video. 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.
 

The Process
Step 1-
Daily Life
Ye Old Builder's Journal

To begin your research look at the Internet sites “Life in a Medieval Castle”  and “Kids' Castle”  These sites will give you a good look at daily life in a Welsh castle.  If you do not have access to the Internet you can consult library books or use classroom computers.

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.  Use the following guide questions to help you take notes on certain important areas:
 

1. What is the importance 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 ditches usually found in Medieval castles.
5. Explain how the main bedrooms and guest rooms were laid out in the castle.
6. What were squints used for?
7. Did castles have water accessible on all floors? Explain.
8. Where was the chapel located in early castles?
9. How were guests seated when they came for dinner?
10. List four things you learned about knights.
11. Identify and define each of the castle specifications as described in step 2.
12. Heraldry Create a coat of arms and document the historical events supporting the components

of the coat of arms. To do this you need to determine what emblems will be included and relate these
emblems to qualities your family possesses. Look under Heraldry on the links page to help you with this task. Put your coat of arms on the cover of your journal

The Baron's Castle Specifications
 Step 2
Ye Old Builder's Journal (continued) Once you have taken notes on the life of the castle inhabitants, you are ready to review Barons William de Clare’s specific requirements. Use the Internet “Castle Terms” or the list posted in class to identify each thing that the Baron is requiring in his castle.  Write the definition of each word identify each thing that the Baron is requiring in his castle.  Write the definition of each word in your Builders Journal 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!
 


 
 



The Baron's Specifications
You must label each of the following required areas on your castle blueprints & model.




1. Wicket
2. Allure
3. Turret
4. Arch
5. Rampart
6. Aumbry
7. Postern gate
8. Bailey
9. Parapet
10. Barbican
11. Parados
12. Battlement
13. Outer ward
14. Buttery
15. Outer curtain
16. Buttress
17. Murder holes
18. Cross-wall
19. Moat
20. Donjon or keep
21. Hall
22. Dormer
23. Great chamber
24. Drawbridge
25. Gate house
26. Dungeon
27. Garderobe
28. Gallery

Castle Research
Step 3
Layout and Design

Once you have made a list of all of Barons De Clare’s requests, you may begin researching other castles and design ideas.  Be sure you stay focused on castles from the approximate time frame-1000 to 1150.  A good place to begin your search is at the “Medieval History” page on About.com.  If you do not have access to the Internet at home, ask your teacher to use the computers in class to explore Medieval web sties.  As you browse through other castles of the world, be sure to look for features that will help you make the Baron's castle as strong as possible. In other words, your castle 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,” or see teacher.
 

 

Castle Blueprints
Step 4

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 Medieval times!

Use a ruler to draw the dimensions of the castle to scale.  Drawing to scale means you must choose a standard scale for measuring so that each building is in proportion with the others.  For example, each 10 square feet of castle space may equal 1 inch on your blueprint. You may choose your own scale.  You may also use graph paper to help you with this task.

Be sure that each area of your blueprint is clearly marked with dimensions and has its function clearly labeled.

The Model
Step 5

Now that you have complete your blueprint, begin the construction of the model. Your rendering may take the form of a three-dimensional model, or a tour video.  Your materials will vary depending on the type of model you produce.


Resources

You will need the following materials to complete the assignment:

· Pencil and paper
· A map of Wales, England
· Whatever materials needed to construct the castle model

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 you rode you horse all over Europe!



Advice

Keep a sketch-pad in your Builder's notebook 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.


Evaluation

Your castle will be judged based on how well you cover the following areas:

• Research on the background of Medieval daily life as reflected in your journal and in how you accommodate everyone in your castle design
• Covering all of the Baron Specific requests for the castle
• Creative design of the castle or video
• Strong defensive features from the weapons of the middle ages

 

 
 
 



Conclusion

Many of the castles you have researched on the Internet are still sanding 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!



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