The Moat

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The Moat
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410-1492
in a Spanish Castle
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CASTLES
To begin your journey into the Middle Ages, try
to picture a world with far fewer people, where
no one moved away from their hometown, and life
moved at a slower pace. There was no electricity,
no water from faucets, no television, and no
cars. Imagine such a world to begin your journey
into a land that was filled with real knights,
castles, lords, and ladies and enter the Middle
Ages
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Early Middle Ages The years 500 to 1000 AD are
known as the tough times or the Dark Ages. During
this time Vikings were invading much of Europe.
Tribal disputes were causing constant war. Pagan
worshipping was common place. Only the monks in
the monasteries kept learning alive. During the
Early Middle Ages Charlemagne also conquered most
of France.
High Middle Ages The years 1050 to 1300, evoked
for many people romantic images of knights in
shining armor, magnificent castles, and glorious
cathedrals. And to many people, the word medieval
(Latin medium aevum middle age) wrongly
suggests a cultural intermission between the
classical period of the Greek and Roman
civilizations and the Renaissance. On the
contrary, the High Middle Ages was a dynamic
period that shaped European identity and
development, stimulated in part by Europes
interactions with other cultures in Eurasia and
the Mediterranean. Many of the basic social and
political patterns and institutions later
associated with European history were formed
during this era. Clear political boundaries and
cultural identities emerged in the British Isles,
France, Germany, Italy, eastern Europe, Iberia,
and Scandinavia. Between 1000 and 1300, a chain
reaction of developments in economy, society, and
political life contributed to new trends in
religion, scholarship, literature, and other
artstrends that shaped European culture to the
present day.
Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages lasted
from 1300 to 1400 AD. This was time of tragedy
and hope. The 100 Years' War between England and
France and the bubonic plague known as the Black
Death took many lives. The church was fighting.
Hope began when the working people began to rise.
New ideas grew. Overseas exploration lead to a
modern time.
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The Muslims and the Christian Reconquest
The Alhambra in Granada
A breathtaking palace-city that has a
sophisticated blend of medieval Islamic,
Renaissance Christian and modern architectural
styles.
In 711 Spain was invaded by Muslims from Africa.
For centuries the Muslim conquerors would control
much of the Iberian Peninsula. The high point of
Islamic culture in Spain occurred in the 10th
century. Muslim rulers introduced new crops and
efficient irrigation systems, trading and
commerce thrived, and mathematics, medicine, and
philosophy flourished. Muslim power declined
after 1000 as Christian kingdoms in northern
Spain, supplemented by migrants from Europe,
gradually moved southward to take control of the
peninsula. That process was completed in 1492
with the Christian conquest of Granada, the last
Muslim kingdom in Spain.
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Iberia/Spain
                                                
                                                  
                                                  
                             The kingdom of
"Castilla" (its name means, "Land of Castles")
occupied the eastern half of the actual region of
Castilla y León, and the neighboring regions of
Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid and part of
Castilla-la Mancha. It is the land of origin of
the Spanish language (Castellano) The origin of
Castile is at the lands od the Eastern frontier
of León, in northern Spain. Those lands were
inhabited by people of a mixed origin (Cantabric,
Basque, Celtiberian), who possessed their own
language (the Castilian-spanish) and body of
laws, which differed from the Visigothic-inspired
laws of the Leonese court. The Castilian legal
system was based on old customs and traditional
laws, as interpreted and applied by popularly
appointed judges. Castile became independent in
practice under Count Fernán González (X century).
The "legal" independence came under Fernando I ,
son of the King Sancho III "the Great" of
Navarre, last Count and first king of Castile (he
was also king of León owner of La Mota or Moat
Castle). After the disintegration of the Moorish
Caliphat, it expanded to central Spain "New
Castile", becoming the leader of the
"Reconquista". An important act of this was the
conquest of Toledo (1085), by the king Alfonso
VI, that united the muslim kingdom of Toledo with
Castile. It conserved a close relation with León
(unions with the kings Fernando I, Sancho II,
Alfonso VI or Alfonso VII), until their
definitive union, during the year 1230, with the
king Fernando III "The Saint", son of Alfonso IX
of León and Berenguela of Castile. This king
reconquered Southern Spain Murcia Andalucia
(except of Granada) The two kingdoms remained
independent until the union of Spain, with the
marriage of Isabel I (Queen of Castile León)
and Fernando II (King of Aragón and Count of
Barcelone).
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Queen Isabella I

• Her father died when she was three and her older
  brother became King Henry IV.  The Spanish nobles
  had become very powerful during the reign of John
  II.  They did not wish to have Henry as their
  king.   They felt that he was not very smart and
  would not be a good leader.    They hoped to make
  Isabella's other brother, Alfonso, their king,
  but he died on July 5, 1468.  Some people thought
  that he might have been poisoned to prevent him
  from being made king. 
• But soon Isabella would be at odds with her
  brother over her impending arranged marriage and
  faced imprisonment in the dungeon for her
  defiance. King Henry had wished his sister to
  marry Don Carlos, the Prince of Viana, who was
  the eldest son of John II.  He was also heir to
  the Kingdom of Navarre.  The King of Aragon,
  wished to marry Isabella to his son, Ferdinand. 
  Before the final arrangements could be made, Don
  Carlos died.  Henry tried to arrange marriages
  with several other people including King Alfonso
  V of Portugal, but Isabella had already decided
  that she wished to marry Ferdinand.   Isabella
  made plans to marry Ferndinand.  The only problem
  was that she had to find him. She sent out
  noblemen to search for him and he was finally
  found in Sicily (the island at the bottom of
  Italy) where he had become King.  He has also now
  become heir to the throne of Aragon.  He braved
  a trip back to Spain and married Isabella in 1469
  in the palace of Juan de Vivero.

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The Catholic King and Queen
Isabel I Queen of Castile León of Spain
1451-1504
Ferdinand II King of Aragón Count of
Barcelone 1452-1516
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Map of the Spanish Kingdoms1360
On this map, the areas outlined in brown are
under Muslim control. Yellow is Navarre, pink is
Castile and Leon, purple is France, blue is
Portugal and green is Aragon.
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The Capitulation of Granada 1492 by F. Padilla
Boabdil before Ferdinand and Isabella
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La Mota or Castle of the Moat Valladolid -
Castilla y León  
Medina del Campo was a very important city in
Spain.  In Medina, we visited the Castillo de la
Mota, or Castle of the Moat which at one time
belonged to King Juan II, Isabels father.  This
castle was built before the rein of the Catholic
monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabel.  Isabel died
there. Its main purpose was to protect its
inhabitants from invaders.  The monarchs did live
in this castle for a short time.  Later, it
became a state prison.
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Battles and the Castle's Defense
Archery served as defense, but longbows were
more effective on open battlefields. As such,
the crossbow became very popular for both the
attacking and defending armies.
Capturing a medieval castle was a lofty goal for
many commanders in the Middle Ages and battles
were often centered around these fortresses.
Since medieval castles occupied such strategic
points along trade routes, ports and rivers, they
had the highest military value. Prime locations
for castle construction include high, rocky
groundmountain passesisolated peninsulasand
lake islands.
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Weaponry
Sword and Shield
Sword and Shield
Mace
Mace
War hammers
Assorted daggers
Arming Sword
dirk, misericorde, poniard, rondel, scramasax
Bow and Arrow
Pollaxe
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People of the CastleMany different people lived
in and around a castle. The lord and lady, of
course, were there, but one could also find
everybody from knights to cooks in and around the
castle grounds.
The most important people, were the Lord, the
lady and the Bishop
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Who Are They?
Knight A professional soldier
Atilliator Skilled castles worker who made
crossbows.
Butler Cared for the cellar and was in charge of
wine and beer
Castilian Resident owner or person in charge of
a castle.
Chaplain Provided spiritual welfare for laborers
and the castle garrison.
Cook Roasted, broiled, and baked food in the
fireplaces and ovens
Messengers Servants of the lord who carried
receipts, letters, and commodities.
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  Castles were not just buildings, they were
fortresses made to protect people during military
conflict. As a result, most castles shared some
basic parts that helped them serve their purpose.

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• The first thing that distinguished a castle was
  the moat or ditch. Most were filled with deep
  water to prevent enemies from coming in, but even
  those without water stopped intruders because the
  deep, steep walls prevented the enemy from
  entering.
• The only way to cross a moat was on the
  drawbridge. These wooden structures could be
  raised or lowered depending on whether or not the
  people in the castles wanted you to come in.
  Ropes or chains were attached to the end of the
  bridge and then rigged to a pulley so that guards
  were able to quickly raise it.
• Upon crossing the drawbridge, you would reach the
  curtain, or wall. This wall surrounding the
  castle was strong enough to survive a battering
  ram, a common weapon, and could be anywhere
  between 8 and 20 feet thick. (That's as wide as
  the height of a 2-story building!)
• A gatehouse was built into the curtain. At first
  it was just a simple door by which to go in and
  out of the castle, but over time that changed.
  Because enemy armies often came to this area, an
  iron grate was added that could be put down to
  block entrance, in addition to heavy wooden
  doors. Small holes, called murder holes, were
  added to the ceiling above the main entrance to
  pour boiling liquid down on entering enemies.
• Towers were also a part of the curtain. They
  allowed people to look about and keep watch
  outside the castles walls. In addition, at times
  they kept prisoners. For example, the Tower of
  London in England was well known for the
  important political prisoner kept within its
  walls.
• The Keep of the castle was the highest point and
  the center of defense.  The strongest and most
  secure place in a castle.
• Inside the castles walls were many things. There
  was a kitchen where the cooks made meals. The
  great hall was where everybody ate and the
  servants slept. Court jesters often sang,
  juggled, and told stories here to amuse the lord
  and his family. Stables were used to house
  livestock of all sorts and each castle had a
  chapel that could be located in a tower or
  gatehouse. The chapel sometimes served as a
  private church for the lord and his family even
  when there was another church in a nearby town.
  Castles also had one or more houses built in for
  people to stay. Often there was a lord's house
  and then one or two others, depending on how many
  people were living at that particular castle.

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• Inside a Castle
• Castles looked cool on the outside, but really
  they were cold, damp, and poorly lit. The only
  heating was provided by fireplaces in each room
  and castles had to be lit by torches because they
  were very dark inside.
• People tended to spend much time outdoors to get
  away from the dampness of the castle. Tapestries
  were hung on the wall to help brighten up the
  halls and keep in heat. 

The main furniture in the great hall were wooden
benches and large tables made by laying wood
planks across other benches. At night, the table
was taken down to make room for the servants who
slept on the floor. The floors were covered
year-round with reeds, bones, and scraps of food.
When the room began to smell, the servants added
more reeds and sprinkled spices to help get rid
of the odor. Once a year, the servants replaced
the soiled reeds with new ones, and the whole
process started again. The king and his family
often shared a single room where their sleeping
quarters were separated only by curtains.
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Kings Kitchen and Bath

• The king's kitchen staff decorated most of
  the food before they served it. Sometimes when
  meat was served, the servants put the fur or
  feathers back on the meat to make it look alive!
  On the other hand, because there was no
  refrigeration, the food spoiled quickly.
  Sometimes when food was spoiled, they just dumped
  extra gravy on it and served it anyway. One of
  the only ways to preserve and season food was to
  salt all the meat. 
• In fact, since salt was so important at
  the medieval table, it began to be a sort of
  status symbol. Most great halls only had one
  large salt container, and where you sat in
  relation to it told people how important you
  were. The more important people sat "above the
  salt," and those who were less important sat
  "below the salt." During the evening meals, the
  lord and his family sat upon a raised platform
  and watched court jesters who sang, juggled, and
  told stories.Castles had no modern plumbing,
  but the garbage disposal presented no problem.
  The servants dumped it in the moat. Bathrooms in
  castles often emptied right into the moat as
  well. Since people in the Middle Ages believed
  that washing too much could make you sick,
  bathing became a once-a-month affair. Most didn't
  even bother with soap because the soaps were so
  strong that they could eat holes through cloth.
  The royal family preferred dirt to holes, so wash
  days were few and far between

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The Dungeon
The word "dungeon" is a corruption of the French
term, "donjon." Interestingly, a castle's donjon
did not function as the prison. Rather, the
donjon was the great tower, later called the
keep. Normally, the great keep was a
self-sufficient tower housing the lord and his
family, which, at times, became a sturdy refuge
capable of withstanding at least a brief siege.
Over the centuries, the keep devolved from the
castle's most formidable tower, to a storage
tower, and then to a prison tower. Hence, the
mutation of the French term. Frequently, the
castle's prison was located near or inside the
main gatehouse to prevent the enemy from gaining
access to the interior. Then, the guards could
also keep a close watch over their captives.
The oubliette must have been an incredibly
brutal prison, with or without the physical
tortures that may have accompanied imprisonment.
Known throughout Europe and even in the Middle
East, these early castle prisons were usually
shaped like slender cylinders. The only entrance
into the windowless chambers was through a trap
door in the ceiling, which opened into the floor
of the guardroom above and was usually too high
for the prisoners to grasp in an escape attempt.
The doomed prisoners were tied to a rope and then
lowered into the oubliette. They received food
the same way. As indicated above, sometimes the
oubliette sat below ground level. On occasion,
the pit filled with water that seeped up from the
earthen floor, making survival almost impossible.

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The Inquisition
1200 - 1500 Christian Inquisition tries
Heretics The Roman Catholic Church establishes
and maintains a religious tribunal to try
heretics, individuals whose beliefs differ from
official church doctrine, or orthodoxy. The
Inquisition is most virulent in 15th-century
Spain, embattled by invading Islamic Moors of
Northern Africa. During the course of the
Inquisition, thousands of people, some innocent
are tortured and executed in castle dungeons.
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No this is not magic !
Conducting such an experiment could have made you
a heretic during the days of the Inquisition
Optical Illusion 55 Crazy Spinning CirclesThis
is a static image, it contains NO animation.
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Moat Castle
Who do you think still haunts the castle?
In the castle walls, wail echoes of the
past. Each century new, yet olden curses often
last. In each corridor, Stains are
cast. Misfortune woes, aching shadows a vast.
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Adios!
!
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Let's Review
When

• When did the middle ages begin in Spain?
• When was the High Middle Ages?
• When did they end approximately?
• The word medieval in Latin literally means
  what?
• Name at least three things the were important
  contributions to
• society during the High Middle Ages in Europe?

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Let's Review

• Who invaded Spain in the year 711?
• What new things were introduced to Spanish
  culture by the invaders?
• In what year was the beginning of the invaders
  decline?
• What year was Granada recaptured by Spain?
• What are the names of the Catholic King and Queen
  of Spain?
• What parts of Spain did they rule before their
  union?
• What does the word castilla mean in Spanish?
• What part of Spain did the Spanish language
  originate?
• Who is Count Fernán González?

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Let's Review

• Who is Fernando I?
• Who is King Sancho The Great of Navarre?
• Who is Alfonso VI?
• Who is Fernando III "The Saint?
• Why was Medina del Campo and important city in
  Spain?
• What landmark is in Medina del Campo and what
  important people lived in it?
• What did the landmark later become?
• Name at least five Medieval weapons.
• Who are the most important people that live in a
  castle
• Name the seven types of people and their jobs
  that are important in
• maintaining a castle/fortress.

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Let's Review

• What is the purpose of a moat, drawbridge and
  gatehouse?
• Explain what is the function of the keep.
• What are castles like on the inside?
• What was the most important food additive that
  determined a persons status
• and why?
• What is a castles donjon and what is its
  function?
• What is the oubliette?
• What are the dates of the Inquisition?
• What does the word Heretic mean?
• Why was this practice started and what was
  involved?