What was chain mail?
History of people
94
The
Red Fort
in India
was a palace with stone
walls 30 m (100 ft) tall.
Norman keeps
were
stone towers, surrounded
by thick castle walls.
Japanese castles
were
built by warrior lords
and had decorative roofs.
French chateaux
were
magnificent royal homes,
with moats and towers.
Knights
and
castles
Types of castle
The first castles were
made from wood, but
stone was stronger.
Castle design
Massive walls and towers made castles
almost impossible for enemy soldiers
to attack. Many castles were built on
hills, so they were difficult to reach.
Battlements
Tower
Thick
walls
Jousting
In peacetime, knights
fought practice
battles, called
jousts, to train for war. They
used poles (lances) to knock
each other off their horses.
Even for brave knights in the middle
ages, attacking a castle was dangerous.
Thick walls kept them out, and the castle
archers had their bows and arrows ready.
Make a
knight’s shield from
a big piece of coloured
card. Decorate the shield
with your own coat
of arms, cut out of
silver paper.
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