French castles and fortresses look romantic, but they were conceived and built for serious purposes. Every aspect of their architecture was designed to promote victory in military conflict.
Here are some architectural features of castles, explaining their function. Keep these in mind when you walk through:
Allure
Walkway behind the parapet of a castle wall
Bailey
Courtyard (same as ward)
Barbican
An outward or forward extension of a castle gateway enclosing an open area in which attackers who had broken through the outermost gate could be trapped and attacked by the castle's defenders.
Chemise
Inner walled enclosure of a castle
Corbel
A stone or timber bracket supporting a projection from a wall
Crenellation
A notched battlement made up of alternate crenels (openings) and merlons (square saw-teeth)
Curtain
A castle wall enclosing a courtyard
Donjon
Inner stronghold of a castle (same as keep)
Drawbridge
A wooden bridge leading to a gateway, capable of being raised or lowered
Enceinte
An enclosing wall, usually exerior, of a fortified place
Escalade
Scaling of a castle wall by attackers
Forebuilding
A projection in front of a keep or donjon, containing the stairs to the main entrance
Garderobe
Latrine
Hall
Principal living quarters of a medieval castle or house
Keep
Inner stronghold of a castle (same as donjon)
Machicolation
A projection in the battlements of a wall with openings through which missiles can be dropped on besiegers
Merlon
Part of a battlement, the square "sawtooth" between crenels
Meurtrière
Arrow loop, slit in battlement or wall to permit shooting of arrows, or for observation
Motte
An earthwork mound on which a castle was built
Oriel
Projecting room on an upper floor (in the medieval sense; later an upper-floor bay window)
Parapet
Protective wall at the top of a fortification, around the outer side of the wall-walk
Portcullis
Vertical sliding wooden grill shod with iron suspended in front of a gateway, let down to protect the gate
Postern, Sally port
A small gate or door in a castle wall through which castle soldiers can exit to stage quick attacks on besiegers.
Sappers
Besiegers who undermine castle walls, causing them to collapse
Solar
Originally a room above ground level, but commonly applied to the great chamber or a private sitting room off the great hall
Ward
Courtyard or bailey
