German Castles

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German Castles
People and Battle Tactics
A Presentation by Robert Jay Melo
(see last slide for sources cited)
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Introduction The Middle Ages

• Began around 500 AD (near the fall of the Roman
  Empire), and ended around 1500 AD
• A time of intense war, population movement,
  advancements in technology, and changes in
  civilization.

Pictured The C??
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Q When were many of the German castles
originally built? A The time-frame they were
built in varies, but many were recorded as being
built in the central to late Middle Ages. Q How
many German castles exist? A An interest site
RoadsToRuins.com has approximately 149 castles
listed. These are sites that have ruins, or
restored castles.
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The Rhine River where many castles were built to
regulate traffic, and collect tolls.
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Some Vocabulary

• Das Kastell Castle
• Die Burg Castle
• Der Burggraben Moat
• Das Katapult Catapult
• Die Zugbrücke Drawbridge
• Der Rhein The Rhine River

Pictured Pfalzgrafenstein
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Donaustauf Resides in Regensburg - Passau Built
Sometime between 894-930 Owner (possibly) Bishop
Tuto This castle was burned down early in its
existence, then occupied in 1161 by Henry the
Lion.
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FalkenBurg Resides in Bamberg Owned by
(possibly) Herren von Falkenburg Built in
Approximately 1154 This castle was noted for its
having been constructed on top of a large piece
of solid rock, making it impenetrable to
tunnelers that might otherwise find their way
into the castle during a siege.
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Gossweinstein Resides in Bamberg Built Sometime
in the 11th Century Owned by Bishops of Bamberg
for about a hundred years Involved in a peasant
revolt, and the Margrave War, it was destroyed in
both of those incidents, then rebuilt in 1767.
It was then acquired by Freiherren von Sohlhern,
and remains today in that family.
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Cochem
Resides in Trier-Koblenz Built in Sometime
around 1000 Original Owner Franconian Palatine
Counts Cochem was seized by the German Emperor in
1151, and was then mortgaged to the archbishop of
Trier in 1294. It has a vast commanding view of
the Mosel River which was essential to see
enemies approaching. It has since been rebuilt,
and is now owned by the town of Cochem.
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This castle overlooks Braubach, which was the
castles original name. A defining feature of this
castle is that is has not taken much damage since
its being built with the exception that it was
shelled during WWII. In 1283, the castle was
passed to the Counts of Katzenelnbogen through a
marriage to the daughter of the Count of
Eppstein. It remains to this day in excellent
condition.
Marksburg Resides in Koblenz Built Unknown time
before the 11th Century Owned by Herren von
Eppstein
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Burghausen Resides in Munich Built in Some time
before 1025 Owned by Ratpotonen Family This very
large castle takes up a great deal of the land
on top of its hill. It was originally a wood
fortified castle, and was eventually expanded
to the 6 courtyards it has now.
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Some notes on castle life A well had to be dug,
most likely by hand, and sometimes through rock.
This is an especially difficult task as there
was usually much rock in the area surrounding the
castle. It was essential that a well be
maintained, should the castle be attacked, there
was a chance that the attacker may attempt to
starve you by cutting off your supplies.
One of the royal amenities included an in-house
toilet from which a person could relief
themselves without having to leave the castle.
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Q What was daily life like for the people of
these times? A If you were what was considered a
commoner, meaning you didnt belong to the
church, or nobility, you would then be part of
one of these four groups

• Bailiff Collected Taxes, and managed Taxable
  or Inherited lands.
• Craftsman Crafter of Candles, Shoes, and other
  items for royalty
• Servant Made beds, prepared food, and handled
  other various duties for royalty
• Peasant Farmed the land, and sold food

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As the lord of your castle, are you prepared to
be attacked? Heres some questions you might ask
yourself Do I have watchmen awake, looking out
of my towers, checking for possible enemies? Do I
have enough men and supplies to take on whatever
enemy may approach? How long could I last in my
castle if my enemy cut off my supplies? How many
men does it take to defend my front gate? Do my
men know what to do if the enemy breaches the
castle walls?
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Could you besiege a lords castle successfully?
Some questions you might ask yourself Do I have
a scout to study the area surrounding the
castle, and find out what supplies I need? Do I
have enough man power to overwhelm my enemys
defenses if I need to? What are the
capabilities of my men? Can they tunnel under
the enemys wall? Can they build, or somehow
get a catapult, or other siege weapons? Is my
army close enough to the castle to be seen right
now?
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Pictured Neuschwanstein
The End
(Continue for Sources Cited)
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Sources Cited

• http//www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/brisas/sunda/m
  a/mahome.htm
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_castles
• http//roadstoruins.com/
• http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47
  /Rhein-Karte.png
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum