Medieval Castles
True or false: The first medieval castles were made of wood.
True
What is a page?
What religious group took over Jerusalem, which would lead Christians to embark on the First Crusade?
Muslims (The Seljuk Turks)
This was the most common weapon of a knight.
Which class of people were not considered a part of the Feudal system, but were "given" to vassals as a part of the land granted to them by their lord or king?
What are peasants?
A deep ditch surrounding the castle's walls is called what?
A moat
This was the "code of conduct" that knights were expected to follow. It states that knights should show bravery, defend the church, defend the defenseless, etc.
What is chivalry?
What Islamic leader led the Muslims in their reconquest of Jerusalem after the 2nd Crusade?
Early knights mostly relied on this type of armor, made of interlocking rings of metal. Later knights would wear plates of armor over this layer for added protection.
What is chainmail?
Who was at the top of the Feudal society?
The King/Queen
This was the highly defensible, central part of a castle where defenders would retreat if the enemy breached the castle walls.
What is the keep?
Why were knights known as the 'tanks' of the medieval battlefield?
Heavy armor granted them great protection, and their horses gave them great speed to quickly move from place to place or trample opponents.
Which religious leader called on the kings of Europe to aid Constantinople and reclaim the Holy Land?
Pope Urban II
Fill-in-the-blanks: A bow fires a(n) _________, while a crossbow fires a(n) ___________.
What are an "arrow" & a "bolt"?
Knights were low on the feudal hierarchy, but still played an important role. This is what a knight would offer their lord in exchange for the land they were granted to serve them.
This is the term used to describe the category of massive weapons built by armies when besieging an enemy town or castle. This category included ballistas, trebuchets, battering rams, catapults, and more.
What are siege engines?
Knights were most often seen fighting on foot (as infantry) or on horseback as heavily-armored, mobile warriors. This would make them (heavy/light) cavalry.
Heavy cavalry - they wear armor and can charge directly into enemy formations to "shock" the enemy.
How many Crusader kingdoms did the First Crusaders manage to create after the 1st Crusade?
4 (Kingdom of Jerusalem, County of Edessa, County of Tripoli, Principality of Antioch)
This piece of siege equipment is like a catapult but uses a counterweight to throw items over extreme distances and up and over city walls.
What was the trebuchet?
This is the term for someone to whom a lord has granted land under the feudal system.
What is a vassal?
This siege tactic involved digging under the enemy's fortifications to weaken them. Sometimes digging did the trick, and sometimes explosives were used to finish the job.
What is undermining?
The term "Coat of Arms" is often used to describe heraldry, identifying lords and knights. The word "coat" in the term comes from this piece of equipment, worn by early knights over their mail armor, so they could be identified on the battlefield.
What is a surcoat?
Christians embarking on a crusade did not view the trip to the Holy Land as a war, but rather a religious journey called a what?
A pilgrimage
This long polearm was used by charging knights on horseback. It could be fixed with a pointed tip for combat or a blunted tip for training and jousts.
What is a lance?
What term refers to a peasant who is "owned" by the owner of the land? This was true of some but not all peasants in Medieval Europe.
What is a serf?