Medieval Castles

A Carolina Day School Library Resource Guide

Reference Sources

Remember that general encyclopedias (Britannica, World Book) are off-limits for this assignment.
Do consider the following reference works, however:

The Middle Ages. REF 909.07 MID 1996

Try your castle name in the index in volume 4.
Look at the fine article on "Castles and Fortifications" in volume 1
Look in the index in volume 4 under "Castles and fortifications" for related information, such as "furniture" or "family life in the castle."

World Eras: Medieval Europe, 814 - 1350. REF 940.1 Med 2001

Castle architecture in general is discussed beginning on page 458.
Types of castles, life in the castle, and mentions of individual castles are in Castles articles on pages 261 - 276.

World Eras: European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350 - 1600. REF 940.2 Eur 2001

"Fortifications and Siege Craft" begins on page 241.

Sir Banister Fletcher's A History of Architecture. REF 720.9 FLE

Check the index under "castles" for general information and just below under "Castles" for references to individual names of castles.

World Architecture. REF 720.9 HIT 1970

Some black-and-white photos of castles on page188-189. Check the index for your castle's name.

Churches and Castles of Mediaeval France. REF 726 LAR

Travel Guides.

You can usually find a bit of information (and sometimes more) in one of the travel guides. Check the index for your castle's name. The European travel guides (France, Italy, Spain, and Europe are in REF 914.04 to REF 914.604).

Citations

MLA Handbook. 808 Gib 2003
Writers Inc. 808 WRI

Online citation helps (also available from the library's web page):

MLA site: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite5.html
Landmark's Citation Machine: http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php

A page of examples of citations is in the handout rack at the library. Ask Ms. St. Clair!

Circulating Books

All the books on castles are on reserve on the book cart. They are only available for overnight checkout: you must check them out during the last hour of the day and return them the next morning before school starts.

Online Subscription Databases

Oxford Reference Online from the library's web page and from http://www.oxfordreference.com/pub/views/home.html
Some good general information and a few short articles on individual castles.

NCLive from the library's web page and from http://www.nclive.org/authhome.phtml

Get the password from your public library. After you log in, choose Browse Resources - Magazines and Journals. Choose Academic Search Elite (an EBSCO database). At the EBSCO screen, choose Choose Databases, and checkmark MasterFILE Premier, Middle Search Plus, and MAS Ultra. Click Continue. Click on the Full Text option. Now you may search by the name of your castle. You may also choose the Advanced Search option (and select Full Text) and search by subject terms or with combined terms.

Go back to the NC Live page and do another search in the Expanded Academic Gale database for more citations from different sources.

Internet Sites

Remember that for this assignment, Mr. Reid has limited you to one website. So as the old knight tells Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you must "Choose wisely."

If your castle has a website, congratulations! Here are some other websites you might want to consider using. You may also find a link to your own castle from one of the following sites.  Try your castle's name on a search engine in quotation marks, such as "Windsor Castle" to get to the official site. 

Castles on the Web. http://www.castlesontheweb.com/

Provides information about castles; includes virtual tours, bibliography, medieval studies, heraldry, abbeys and churches, palaces and great homes, myths and legends, photos, organizations,weapons, glossary, children's section, and accommodations in castles.

Castle Search: Links to castle pages from around the world. (Gargoyle's Roads to Ruins) http://www.roadstoruins.com/

Looks at Germany's medieval fortifications, including castles, fortresses, fortified manors and towns. Offers excellent photographs and background information about the Middle Ages as well as some of the castles of Germany. A map highlights Germany by region. A directory lists alphabetically German castles and fortifications and provides links to specific sites. A list of links to related castle websites is also included for further study.

Castles of Britain: Castle Learning Center. http://www.castles-of-britain.com/

Provides research information for students of all ages on castles in the Castle Learning Center. Topics include building a castle, decline of the castle, drawbridges, drawings, dungeons, fireplaces, food, furnishings, gatehouses, glossary, plans, keeps, kitchens, knights, license, life in a castle, medieval jobs, castles with mottes, pele towers, portcullis, privies, roofs, water defenses, undermining, weapons, and wells. Some pages include photographs, and links to castles of the British Isles are included.

Castles Unlimited: Dedicated to the study and promotion of British Castles. http://www.castles-of-britain.com/

Provides information on the castles of Britain; includes sections on castle research, photo gallery, maps, preservation, ghosts, and links to external Internet resources.

Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Siege. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/

Looks a the trebuchet as a siege weapon to access castles during war and how to build and shoot a giant trebuchet. Allows visitors to virtually build a trebuchet and fire sandstone balls at a castle wall as well as make decisions on the size of the projectiles and other factors to successfully destroy a castle. Gives an interview with Professor Richard Holmes about everyday life in a medieval English castle. Named a 2002 Notable Web Site by ALA.

Castle Learning Center: Medieval Weaponry. http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle36.htm

Discusses Medieval weaponry prior to the early 14th centruy and the use of gunpowder. The most popular weapons were double-edged swords, axes, and metal-headed spears as well as short bows and arrows. Vikings were known for using a heavy battle-axe with a trumpet-shaped blade. Crossbows came into use along with an early siege engine, the ballista. Other weapons and strategies of Medieval warfare are discussed, including undermining, "Greek fire," the longbow, the battering ram, the trebuchet, and the mangonel.

Castles, Palaces, Stately Homes and Other Architecture (Tudor Architecture) http://www.tudorhistory.org/castles/

This website offers extensive information about Tudor architecture including original and restoration pieces. There are links to images and information about specific places in England as well as links to travel information.

Castles of Britain: Castle Learning Center http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm

The whole Castles of Britain site is interesting, but this page has some really nice links, such as an in-depth look into why castles developed, how they were built, building materials, life in the castle, defenses, types of castles, bathing and washing, and more.

Inside Architecture. http://library.thinkquest.org/11114/index.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0216

Introduces architectural styles from the Egyptians to modern day. Information is accessible by a timeline or by a world map. Covers such styles as Baroque, Rococo, Gothic, Romanesque, and Victorian as well as architectural styles favored by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Mayans, Chinese, and Aztecs. Provides information about nineteen architectural periods and styles including castles.

Motte and Bailey Castles & Ringworks. http://www.castlewales.com/motte.html

Provides information about two types of earthwork castles: mottes and ringworks as well as a diagram and color photographs of examples of the remains of motte and bailey cast in Wales.

Castles of Wales http://www.castlewales.com/home.html

Detailed history and photos of pver 400 different medieval castles. Also includes a discussion on types of castles and a special section on Welsh Abbeys and other religious sites.

Czech Republic http://www.czech.cz/

A comprehensive site for the Czech Republic. In addition to sections on basic facts, political systems, the country and people, history, culture and arts, and famous people, the site also has a great section on tourism that includes links to many sites on various cities, castles, and transportation. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

NewYorkCarver.com http://www.newyorkcarver.com/

Discover the art of Gothic architecture. Includes slide shows (virtual tours) of cathedrals and castles worldwide, a dictionary of architectural terms, links to art museums, "tips and tricks" to Gothic geometry, and more. Searchable. Updated and maintained by Joe Chiffriller, an actual stone carver.

TimeRef http://www.timeref.org/

This searchable site features timelines of events in Great Britain from 800 to 1499. "Maps show the locations of castles, abbeys, and cathedrals in England, Scotland, and Wales. Every person and building on this site has its own timeline and links to related subjects." Includes a glossary of terms, information on architectural styles, and three-dimensional images of buildings. Parts of the site do not display properly in Netscape.

The Great Buildings Collection. http://www.greatbuildings.com/

Search by building name, place name, or architect.
"Welcome to the leading architecture reference site on the web, GreatBuildings.com. This gateway to architecture around the world and across history documents a thousand buildings and hundreds of leading architects, with 3D models, photographic images and architectural drawings, commentaries, bibliographies, web links, and more, for famous designers and structures of all kinds. For up-to-the-moment coverage of the latest buildings, designers, ideas, and trends, GreatBuildings.com is richly cross-linked with ArchitectureWeek, the leading architecture magazine online."

Castles of Tuscany http://www.castellitoscani.com/

Castles, fortresses, watch-towers, and town walls appear everywhere in Tuscany; some are well preserved, others are in ruins, but the main remnants are not on the tourist routes. In this site, created to inform people of the existence and preservation state of these testimonies to the medieval era, you will find history, photos, and plans of some of these fortifications."

ks 4-04