Cathar Wars - Medieval Warfare - Châteaux Forts, Castles

Castles were often to be found in towns - generally because the town had grown up around an early form of the castle.

This meant that the castillion had three layers of defence. A attacker had to breach:

first the city walls - and cities generally had substantial and defensible city walls
second the castle itself, typically defensible even after its city had fallen
third the castle keep or citadel - a tower that could stand alone even after the rest of the castle had fallen

The illustrations on the right show the Viscomptal Castle at Carcassonne located against the Aude Gate of the City of Carcassonne.

Defensive features typically included:

Carcassonne - The Chateau Comptal

Below are some of these features seen at Carcassonne

Carcassonne - Entry by a narrow bridge over a dry moat well covered from the castle battlements

Carcassonne - dry moat (with the castle walls on the right)

Carcassonne Chateau - City side barbican

Fortifications - Castra & fauxbourgs	Crusades	Pitched Battles
Fortifications - Chateaux forts (Castles)		Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Citadels		Stone throwing machines & Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Keeps & Towers		Belfries & Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Gateways	Swords, lances, maces & other hand weapons	Food, Water & Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Barbicans	Longbows, Crossbows, and Springalds	Rams, Cats, tortoises & Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Walls & Battlements	Destriers (horses)	Mining & Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Murder holes & arrow loops	Armour	Breached walls in Siege Warfare
Fortifications - Cliffs, Rivers & Moats	Heraldry	Chemical and Psychological Warfare
Castle Architecture	Rules of Medieval Warfare	Thirteenth Century Warfare - a glossary

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