Joseph and Frances Gies originally published this book in 1974. There have been several reprints including this one in 2015. The authors provide a comprehensive and interesting account of what it was like to live in a medieval castle, particularly in the thirteenth century.
Chapters in the castle include information on the advent of building castles in England (especially from Norman times), the castle as a house, the role of the Lord and the Lady of the castle, the running of the household, an account of daily life, importance of hunting in castle life, the life of villagers, making of knights, the castle during battles, a typical year in castle life and the decline of castles in England.
The emphasis in the book is on English castles in the thirteenth century, especially Chepstow Castle, but the authors stress that castles were already an important part of life in European countries prior to the Norman invasion of England. There is a geographical guide to some European castles at the end of the book as well as a detailed bibliography. Throughout the book there are many photographs of castles and castle life but these photos are very dark and unclear compared to those that would be in a book published today. For those interested in the illustrations, clearer photos of the castles would probably be available online.
This is a detailed, useful and readable book on castle life in medieval times. The authors have also written books, Life in a Medieval City and Life in a Medieval Village.
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