What is the battlements in a castle?

What is the battlements in a castle?

In architecture, a battlement is a structure on top of castle or fortress walls that protects from attack. The short, topmost part of the wall was called the parapet. It included the crenels, gaps in the wall spaced at regular intervals. Sometimes the crenels are also called embrasures.

What is a battlements used for in medieval castles?

A castle’s Battlement consisted of a parapet with gaps or indentations used for defence. They were used in medieval architecture to provide cover for discharging arrows and missiles. The term originates from the Old French word “batailler“, meaning to fortify with batailles or movable turrets of defence.

What was the overall purpose of the battlements and walls towers on a castle?

Castle battlements were defensive walls that were built on the top of a castles main outer walls for defensive reasons and allowed castles military to defend the castle against castle sieges and attacks. A battlement also describes a defensive city wall made from stone that often surrounded a medieval town.

What is the difference between ramparts and battlements?

In other words: A castle wall is a rampart. A lesser defending wall, such as a fence, is a parapet. A protective stone parapet on top of a rampart with crossbow grooves and openings is a battlement. A battlement is the same thing as a crenellation.

What are the notches on a castle called?

A crenellation is a specific type of battlement, which looks like notched teeth. The high section of these notches are called merlons. Crenellations are a sign that a castle is prepared for battle. In medieval England, the king had to grant a license to crenellate before the fortification could be constructed.

What are the square bits on top of a castle called?

Battlements were the square-shaped part of the walls around the top of the castle. They usually had a walkway behind them so that soldiers could stand there when looking out for potential threats. They were also useful for soldiers who were defending the castle during an attack.

What are the pointy bits on a castle called?

In architecture, a turret (from Italian: torretta, little tower; Latin: turris, tower) is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle.

What are the squares on castles called?

Battlements were the square-shaped part of the walls around the top of the castle.

What are battlements used for?

The function of battlements in war is to protect the defenders by giving them something to hide behind, from which they can pop out to launch their own missiles.