Field Course : Level 2 Introductory note for the teachers This field course takes place outdoors, inside the outer bailey of the Castle Guillaume-le-Conquérant of Falaise. This course is organized so that each pupil can individually comprehend the way a medieval castle functions through direct observation. The average duration for this course is an hour. It is supervised by the teachers or by accompanying adults and is introductory to the guided tour inside the keeps, which is led by the castle s guide. There are three kinds of material: - a map of the castle - illustrated sheets - a lexicon So as to ease the learning process and the movements inside the castle, it is advised to split the classes into two or three groups, according to the number of pupils. For each group, the sheets are to be used in different orders: - Group A (sheets 1, 2, 3, 4 + attack sheet) - Group B (sheets 4, 3, 2, 1 + attack sheet) - Group C (sheets 3, 4, 1, 2 + attack sheet)
INTRODUCTORY SHEET OBSERVATION COURSE - LEVEL 2 March 2004 Welcome to the Castle Guillaume-le le-conquérant of Falaise - Outdoor Course : Attack and Defen efensive Elements of a Castle - Attack of the castle of Falaise by Richard III of Normandy - 15th century: the use of the ladder (BNF) There are five numbered sheets for this course. The sheets 1, 2, 3 and 4 match observation points marked on the map. The sheet n 5 presents you with the different ways to attack a castle. Furthermore, you will have with you : - A map of the castle - A lexicon NB : You will find the definition of the underlined words in the lexicon
Sheet 1 : The gate of the castle Outdoor course level 2 What is the name of the gate through which you entered the castle?... How is it protected?... Are there other open gates inside the castle walls? If so, what are their names? Don t forget any of them and read carefully your lexicon and your map. - - What is the wall of an enclosure for?... There are towers along the walls of the enclosure. What are they for? Tick the right answer(s): To watch over the foot of the castle walls To defend the foot of the castle walls To store ammunition (arrows, stones)
Sheet 2 : The Tower of the Enclosure Outdoor course : level 2 Move to the tower of the enclosure at the northeast. It is marked as n 2 on your map. There are graffitis (drawings) carved in the stone. Who could ve drawn these?... Draw below one of the graffitis you see : Soldiers could shoot arrows through the openings that you see in the tower. What are these openings called?... Draw them below
Sheet 3 : The Bastion Outdoor course : level 2 Move now toward the north until spot n 3, called the Bastion. After having consulted your lexicon and looked around you, locate at the right places the numbers below. They match the different defensive elements that can be seen from the Bastion, where you re standing at the moment. ❶ The ditch of the castle. ❷ The northern castle-wall ❸ The beginning of the city-walls ❹ The ditch of the city-walls ❺ The great square keep
Sheet 4 : The keeps and the inner bailey bailey Outdoor course : level 2 Move now toward the keeps until spot n 4 on the map below. Using the map and the lexicon, write down what separates the outer bailey from the inner bailey :... Locate on the map the fortified gatehouse (as you move toward the keeps, you ll find the remains). What was it there for?... Judging by what the keeps look like, what was their purpose, according to you? Tick the right answer(s): They were a last refuge for the defenders in case of an attack They housed the duke and a part of his court when they were staying in Falaise. They symbolized the lord s might. They were just very elegant.
«Attack!» Sheet Outdoor course : level 2 You are about to attack the castle. Using the pictures : What will you use to attack a gate?... What will you use to climb to the top of the castle s walls?... What would you do to open up a breach inside the castle walls in order to get inside the enclosure?... What machine would you use for your archers or crossbowsoldiers to be able to hit the defenders on top of castle walls?... A «tonnelon» A battering ram Sapping A ladder
LEXICON Arrow slit: narrow slit inside the wall of a fortification, from where a soldier can shoot arrows or bolts to his attackers. Assault: a quick and violent attack. Battlements ts: an earth levee or a strong wall surrounding a stronghold or a fortified castle. Bastion: a triangular building with a tip projecting outward from the castle and designed to flank fortified battlements. Castle/City walls: a ring of battlements running around a town (there are still parts of it around the town of Falaise) or a castle. Ditch: a trench with steep slopes designed to slow the progress of the attackers. Enclosure : The area of a castle that contains the outer bailey, the inner bailey and the keeps. Fortified Gatehouse: a gate fortified with two towers linked by a main body, which houses both the drawbridge s manning room and the portcullis (see this word). Inner bailey : a fortified yard adjoined to the lower bailey. That is where the keep stands. It is often separated from the rest of the castle by a ditch or a moat (see those words). Keep: the main tower of a fortified castle. It was the last entrenchment for the garrison when the castle was being attacked. It could sometimes as well accommodate the lord. Moat at: a large ditch filled with water. Outer bailey: a part of the castle that does not contain the keeps, but that is fortified nevertheless (you are located at this moment inside the lower bailey of the castle of Falaise). Inside this bailey, there were usually the houses of the castle s inhabitants (the lord and his family, the soldiers of the garrison, some servants...), a chapel, as well as the outhouses (workshops, stables, barns...). The population living around could take refuge inside the bailey.
Portcullis: heavy moving grid sliding vertically along grooves, so as to close a passage-way. Postern: a small exit door concealed inside the castle walls designed to allow some form of communication outside the fortifications, when the castle was under siege. Sapping: a tunnel dug underneath a construction in order to make it collapse. Siege: an operation that consists in surrounding and blockading a stronghold in order to seize it. Stockade: a wooden fence that is more or less robust; it can serve as a defensive feature. Tower: a building higher than it is wide and that can protect the castle or city walls (see this word).