Added: 10/09/2005 |
Knight castle?revealing the paths of medieval historyKnights were professional soldiers whose training began at the very young age of seven and included such study stages as being a squire, a knight assistant, and a knight from the age of twenty one. It included a nightlong ceremony in the knight castle chapel with white clothes, a ritual bath at dawn and breakfast with friends and family. The knighthood devotion was accomplished with a gentle blow on the neck or shoulder with the flat of the sword, which took place in public and was accompanied by music and fanfares. However, knights also could be created without any ceremony, only in the field of battle.
Knights were high in the order of chivalry, bore the noblest arms and rode the best horses. Their work was to do battles and, actually, knights and their mighty castles appeared due to the unstable situation in Europe during the middle ages. Knights and castles went together through times until their military purpose disappeared. In France, the true knight vanished in the 16th century and it happened much earlier in the other countries.
Whether the knight was used in fighting or not, the castle was always a center of his life. As a workplace, home, or military target, the knight castle was an integral part of the daily life of this fighter. The knights inherited, built or were given powerful castles. The prospects of a knight included: a marriage to a prosperous and wealthy heiress, inheritance of lands and service to a noble as a high official. The knight served forty days annually and sometimes he served as a castle guard in a castle. A knight castle is a gateway to miraculous medieval history and storage of this or that knight family roots. Here are some knights and the castles they built:
Sir Edward Dalyngrygge built a magnificent castle, Bodiam, situated in Sussex, England. Sir Edward Dalyngrygge was a Knight for the Shire of Sussex for ten Parliaments in 1379-1388; he was one of the most powerful noblemen in Sussex during that period. He built his knight castle at the time when the nobles were looking for more comfort along with security and showed their wealth and high social position. The castles, built in this period, were the last true castles erected in England. Its huge towers and broad moat provide a scene of fantasy, which is better described in Lord Curson's statement: "At Bodiam, not only does the watery cincture remain, but no trace of the modern world appears to invade the ancient and solitary beauty of the scene. It could hardly surprise anyone were a train of richly clad Knights, falcons on their wrists, and their ladies mounted on gaily caparisoned palfreys; suddenly emerge from the Barbican Gate for the enjoyment of the chase. Or even the flash of spearheads and the clatter of iron-shod hooves to indicate the exit of a party with more serious intent." Today, the Bodiam castle is open for tourists' visits.
Many knight castles are still used as comfortable homes, providing both: a medieval structure and modern facilities. One of the most interesting examples of a family home-castle is the Ayton Castle, situated in the Scottish Borders, on the east coast between Berwick and Edinburgh. The Ayton Castle is a wonderfully restored private home, founded by the medieval knight Sir Ralph Euro. Nowadays, the owner of the castle is David Liddell-Grainger of Ayton and the family is pleased to have guests there, allowing them to use the estate of three thousand acres, well-convenient for shooting, fishing, riding and golf.
Many castles in the UK and Europe have found their usage as comfortable hotels, offering both: undertaking views of the medieval constructions and interior and the modern facilities for an active rest and sports.
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