In the feudal system of Europe, a baron was a “man” who pledged his loyalty and service to his superior in return for land that he could pass to his heirs. The superior, sovereign in his principality, held his lands “of no one”—i.e., independently—and the baron was his tenant-in-chief.

Firstly, try and keep the names of your protagonist(s) simple or, at the very least, easy to read. Their name(s) will likely come up a lot in your piece. If your reader is struggling with your character’s name, they’re likely to put down your writing, regardless of how good the rest of the work is.

Good Kingdom Names

• Empire of Santok.
• Rusa Dynasty.
• Samar Kingdom.
• Azov Kingdom.
• Kingdom of Koda.
• Kingdom of Narva.
• Kingdom of Fyn.
• Telemark Dynasty.

The names of Kingdoms are no different; kingdom (and empire) names, are named usually after people or landmarks. A few examples; The Roman Empire was known as ‘the Roman Empire’, because the Capital was ‘Rome’, which was named after the legendary figure ‘Romulus’.

The name of such a barony is generally deemed to be the name of the chief manor within it, known as the Caput, Latin for “head”, generally assumed to have been the seat or chief residence of the first baron. So, for instance, the barony of Turstin FitzRolf became known as the barony of North Cadbury, Somerset.

Barons leased land from the King that was known as a manor. They were known as the Lord of the Manor and were in complete control of this land. The Barons kept as much of their land as they wished for their own use, then divided the rest among their Knights. Barons were very rich.

This, there would be around 300 people under each baron. Furthermore, a manor would be around 4 square kilometres. Thus a knight’s fee would be around 4 to 6 square kilometres. This would make a baron to own about 40 to 60 square kilometres of land.

A lord is just any nobility or someone with some sort of authority. A King is in charge of a kingdom. An Emperor is in charge of an empire which is made up of many kingdoms, lands, countries, whatever. They may have kings under them.

The majority of castles were built by the barons and those with importance and wealth could afford to build large and imposing castles that rivalled the royal castles. Depending on their status and the amount of land they held, some barons controlled several large castles.

In feudal times, castles were built where the king commanded. As regards defence, the best location was surrounded by a wide stretch of water, sufficient to stop siege engines from striking the defences. This could be a river and lake, or on a peninsular projecting into the sea.

Medieval castles were built as homes for kings and nobility, the noble class of a country such as royalty and important public figures, to protect them from unwanted intruders. Castles were typically built in the middle of the land the king or lord of the castle was ruler over.

After their victory at the Battle of Hastings, the Normans settled in England. They constructed castles all over the country in order to control their newly-won territory, and to pacify the Anglo-Saxon population. These timber castles were quite cheap and very quick to build.

The Medieval Castle: Four Different Types

• Within an Existing Roman Fortress. The earliest medieval castles built by the Normans were either constructed within an existing Roman Fort or were Motte and Bailey castles.
• Motte and Bailey Castles.
• Stone Keep Castle.
• Concentric Castles.

• Can’t findeverythingat your castle?
• So you’re ina Norman castle.
• The ‘Motte’ – the. mound where the castle was built. This hadsteep sides to make it tricky for the enemy to run up.
• Curved, arched. doorways – arches were in fashion back then. Small, narrow.
• Large, stone. building blocks. and thick walls.
• It’s dark.

The first castles were built by the Normans The great age of castles began almost 1,000 years ago and lasted for nearly 500 years. The Normans introduced the first proper castles, starting with the wooden Motte and Bailey castles, to England following their victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Windsor Castle

Malbork

Below are the main rooms found in medieval castles and large manor houses.

• The Great Hall.
• Bed Chambers.
• Solars.
• Bathrooms, Lavatories and Garderobes.
• Kitchens, Pantries, Larders & Butteries.
• Gatehouses and Guardrooms.
• Chapels & Oratories.
• Cabinets and Boudoirs.

The castle gatehouse was one of the most defensive parts of any medieval fortress. It was a strong, fortified building positioned to defend the entrance to a castle. Gatehouses usually contained multiple traps and obstacles to foil any intruder.