The Castle Garrison

The Medieval castle had been designed to withstand sieges by a lord’s enemies. The location, design, and construction were all taken into consideration to create a stronghold at the time of war. A well-designed castle was of no use without fighting men to protect it.

The castle would employ soldiers at the ready for battle and acts of aggression. The soldiers were grouped into four types.

Knights
A knight was the highest rank a solider could attain. A knight would begin his training at a young age, typically at the age of 7 years. He would leave his home and serve in a nobleman’s household as a page. The young man learned about manners and music.

At the age of 14, he progressed to a squire. Under the watchful eye of the knight and his fellow squires, he would learn to be a skillful horseman and become a prized fighting man in the use of swords, lances, maces, axes and wrestling.

When the squire turned 21, he became a knight. It was at the formal ceremony that the new knight received a sword and spurs. As seen in the movies, the knight knelt before his lord or the king and made his vow to "fight for good, to protect the poor, and to pursue evildoers." Of course, the king extended his own sword and touched the shoulder of the knight with the tip as he was given his knighthood.

Soldiers for Hire
The tenants that lived on the lord’s land were required to perform guard duty at the castle. This duty was done as part of their rent for the property they farmed. Tenant guard duty become a heated issue, most tenants offering to pay their Lord in cash to get out of the task. In turn, the lord used the monies to pay bands of mercenaries and professional soldiers to perform guard duty in the tenants’ stead.

Foot Soldiers
The foot soldiers were those who fought hand-to-hand combat on foot. The foot soldier’s attire for war was a coat of mail (chain mail) and quilted canvas tunics. The soldier also wore a helmet made of leather or metal. Their weapons consisted of a sword and buckler (small fist shield) and a spear or ax.

Bowman
Another group of soldiers were expert in the use of the longbow or crossbow. Most soldiers could shoot with great accuracy over a long distance. The bowmen were an important part of the castle garrison as they could "take out" their enemy from a distance.

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