A battlement in defensive construction, such as that of city walls or castles, consists of a parapet (i.e., a protective low wall between chest-height and head-height) with openings or indentations at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other projectiles from within the structure. These openings may be closed by metal grates when there is no danger of attack.
The word comes from French bataillon, which means "small flag." In military contexts, a battlement is one of several small eminences projecting from a wall or rampart, each provided with its own guard tower or casement.
In medieval castles, the term referred to the elevated walkway along which soldiers could fire their crossbows down into the courtyard. They would stand on stools or move aside when an arrow was fired.
Today, the term more commonly refers to the raised area above a doorframe or window where pots of flowers or plants might be placed.
A rampart is, in other words, a castle wall. A parapet is a less defensive wall, such as a fence. A battlement is a defensive stone parapet on top of a rampart with crossbow grooves and apertures. A battlement and a crenellation are the same thing. A moat is a trench filled with water that surrounds most castles and fortresses.
Ramparts and battlements were originally used for defense. Today they are popular additions to homes, hotels, and restaurants because of their aesthetic value. They can also be used to enhance security by preventing people from climbing over or into them.
The word "rampart" comes from French "randon", which means "wide". The term "rampart defense" was first used by Francis Bacon in his 1627 book New Atlantis. He wrote that a country could protect itself against invasion by building walls around cities or villages. But since an army would need food and rest, those walls would have to be very high to prevent attacks by gunpowder weapons. This type of defense was not practical for countries without much land or money.
Bacon also proposed that instead of using powder, armies should fight by hitting arrows into the ground next to the enemy's wall. When an attacker's arrow hits a pebble on the rampart, it kills him. This is how towns with ramparts protected themselves from attack.
A battlement is the top walled section of a castle or fortification that protects it. It is often made by a low, thin wall built on top of a fortress or castle's outermost protection wall. The English word "battlement" comes from the French word bataillument, which means "shield wall."
Battlement is the highest term used to describe these walls. Below battlement there are sometimes merlons (or masonry pinnacles) and machicolations (or stone galleries).
The upper part of a castle or fortress where the battlemented walls are found is called the capitol. Within the capitol are other fortified rooms called towers that provide more defense for people in danger inside the capitol. The word "capitol" comes from Latin words meaning "highest point."
Finally, under the capitol are the bailey or ward. The word "bailey" comes from Old English meaning "open space within a fence." Baileys are open areas within the walls of castles where soldiers could defend themselves against attack.
People have been building with rocks for as long as there have been rocks to build with.
Battlement The top walled portion of a castle or fortress is known as a battlement. The name "battlement" derives from an old French phrase that meaning "tower or turret," and battlements were originally used for defense. They are still used today to provide a view from within the castle or fortress.
The word "battlement" may also be used to describe any section of a wall where guns are mounted. These days they are most often found on high-security buildings, but during war times they could be found on castles and forts to protect against attack.
Batten means "to fasten with ties or cables" in English. Battens are wooden beams with ropes attached to them that are used to secure cloth to a frame inside a window or door. The words "batten" and "battyn" both come from an old English word for "beam."
People love stories with castles involved in them. So it shouldn't surprise us that "battlement" has become one of our favorite words at Blue Sky Words!
In general, the initial line of defense was located outside the castle walls and consisted of a low wall that obstructed the most likely attack routes. This would be the first battleground for the armies to collide and assess each other's strengths and weaknesses. If the enemy army was too large to confront directly, then its leaders would consider ways to deceive or outmaneuver the defenders by using guerilla tactics.
During the 11th century, Germanic knights started to build sturdy wooden castles as defenses against the armored warriors of Asia Minor. These new castles were more in the form of fortresses than traditional Chinese cities because their builders wanted them to be able to withstand attacks from outside forces. The best example of this type of fortress is the mighty Kronburg Castle in what is now Austria. It was built around 1046 by Duke Wilhelm von Östigau and has withstood several attacks by Turkish soldiers who wanted to capture it.
The next major development in defense technology came when French knights conquered most of Europe during the 12th century. They brought with them new ideas about how to defend their lands against invading forces. King Philip II of France is considered the father of military engineering because of all the new technologies he developed for use by his soldiers. One important invention was the catapult.
How to Protect a Castle
A fortified tower (also called as a defense tower, castle tower, or simply a tower in context) is one of the defensive constructions used in fortifications such as castles, alongside curtain walls. Castle towers may take on a number of forms and serve a range of functions. They can be used as lookouts, firing platforms, prisons, shelter for civilians during wars, etc.
The word "tower" here refers to an elevated structure, usually square or octagonal, with four or more sides, used for defense or for watching over a large area. These were common in Europe and Asia before the advent of modern weapons technology.
They are usually built from stone, brick, wood, or steel and stand up to its name i.e., it provides strong protection for people inside it. The higher the tower, the better it serves its purpose because people outside it cannot attack those inside it.
Towers often have multiple levels, although they are most commonly just tall enough to provide defensive cover from enemy arrows, bullets, or bombs. They might also have battlements or crenellations (scaling walls of sharpened edges) for fighting from above, or even catapults for hurling projectiles at attackers.
The first recorded use of the term "fortified tower" is in 1367 when they appeared in accounts of the Hundred Years' War.
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