Medieval castles were seats of power. What are some famous and infamous medieval castles?
Some medieval castles were infamously horrible to their prisoners. Dungeons could be places of torture and death. Many people know about the Tower of London. It was infamous in the Middle Ages, and there are claims that many ghosts roam its halls. Another famous castle is Leap Castle because it is the most haunted castle in Ireland. People still live in Windsor Castle but reportedly coexist with old, dead kings and queens.
What were prisons in the Middle Ages? What were some of the most infamous castles and dungeons in the Middle Ages?
Dungeons in the Middle Ages
Dungeons are dank, horrible, and underground right? Nope! They could be underground, damp, and cruel, but not always. In fact, the dungeon started out in a tower because it was hard to escape from. Eventually, people wanted the tower for their bedrooms rather than for the prisoners.
The dungeon finally moved to the basement, where it could be dank at times. Not all prisoners stayed in prison anyways. Wealthy prisoners could often visit almost anywhere in the castle; they merely couldn’t leave. Some people were tortured. Most people, however, were reasonably safe from that. The misery inflicted by torture was horrible though (see my post about medieval torture here).
The Tower of London
One of the most famous and infamous medieval dungeons and castles was the Tower of London. It started as a castle and later held prisoners, too. Construction on the Tower took approximately 20 years. The king and queen of England protected many of their treasures, and themselves, inside the Tower in times of war.
It had lavish apartments, and Anne Boleyn stayed in them before her coronation. When it became a prison, torture found its way in as well. They even documented it! They usually used the Rack, the Scavenger’s Daughter (the opposite of the Rack. Rather than ripping someone apart, it compressed them), and hanging people by their arms with manacles. The Tower was a bad place to go.
There have been many famous prisoners in the Tower of London. The Princes in the Tower (two little princes who were 10 and 12 years old during the War of the Roses). The princes disappeared, and years later, people found a chest with the skeletons of two young boys (the skeletons may or may not be those of Edward and Richard, they are around the same age as the boys would have been.
Anne Boleyn (after she fell out of favor with King Henry the 8th), Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth the 1st, Henry the 6th, and Lady Jane Grey became prisoners there. Moreover, Anne Boleyn, Walter Raleigh, and Lady Jane Grey were all executed. Elizabeth the 1st left the Tower for house arrest. Later she became the queen of England.
Medieval Castles: Chillingham Castle
Chillingham Castle in England was infamous in the Middle Ages. Underneath the beautiful exterior, it was home to a brutal network of dungeons. They were some of the worst in medieval times, partially because people were tortured more in this castle than most other places.
Many Scottish soldiers lived in prison during the revolution between the 13th and 14th centuries. Women and children lived in the dungeon. Anyone could be tortured because there weren’t any laws about torture. It was never formally legal, but it wasn’t illegal either. Ransom was common. A long time after, the castle’s owners found the skeleton of a little boy inside the wall of Chillingham Castle.
Windsor Castle
The modern-day English royalty lives in Windsor Castle. Even in medieval times, royalty lived there, at least part-time. It is the oldest castle people still live in. Windsor Castle is approximately 1000 years old. It also holds the church building considered the “spiritual home” of the Order of the Garter (see my post on Orders of Knighthood here), Saint George’s Chapel.
Kings and Queens have built additions, renovated, redecorated, and enjoyed it. However, Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and home to large dungeons. Windsor Castle Dungeon was not unusually harsh, especially compared to Chillingham Castle or the Tower of London. Unfortunately, Windsor Castle’s dungeons were full most of the time, and most inmates didn’t have enough food or water.
Medieval Castles: Pontefract Castle
Pontefract Castle was infamous and its dungeons were nightmarish. It was a large fortress with extensive, notorious dungeons. No one wanted to take a trip down there. Shakespeare put Pontefract Castle in his historical play “Richard the 3rd.” People called it Pomfret at that point in history.
O Pomfret, Pomfret! O thou bloody prison,
Lord Earl Rivers from the play Richard the 3rd by Shakespeare
Fatal and ominous to noble peers!
Within the guilty closure of thy walls
Richard the second here was hack’d to death;
And, for more slander to thy dismal seat,
We give thee up our guiltless blood to drink.
Torture happened a lot. Therefore, the prisoners were miserable. Many prisoners carved their names into the walls, which you can still see. Richard the 2nd died in Pontefract. He was likely murdered.
Bran Castle
The Legend of Count Dracula as an evil vampire who feeds on humans was also thought to be Romanian. Another interesting fact is that people believe Bran Castle in Romania is his home. The castle earned the nicknames Dracula’s Castle and Dracula’s Crib. Supposedly he killed thousands of people and tortured some of them. Some people also think Vlad the Impaler (Dracula’s inspiration) hung out there for a while.
Vlad killed many people by impaling them (hence the name). However, there is no historical evidence that either Vlad the Impaler or “Dracula” actually visited Castle Bran. Bram Stoker never visited Romania at all. Vlad the Impaler doesn’t seem to have been inside either. Bran Castle is the home of Romanian Royalty. Another creepy thing about Bran Castle is that it once housed Queen Marie’s heart.
After Queen Marie died, her heart went into a little gold casket. It has moved around her various castles based on wars, hostilities, and safety. The Romanians lost her seaside castle. The original plan was for her heart to stay there forever. Her daughter then moved it to Bran Castle. It is now in yet another of her castles, Pelisor Castle.
Medieval Castles: Leap Castle
Leap Castle is probably the most haunted in Ireland. It had a very bloody past, after all. The O’Carroll Clan either built it or stole it. Unfortunately, the O’Carrolls were pretty violent. They murdered each other, along with plenty of innocent people and anyone who attacked them. One O’Carroll stabbed a priest (who was his brother) in the middle of a church service.
The family also poisoned hundreds of their guests at dinner. It happened on more than one occasion to different clans. The first clan was the McMahon Clan. Supposedly, it happened again to the O’Niels. They had an oubliette a secret dungeon with spikes at the bottom (the spikes were unique to the O’Carrolls’) with a trapdoor in the ceiling. Someone found the oubliette during a remodeling with cartloads of skeletons inside.
However, some bodies were more recent, so it wasn’t all the O’Carrolls. One of the skeletons had a golden pocket watch dating to the 1800s. People captured the castle from time to time, but the O’Carrolls usually won it back. There are other stories of their cruelty as well.
Dragsholm Castle
Denmark has many lovely castles. Dragsholm Castle is gorgeous and doubles as a hotel today. It is also pretty old. Dragsholm Castle also used to be a prison. In fact, some very prominent prisoners stayed there, including Joachim Rønnowand (the previous owner) and the Earl of Bothwell (Mary Queen of Scott’s third husband). People say it is haunted.
One of the most common ghosts is a woman wearing a white dress. At one point, someone found a skeleton. The skeleton was a woman wearing a white dress. The spot was likely where the dungeons were. The people of Dragsholm Castle supposedly had outstanding servants. These servants were loyal, even after death. One servant even comes back as a ghost to look after things.
Houska Castle
What is creepier than Dracula’s Castle? I’d say Houska Castle in the Czech Republic. People didn’t build it to keep anyone out; they constructed it to keep devils in. Local legends claim that Houska Castle is on top of a bottomless pit. They believed it was the gateway to Hell. In fact, many people claimed they saw winged creatures, though not birds, flying around the hole. Therefore, they built the castle to seal the demons away.
However, before they closed it, they wanted to know what was inside. They promised freedom to any criminals sentenced to death who would go down and tell them. The first person was a young man. He went in and immediately screamed for them to let him up. When they brought him back up, it looked like he had aged thirty years. It is now open to the public for tours. However, no one spends a long time. Most people say they feel like someone is watching them the whole time.
What cool castles! Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments! Also let me know if you have any questions.
To Read More…
(and check out my sources…)
Castles, Dungeons, and Their History…
15 Haunted Castles Around the World | Condé Nast Traveler
The 10 Most Haunted Castles in Europe – The Crazy Tourist
20 Real Torture Dungeons You’ll (Not) Want To Visit
10 Haunted Castles in Europe That Will Leave You Spooked
13 Medieval Castles to Visit for Fascinating History and Stunning Architecture
Dungeons…
The Castle Dungeon and the Oubliette: The Truth About These Medieval Prisons
Famous Castle Dungeons with Images | Ultimate guide of Castles, Kings, Knights & more
Houska Castle…
Houska Castle, The Czech Fortress Used By Mad Scientists And Nazis
More on Leap Castle…
Leap Castle – The Little House of Horrors
Leap Castle Ghosts | Ultimate guide of Castles, Kings, Knights & more
Windsor Castle…
The Tower of London…