What are battlements for kids?
Battlements were the square-shaped part of the walls around the top of the castle. They usually had a walkway behind them so that soldiers could stand there when looking out for potential threats. They were also useful for soldiers who were defending the castle during an attack.
What kind of word is battlements?
Often battlements. a parapet or cresting, originally defensive but later usually decorative, consisting of a regular alternation of merlons and crenels; crenelation. Also called embattlement.
What does the term crenellations mean?
/ˌkren. əlˈeɪ.ʃənz/ a wall around the top of a castle, with regular spaces in it through which the people inside the castle can shoot: The towers were topped by medieval crenellations.
What does battlements mean in English?
: a parapet with open spaces that surmounts a wall and is used for defense or decoration.
What is a battlements in a medieval castle?
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals to allow for the launch of arrows or other projectiles from within the …
What are battlements used for?
The function of battlements in war is to protect the defenders by giving them something to hide behind, from which they can pop out to launch their own missiles.
What is the difference between battlements and crenellations?
A battlement is a low, defensive parapet. The act of crenellation is the cutting of crenels into a previously solid and straight parapet wall. Crenels are rectangular gaps or indentations which occur at regular intervals along the parapet, usually measuring 2-3 ft wide.
What is the difference between a parapet and battlement?
is that parapet is a low retaining wall while battlement is in fortification: an indented parapet, formed by a series of rising members called cops or merlons, separated by openings called crenelles or embrasures, the soldier sheltering himself behind the merlon while he fires through the embrasure or through a …
Why do churches have battlements?
A fortified church is a church that is built to serve a defensive role in times of war. Such churches were specially designed to incorporate military features, such as thick walls, battlements, and embrasures.
What is bailey?
A bailey or ward in a fortification is a courtyard enclosed by a curtain wall. In particular, an early type of European castle was known as a motte-and-bailey.