Why did people stop lving in medieval castles?

Question

Why did they stop living in castles? How bad was the damage?

Answer 1

because when they started to get out of style people decided to live in cooler homes...

Answer 2

Most likely because castles were more like our common day cities. There was a main living area for the higher ups, and everyone else lived in the areas surrounding that in the outer walls, or the areas outside of the actual castle.

It was about territory back then, and someone from the next area could easily come over and try to take over your castle and land. We have nations and militaries now, so there is less of this. Plus, you just wouldn't be able to live as nice as we can now and people have moved away from being part of a community and moved toward owning their own living quarters and land.

Answer 3

Not all castles are uninhabited and not all are in disrepair. Likewise, there is great variety in size and styles of castles across Europe, which is a contributing factor as to whether they are maintained as residences or not.

Some were destroyed, or rendered uninhabitable during various wars down through the centuries. This is true of a lot of the Rhein Valley castles. Others ceased to be private residences during times of political unrest, when living in a castle marked you as a target. This is true of a lot of castles in France (actually a lot of medieval buildings, both castles and churches were pulled down during and immediately after the French Revolution as France attempted to re-invent itself entirely). Others were vacated because the minor nobility living them could no longer afford their upkeep, taxes or rents. This true of a lot of castles in England. Other castles were seized by the State and their owners/inhabitants forced to move. This is true of a lot of castles in eastern Europe.

And, of course, there are examples of castles that have been modernzied and still function as private residences.

Many surviving castles have been converted into museums, government offices, concert halls, conference facilities, hotels, and even youth hostels, student residences or army barracks. I lived in a castle for a semester when I was an exchange student in the Czech Republic. So, in some cases, people never stopped living in the castles :)

Answer 4

You ask this question as if there was some sort of disaster and they were all wiped out together, like perhaps the dinosaurs were?
They were in fact family homes they went into decay mainly because of the costs involved to keep them habitable. It mainly boiled down to this peasant stock that wouldn't pay the required taxes for the required upkeep. This was in spite of frequent and well deserved public floggings, I think a Conservative goverment was in power at the time!!! but it was before Maggie, she would have sorted them all out!
Glad to see you are interested in castles there are still many about in really good nick, have you been to Warwick castle in the Midlands? Great place

Answer 5

As only a couple of people have pointed out people didnt stop.Castles were occupied by the nobility and many around europe are still occupied.Anyone heard of Windsor Castle?

Answer 6

Damage?
Castles were originally intended as fortresses, buildings for wars.
Their living quarters were very uncomfortable: large rooms with no heat (only large dining halls and kitchens had these), illuminated by torches, dark and dirty; tapestry was used to created a homely atmosphere and protect people from drafts; dirty floors, onto which were thrown the remnants of food, pack of dogs, urinating and defecating on the floors. Bedrooms with huge beds, and curtains, mice, parasites.
But if the castle had water supply inside, and a fool cellar, it could
be hold forever even by children and women.
In case of war peasants, who lived outside, where admitted inside, to hide from the enemy.
When they invented powder, cannons and bombs, castles stopped being impregnable, and their significance as war centres vanished. The living quarters remained, large, big, smelly, unpleasant.
So, many knights and nobility who meanwhile get richer in wars and acquired tasted for luxury from moors, started building new houses for themselves, the primary goal of which was habitation, not making wars.

Answer 7

The ones that survived intact became too expensive to maintain
even for blue blood families. many were reluctantly sold off to the national trust or worse converted into hotels and private luxury apartments. most of the families who had castles now live in smaller residences

Answer 8

When you say "they" do you mean the people that owned it or what.Could it be that time just moved on. You asked what sort of damage there was,do you mean if there was fighting? I think this may be your history home work?????? Go to google web site i think this is a very long question that would take a long time to go through.

Answer 9

Ordinary People never lived in castles. Only nobilities did. And they still do. Your question is probably about fortressed towns, that is different and you already have good answers.

Answer 10

You know world moves on and so do history and houses, but there are still places in the world where you can find really cool castles and they are still inhabited, but unfortunately usually too touristic, or too expensive!!!

Answer 11

advances in weapons technology made them indefensible I would imagine.

But it is a very interesting question. The concept is not just mediaeval of course look at the French "Maginot line" they had some really heavy fortifications.