Yu may think that castles belngnly in fairy talesf princes and princesses.
But abut the Year 1000 there were castles almst everywherever Eurpe， and they were nt fairy castles but realnes with real peple in them.
After the dwnfallf Rme in 476， the Rman Empire was brken t pieces like a cut-up puzzle-map， and peple built castlesn the pieces， and they keptn building castles up t the 1400"s. This is why and hw peple built them and why they at last stpped building them.
Whenever any ruler， whether he was a kingrnly a prince， cnquered anther ruler， he gave t his generals， wh had fught with him and helped him t win， piecesf the cnquered land as a reward insteadf paying them in mney. The generals in turn gave piecesf their land t the chief men wh had been under them and helped them in battle. These men wh were given land were called lrdsr nbles， and each lrd was called a vassalf him wh gave the land. Each vassal had t prmise t fight with his lrd whenever he was needed. He culd nt make this prmise lightly in anffhand way， hwever.
Castle， drawbridge， mat， and knights
城堡、吊桥、护城河和骑士
He had t d it frmally s that it wuld seem mre binding. The vassal had t kneel in frntf his lrd， and make the slemn prmise t fight when called upn. This was called ding hmage. Thennce a year， at least， thereafter， he had t make the same prmisever again. This methdf giving away land was knwn as the Feudal System.
Eachf these lrdsr nbles then built himself a castlen the land that was given him， and there he lived like a little king with all his wrkpeple abut him. The castle was ntnly his hme， but it had t be a frt as well t prtect him frmther lrds wh might try t take his castle away frm him. He usually placed itn the tpf a hillr a cliff， s that the enemy culd nt reach it easily， if at all. It had great stne wallsften ten feetr mre thick. Surrunding the walls there was usually a ditch called a mat filled with water t make it mre difficult fr an enemy t get int the castle.
In timesf peace， when there was n fighting， the men farmed the landutside the castle； but when there was war between lrds， all the peple went inside the castle walls， carrying all the fd and cattle and everything else they had， s that they culd live there fr mnthsr even years while the fighting was gingn. A castle， therefre， had t be very large t hld s many peple and animals fr s lng a time， andften it was really like a walled twn.
Medieval wmen managed manyf the things that wentn inside the castle- cking， spinning thread， weaving clth，verseeing the servants， and taking caref the animals. When the men were away at war， smetimes fr mnthsr even years at a time， the wmen were in chargef all the farming activities and the family"s mney as well. Because there were s many wars， many wmen became widws. In that case， they tk ttal chargef the family estates.
Inside the wallsf the castle were many smaller buildings t huse the peple and animals and fr cking and string the fd. There might even be a churchr chapel. The chief building was，f curse， the husef the lrd himself and this was called the keep.
The main rmf the keep was the Great Hall， which was like a very large living rm and dining rm cmbined. Here meals were served at tables which were simply lng and wide bards placedn smething t hld them up. These bards were taken dwn and put away after the meal wasver. That is where we get the names barding and barding huse. There were n frks nr spns nr plates nr saucers nr napkins. Everyne ate with his fingers and licked themr wiped themn his clthes. Table manners were mre like stable manners. The bnes and scraps they threwn the flrr t the dgs， wh were allwed in the rm. Itchy scratchy！ What a mess！ At the endf the meal twels and a large bwlf water were brught in s that thse wh wished might wash their hands. D yu suppse anybdy washed the flr？
After dinner the husehld was entertained during the lng evenings with sngs and stries by men called minstrels， wh played and sang and amused the cmpany.
Shut up within the castle walls， it seemed as if the lrd and his peple wuld be abslutely safe against any attacksf his enemies. In the first place， any enemy wuld have had t crss the matr ditch filled with water， which surrunded the castle. Acrss this mat there was a drawbridge t the entrancer gatef the castle. In the entrance itself was an irn gate called a prtcullis， which was usually raised like a windw t allw peple t pass. In timef war the drawbridge was raised. But in case an enemy was seen appraching and there was nt time t raise the drawbridge， this prtcullis culd be drpped at a mment"s ntice. When the drawbridge was raised there was n wayf getting int the castle except by crssing the mat. Anyne trying t d this wuld have had stnesr melted tar thrwn dwnn him. Insteadf windws in the wallf the castle there werenly lng slits thrugh which the fighters culd sht arrws at the enemy. At the same time， it was very difficult fr anynen theutside t hit the small crack-likepenings with an arrw.
Yet attacks were maden castles. Smetimes the enemy built a tall wden twern wheels. This they wuld rll up as clse as they culd get t the walls， and frm its tp sht directlyver int the castle.
Smetimes they built tunnels frm theutside right under the grund， under the mat， and under the castle walls int the castle itself.
Smetimes they built huge machines called battering-rams， and with these they battered dwn the walls.
Smetimes they used machines like great sling-shts t thrw stnesver the walls.f curse there were n cannns nr cannnballs nr guns nr gunpwder then.
The lrd and his family Were the rich peple； all thethers were little better than slaves. In timesf peace mstf the cmmn peple livedutside the castle wallsn the land called the manr. The lrd gave them just as little as he culd and tk frm them just as much as he culd. He had t feed and take sme caref them， s that they culd fight fr him and serve him， just as he had t feed and take caref his hrses that carried him t battle， and the cattle that prvided him with milk and meat. But he didn"t treat the peple wh served him as well as he did his dmestic animals. The cmmn peple had t givetheir time and labr and a large partf the crps they raised t the lrd. They themselves lived in miserable huts mre like cwsheds， withnlyne rm that had a dirt flr. Abve this was perhaps a lft reached by a ladder where they went t bed. Bed was usuallynly a bundlef straw， and they slept in the clthes they wre during the day.
These wrkpeple were called serfs. Smetimes serfs culd stand this kindf life n lnger， and they wuld run away. If a serf was nt caught within a year and a day， he was a free man. But if he was caught befre the year and a day were up， the lrd might whip him， brand him with ht irns，r even cutff his hands. Indeed， a lrd culd d almst anything he wished with his serfs except kill them-r sell them.
What d yu thinkf the Feudal System？
【中文阅读】
也许你以为只有童话故事里有城堡，里面住着王子和公主。
但是大约在公元 1000 年，欧洲几乎每个地方都有城堡，并不是童话中的那种， 而是常人居住的真正的城堡。
公元 476 年罗马衰亡以后，罗马帝国四分五裂，其版图就像地图拼图的碎片。
于是人们就在这些版图碎片上修建城堡，一直修建到 15 世纪初。这章的内容就是人 们为什么、怎样建城堡以及为什么最后不再建城堡。
当时，任何一位统治者，不管他是国王还是只是王子，每当他征服了另一位统 治者，就会将一些占领的土地奖赏给随他征战、助他获胜的将军们，而不是奖赏他 们金钱。这些将军再将这些土地赏赐其麾下参战的各个头领。这些获得土地的人被 称为领主或贵族，每个头领也被称为领主的封臣。每位封臣必须发誓：每逢需要， 他都要追随领主战斗。但是他不能轻率地、随随便便地发誓，而必须庄重地发誓， 这样誓言似乎更有约束力。封臣必须在领主前跪下，郑重地宣誓表示招之即来，来 之能战。这一过程被称为"宣誓效忠"。此后每年至少进行一次同样的宣誓。这种分 封土地的程式被称为封建制度。
随后每个领主或贵族都在受封的土地上建造城堡。在城堡里，领主像一位小小 的国王那样生活，身边都是听从他的下人。城堡不仅是他的家，还是保护他的要塞， 防止其他领主可能试图来抢夺。城堡通常建在山顶或悬崖上，这样即使有敌人来攻， 也难以到达。城堡高大的石头城墙，至少有十英尺厚。城墙四周通常环绕着注有水 的壕沟，叫"护城河"，让敌人更难攻进城堡。
和平时期，没有战争，人们在城堡外的土地上耕种。但是当领主之间发生战争， 所有人就带上所有的粮食、牲畜和其他东西，撤退到城堡里面，这样战事持续时， 他们可以住上几个月甚至几年。所以城堡必须非常大，足以长期容纳大量的人和牲畜。城堡通常就像有城墙的小镇。 中世纪的妇女在城堡里处理很多事情--做饭、纺线、织布、监督仆人以及看管牲畜。男人外出作战，几个月甚至几年不归，妇女就负责所有的农活，还要 管理家庭财产。那时战争频繁，许多妇女成了寡妇。这种情况下，她们就掌管了 家产。
在城堡的城墙内有许多较小的建筑，供人们居住、饲养牲口、做饭和储存食物。 或许甚而还有一座教堂或一间礼拜室。当然，城堡的主建筑是领主本人的房子，称 为"城堡主楼"。
城堡主楼最大的房间是大厅，就像一间大客厅再加上餐厅。大厅里饭菜端上 桌，桌子只不过是放在某个支撑物上的又长又宽的木板。就餐后，木板拿下，收 起来。"寄宿"1 和"提供膳宿的家庭旅馆"（barding huse）因此得名。那时没有餐 叉、餐勺、盘子、碟子、餐巾。人们用手就餐，边吃边舔手指或者把手指在衣服上 蹭蹭。餐桌礼仪更像"马厩"礼仪。人们随手就把骨头、碎屑扔在地上或喂狗。狗 是允许进出房间的。这些让人痒痒的扎人的东西！真是到处都脏兮兮乱糟糟的！吃 完饭，毛巾和一大钵水会端进来，有人愿意，可以洗洗手。你以为还会有人冲洗地 面吗？
饭后，有男艺人唱歌、讲故事给全家人解闷，度过漫长的夜晚，这些男艺人被 称为豪门艺人，专门表演、唱歌、逗乐子，为宾客提供消遣。
关在城墙里，领主和臣民似乎绝对安全，可抵御敌人的任何进攻。首先，敌人 必须要渡过城墙四周的注满水的护城河或壕沟。有一座吊桥横跨护城河，直通城堡 的入口或大门。入口那里有扇称为吊门的铁门，可以像窗子一样提起来，让那些人 通过。战时，吊桥升起。但是如果眼看敌人已经接近，没有时间升起吊桥了，吊门 说关上就能关上。吊桥升起后，没有其他办法可以进入城堡，除非渡过护城河。任 何试图渡河的人都会遭到投下的石头或泼下来的熔化的柏油的攻击。城墙上没有窗 户，只有供战士向敌人射箭的狭长的开口。然而，要从城墙外将箭射进裂缝一样的 小小的开口，就非常困难了。
不过城堡依然会遭受攻击。有时，敌人建造有轮子的木制高塔。推动轮子让木 塔尽可能地接近城墙，敌人就从高塔顶端直接向城堡里射箭。
有时敌人从城堡外挖掘地道，从地下通过护城河和城墙，到达城堡内部。 有时敌人建造巨大的称为攻城槌的机械，用来撞倒城墙。 有时敌人使用大弹弓似的机械投掷石头越过城墙。当然，那时没有大炮、炮弹，也没有枪支、火药。 领主及其家庭非常富有，其他人几乎像奴隶一样贫穷。和平时期，大多数平民百姓生活在城堡外的称为"采邑"的土地上。领主尽可能少地给予他们，可是却尽 可能多地搜刮他们。领主必须向他们提供食物以及必要的照顾，这样他们才会为他 打战，为他服务，就像他必须喂饱和照顾好马、牛一样，马在战场上是坐骑，牛则1 barding，bard是木板--译者注。
提供奶和肉。但是领主对待仆人不如他的家畜。平民百姓必须为领主出工出力，还 要把他们种植的大部分庄稼奉送给领主。他们自己住在牛棚似的简陋的棚屋里，只 有一个房间有泥土地面。也许棚屋上面会有一间阁楼，人们顺着梯子爬上去睡觉。 床通常只是一捆麦秆，人们睡觉时还穿着白天干活的衣服。
这些劳工被称为"农奴"。有时农奴再也无法忍受这样的生活，就会逃跑。如 果农奴在一年零一天内没有被抓住，他就是个自由人。但是如果农奴在这一期限内 被抓住了，领主可以鞭打他、用烧红的铁块在他身上烙上印记，甚至砍掉他的双手。 事实上，领主可以对农奴为所欲为，只要不杀掉他们--或卖掉他们。
你认为封建制度怎么样？
公元 1000 年