History of Castles | Documentary for Sleep

In this relaxing story, I tell you about the history of castles in Europe, from the first earthworks from the Bronze Age to Roman castra and finally medieval castles. We follow their development from motte & bailey castles to giant fortresses of the 14th century with dungeons, concentric walls, drawbridges, portcullis, machicolations, moats...

I also tell you about medieval society and how castles are an architectural projection of it, medieval siege warfare and its machines like the trébuchet, and I take you to a few locations like Alesia, Windsor Castle and the Krak des Chevaliers.

This content is entirely scripted and recorded by real people, it includes no AI, and mid-roll ad breaks are turned off so that you can relax without interruption.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

04:05 Early Fortifications and Hill Forts

09:59 Roman Fortifications and the Rise of Feudalism

13:33 The First Medieval Castles

18:34 Stone Keeps and the Classic Medieval Castle

32:11 Crusader Castles and Concentric Defenses

38:11 Life Inside a Medieval Castle

46:29 Siege Warfare, Gunpowder, and the End of the Castle