The forgotten Castle interior and what I got WRONG | MEDIEVAL MISCONCEPTIONS

Let's look at the most common ways medieval castles looked like on the inside, and the common misconceptions, even some thing I got wrong, about this topic.

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[jessicafluffykins]

I love that you acknowledge your mistakes and publicly correct your statements. Too many people refuse to learn, double down on their "information" or pretend it didn't happen. It's not wrong to be incorrect, it's what you do when you're informed you're mistaken that I judge people on. It's why I watch you and why I trust what you say. That's a long way to say - Thanks Shad!

[simonklein]

Hmm, a smoothly laid stone wall might be rather expensive, so perhaps the stone was left bare to showcase wealth, as opposed to not so fine brickwork that might be hidden below a layer of paint. Very thought provoking as always, Shad!

[MrDUneven]

One thing I notice in the pictures you chose, it's possible that all these options may have been in one castle too, used in different parts. In that one picture with bare walls they seem to be at entrance, same with kitchen, there there are white washed or painted walls in living quarters and hallways, and then brocades used in main hall, bedrooms and heavily in ladies chambers. So even if it's likely that different castles and lords preferred one style, it's also possible that interiors weren't uniform, to avoid that pendulum swing too.

[jcspoon]

I'm surprised Shad didn't mention how the cloth on the walls would also help a lot with echo dampening. Just try to go on a tour of a mostly intact castle as the guide tries to speak and every whisper from the tourists nearly drowns out everyone else. Cloth on the walls would help a lot.

[latemanparodius]

Another thing about these hanging brocades: If you soak that cloth with water on a hot day, especially near the window, evaporation will cool things off inside. That makes it a sort of middle ages air conditioner.

[lysytoszef]

Couple of other uses to the same practice: chronicling and heraldry. Wall-hanging tapestries were often made to depict symbols and coats of arms of the house to whom the building belonged to, as well as to show important historical and mythological events from the house's history.

Also about their prevalence - making such things on a loom was a typical work for the women of the house (often depicted even in legends and fairy-tales) as a communal pastime, and as such was something that could be produced internally by the household, with no need to hire any external help or invest in unusual resources, unlike painting.

[vesirseran]

Your discussion around the brocade work makes me wonder if wallpapering was a development from that work. If I google "Renaissance Era Wallpaper" I see similar patterns, and the same if you fast forward to say, "Regency Era Wallpaper". This makes me wonder what other more modern home design or style elements have their roots in the Medieval Period, at least from an influence perspective. Good food for thought.

[ehta]

Ah, someone already pointed out the acoustics. Let me add one more thing to it though, since in Finland we still use some of those, they're called "ryijy" up here and are both decorations, meant to muffle the echo in larger buildings like halls where people eat of gather, but also in colder climates thick wall cloth can also act as a insulation making walls leak less warmth outside. So there's at least three purposes on those wall-cloths and since building anything from 100% stone or brick, or heck even wood means it's not very well insulated in winter months, there's a added benefit of having thick cloth on the wall to insulate inner walls.

[martinlarsson]

I really appreciate how you handle criticism. You are a great role model in several ways. Keep it up!

[sciencerscientifico]

It's important to note that almost every castle that isn't in ruins has been lived in even after the medieval period ended and thus were redecorated from time to time to suit the tastes of the era. Warwick Castle for example, has a Baroque style dining room and very few of its rooms retain their medieval style.

[TheOldBlackShuckyDog]

It’s not really so much about getting things ‘right or wrong’ with medieval and ancient history as it is about being able to back up your points with feasible sources.

[NathanS__]

Tapestries fulfilled the same function. Another benefit of these would be that they knock down the echo in these rooms

[gypsyboomer]

I think that you underestimate the utility of fabric wall hangings in environmental control. Stone absorbs heat but may never feel warm to the touch, fabric, on the other hand, can feel warm and the air space between fabric and stone is an effective insulation space. Castles, or for that matter, any stone building, collect damp; condensation forms on the walls during cold, or English weather; fabric covering could be both decorative and functional. Curious if fabric wall hangings are more prevalent in northern European countries as opposed to say southern Spain or Italy. You do good, Shad of Diversity.

[heraldofthemetalgods]

The awesome thing about brocades is that they were't just used in castles. Even peasants used them in their houses for decoration and insulation. In Romania there are still people doing this to this day. Brocades make walls look so awesome.

[jebeer]

The first thing that came to my mind is that with cloth you would be able to change the athmophere of the room depending on, feasts, special guests, ... Say the king or another noble visits and you want to welcome them with their heraldry.

[Jaeler]

Tapestries and brocades were also given in dowries and as presents because good fabric was not (and has never really been) inexpensive. Some were even made with actual gold that was formed into thread. And the resulting weight of the tapestry and brocades was astronomical. So anything they were attached to had to be of hearty construction most of the time.

[grath]

This is why I really appreciate your videos. You put in a ton of time and research into the topic based on a thesis, formulate all of that, and come to a conclusion. When new evidence comes up that is additional or conflicting you take the time to actually investigate. It really adds credit and validity to your content.

[drago]

I do love how using these cloth coverings for the walls is so practical as well, especially when you consider redecorating the walls of a captured keep.
Using cloth to either cover or replace old enemy colors with your own.

[aeryncowell]

It is interesting how the brain works. You can skip somethings for years then someone points out an error and your like umm what the hell... its everywhere.

[shawnwolf]

After I watched the original video, I didn't leave that thinking that wood panneling was super common; just that it was done. So I'm not so sure that you overstated it as much as you feel you did.

That being said, it's awesome to see a correction video for points you felt were incorrect in some way! One of the few youtubers that don't just try to rush by it. Loving the new video so far!