Carnarvon Castle (Wales): if the stones could speak

If the stones could speak, then the ones from which the walls of the Carnarvon Castle were built would not just be said, they would shout! A magnificent medieval monster was built to block the British entry to Wales. Fortunately, times have changed. And the Carnarvon Castle? What happened to him today? What does he look like? Does this place like tourists? However, "great and terrible" all the same. He stands, fixing the towers in the sky, remembering his "stormy youth".

Demonstration of strength

Imagine that you are a mighty English king in the prime of your life and want to strengthen English influence in Wales, restore the feudal army, strengthen local authorities, force small traders to observe the knights' customs. What actions will you take? If you were Edward I, you would order to erect a ring of locks - a medieval means to make people walk on a string.

Edward built the stone castle of Carnarvon (Wales) in 1283 (before that he was a wooden, Norman type), about the same time as his two other "blockbuster" - Harlich and Conui. The cost of this "power show" was colossal - almost 90 percent of the country's annual income was spent on it. A very rich and ambitious ruler wanted to be sure that the memory of him would survive the century.

Master of Architecture

Carnarvon - a castle in Snowdonia (a region in the north of Wales) - could not seem to look so simple. Eduard hired not the first architect who came across, he invited the famous military architect of that era to cooperate. His name is Jacques de Saint-Georges d'Espéranche of Savoy (department in the east of France), which is located near the Lake Geneva. The master's idea was amazing: sturdy walls, octagonal towers ...

The Carnarvon Castle was to adorn alternating multi-colored stripes of limestone and sandstone, the interior - to shine with magnificent frescoes (painting on damp plaster), reminiscent of those decorated with the Westminster Hall and beautiful stained-glass windows. In the castle it was supposed to create such amenities as bathrooms, toilets, to put in operation a water pipe.

This is true, but it is known that one of the most famous tourist attractions in North Wales was built not in full compliance with the project. Because of the aforementioned high construction costs, the budget "burst", and part of the architect's intentions remained on paper.

Intimidate dissenters

Raising Carnarvon Castle, whose walls resemble Constantinople, Edward I pursued his main goal: to impress and intimidate the subjects. Only the formidable look of the machine was like an arrow piercing the heart of everyone who dared to question the authority of a powerful ruler.

The main intimidation was the Royal Gates: a lifting bridge, at least six obstacles, arrow hinges, spy slots, assassin holes through which deadly substances (boiling water, oil) and objects fell on the attackers, leaving unharmed those who were hidden Behind the mighty walls of Carnarvon.

Sold my son

Everyone who ever was interested in Castle Carnarvon, interesting facts from the biography of a stone monster, were amazed at hearing the following story. Edward I sold his son to the Welsh, demanding to give them to the rulers of a man who does not know a single English word. Not a single word? Excellent! And he took out his tiny child.

As you understand, the Welsh people were not very enthusiastic about English domination in their home country. The birth of his son in the castle in 1284 was for Edward I an excellent opportunity to secure a reliable rear, to turn the situation in his favor.

Triumph was short-lived

Yes, a child named Edward Kernarfon became a Welshman (Wallisi - the ancient name of Wales) and was crowned as Prince of Wales in 1301. But this was just a deliberate propaganda move. The language of the nobility of England was still French then, was it any wonder that the child did not speak English? Before the boy reached the age of ten, his uncle John Gont, the Duke of Lancaster, ruled the country.

In 1307 the child became King Edward II. His reign was, according to many evidences, disastrous. Later, the ruler was deposed from the throne by his wife Isabella, nicknamed "the French she-wolf." The overthrow gave rise to feudal civil strife that took place in the second half of the 15th century (the widely known War of the Roses and the White Rose). The unfortunate man died while in prison at Pontefract Castle.

It is still terrible

Currently, the English built-in castle is one of the most valuable architectural treasures of Wales. Already as we approach him, it is easy to imagine what threat he represented in medieval times. Towering over the mouth of the Seiont River, the castle dominates the small town of Kernarfon, "woven" from the web of 17-18 streets, surrounded by medieval stone walls.

Once inside the castle, you will be amazed at the scale of the structure, much of which is intact. You can freely roam the expanses, admiring the views of Kernarfon. Especially impressive is the tall Eagle Tower. Climbing its spiral staircase, then going down, then rising, you reach a platform from which it's easy to see the green central zone where in 1969 Prince Charles went through a formal investment ceremony as Prince of Wales.

Today you can hear many enthusiastic reviews of tourists who visited the castle. They talk about the perfect preservation of the structure, fine restoration outside and inside, where it was required. Carnarvon is better than other military fortresses, tells the story of the English conquest of Wales and the participation of its citizens in armed conflicts during the Civil War.