1 When you think about castles, you probably think of knights in shining armor, fancy damsels in distress, and maybe a fat dog lying by the fire. Castles might seem fun to live in, but they were not too comfortable. Most stone castles were cold, stinky, and dirty.
2 The first castles were built about 900 years ago. That time period was called the Middle Ages. Castles were built by lords and kings so that they could be safe. At first, castles were made out of wood, but they burned down easily. Later, castles were made out of stone. Men called masons cut the stones and put them together with a mush called mortar. These castles took many years to build.
3 Most castles had big halls. They had drawbridges and tall walls around them. The lord and his lady had a bedroom on an upper floor, but that was the only private place in the castle. Every castle had a chapel because the lord and his family went to church every morning. Castles were cold, though, and not too clean.
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