But they may take our lives. But they'll never...take our MACHICOLATIONS!
Ahem. The Machicolations shirt. Available Through teespring.com. Link in the description.
Greetings I'm Shad. And in this video I'm gonna be taking a look at the castle from the Chronicles of Narnia
Prince Caspian. Oh sorry. I always think of Snap Jelly* when Prince Caspian comes up. It must be that beautiful hair of his.
No, no no no no. This Prince Caspian. Who has hair equally as beautiful.
Specifically I'll be reviewing how good of a castle it really is. Comparing it to
proper real historical castles that existed in the medieval period and also just analyzing it according to
effective
defensible castle design. And Gee...This one is gonna be a lot of fun because.
Really. When I think about all the great fantasy castles the Prince Caspian castle, actually, is one of my
favorite. But that doesn't mean it is perfect. In fact,
it's such a good example of a castle to analyze. Because
they have done so much right in it. Yet, there is* also a lot of problems.
And it's castle designs like this that create the most
discussion in our analysis. So,
we shall begin where I always begin in any castle review that I have done. And that is
Location. And guys, have a look at the location of this castle.
You cannot get a better location. This is just beautiful. Remember the principles. The first option that you want to go for is
elevation. We've put a castle up high it makes it very difficult for people to be out and employ siege weapons against you. That
nullifies siege towers, trebuchets, catapults. It makes it very difficult, if not impossible,
for, you know, attackers to do ladder rushes and they force the enemy to approach the castle
in only one direction. Because every other approach is completely
untenable. Unfeasible. But there is something uniquely interesting about the Prince Caspian
castle location. Compared to other castle locations that we have looked at, that have had really good high elevation.
One of the fantasy castles that comes to mind, is a castle from Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Skyhold. Put up really high this
incredible position. But the difference between Skyhold and the Caspian castle is the Caspian castle
actually isn't necessarily on a higher elevation
than the access point or the nearby village. It's on a rock
outcrop that sits further away from an edge of a cliff. This actually creates a huge amount of
convenience and makes it a far more practical and usable castle. Now, in terms of defense. Like, a castle up high?
Awesome. You'll want to go for it and you would just deal with the impracticality of it being so high up.
Classic Example. A
historical example that comes to my mind. And I reference these castles in my previous castle review when I looked at Markarth from
Skyrim. But specifically, I want to focus in on one of those
castles. So I was referring to the Five Sons of Carcassonne. Or they're also called Cathar castles.
We'll have a look at this specific one and
(laughs) Yeah...alright...Let's go with this pronunciation
"Poor-le-rruns?" I'm just gonna call it Pailaurens. All right? Look at its location. This is
incredible. But climbing up to the castle would be the biggest turd.
Certainly acceptable to get such an impregnable position.
This castle is just
amazing. But Gee. Getting in and out of that castle? Just for, whatever daily duties, traveling to and from?
Oh...Look at the stairwell
access way. You
literally have to climb a cliff to get to it! The Prince Caspian castle, on the other hand, has as much of a defensive advantage
without the inconvenience. It just has this beautiful
straight bridge that runs right to the castle. And it establishes the
only approach. If you want to assault this castle, the only way you can get to it is from along this bridge. No other
access way at all. And realistically, there would be a postin* somewhere. It is referenced in the film that castles had postins*.
So, we can assume. Hopefully, it might have it there. So yes. All the advantages of having an incredibly high,
unassailable, elevated position, and none of the disadvantages of the people who live in the castle
getting to and from it. So, location? 10 out of 10!
Perfect! Could not be better, in my opinion. Now, let's look at some of the layout of this castle.
And it's a bit hard. Because
we're limited to only the angles that the movie shows us. Which is why
reviewing our castles from video games works out so much better. But
we can get a decent enough idea from these shots. And look at what we...see...
here...I see one gatehouse. I see a second gatehouse. And w-what i-i-is? Is this a third gatehouse?!
Do we have three gate houses?! On the approach to this castle?!
Oh my goodness! It's like they actually thought about
layers of defense! And then, on the approach to this castle you have this big long
beautiful bridge that will funnel the enemy into a massive bottleneck if they try and assault it. But after the first,
kind of, gatehouse-ish part. There's a drawbridge! Yes
Oh Gee! If you remember my review of
Skingrad, there was another castle with kind of a similar approach. A bridge going to it. But there was no drawbridge on it. In fact,
I've even seen this, kind of, on
historical castle. Though it's hard to confirm. Because the castle was destroyed and so I'm not sure if it added drawbridge originally. But from
what remains, it doesn't look like it has a drawbridge. And this is on my favorite castles I've mentioned before. Corfe Castle. Big beautiful bridge
running to the mound or
elevated position that the castle is on. And I should have mentioned Corfe castle because this is actually a very good
historical comparison to a similar kind of
location. But there's still a slight climb after you get through the outer baileys to the main
keep. But still, massive benefits from its elevation and not nearly as many inconveniences.
with its axis. But when looking at the bridge, I
have not been able to find a drawbridge. So this might be one example where a fantasy castle has taken a
historical principle or design location and executed it a little bit better than the actual real-life
comparison. This is amazing!
And the drawbridge actually plays a very pivotal role
when the heroes actually try and assault this castle. They've got to lower the drawbridge. And we'll get to how
they
approach the assault of the castle because, of course, the heroes, they're forced to think a little bit outside of the box. Because you
just can't do a standard assault to this castle. Now realistically, if the Caspian castle existed in real life, your
only option, if you wanted to take the castle. Because
assaulting it is like a hundred different types of suicide. You would have to be
insane to try and take this castle by force. So really, the only best option you have, would be to starve it out. A
long-term siege.
And remember, many people who took castles in the past, that is exactly how they did it. Of course, in the movie they are able
to employ a tactic that would be impossible in a true medieval setting. And that's flight.
Actually, you know, use griffins and fly heroes over the walls where they sneak in and try and lower
the drawbridge and raise the porticullis. Because that is really the only other option when trying to assault a castle with such amazing
defense. And that's the, you know,
Trojan Horse and sneak someone in, kind of thing. To open the gates from the inside. And if you can just sneak your, you know,
army right in through the front gates without any massive battle on the battlements to get through the walls
Well, you've avoided the biggest issues in taking the castle.
Unfortunately, we can't give the heroes full credit for
their inventive way of trying to circumvent or bypass the castle defenses. Because as
good as the Prince Caspian castle has appeared to
be so far, it's actually missing some very crucial
elements that, if they were there, I don't think the heroes would have been able to actually break in. First issue, the outermost
gatehouse. Okay?
Isn't really fortified. The only thing on it that we see in the movies, is it has a
very flimsy metal
grate. Flimsy enough, that a minotaur was able to just bust through it with his head. When in reality, his horns actually would have been
caught in between the bars
because the horns will have gone through the bars before the actual impact from his skull hit the
metal. And then as the doors tried to swing shut, the side mappars* would have been caught on the
horns that were protruding through them! Physics! People! I mean...
can't you just think about these things? And from this shot, we actually get the see the outermost gatehouse. And you can see
it would be a bit hard pressed to raise a porticullis into it. Which is perhaps why they
didn't put a porticullis on this outer part.
But that's a flaw in design. If they were thinking about this properly and this was, you know, a castle that wanted to
complete its design in the most practical and effective way,
this outer gatehouse would have a porticullis on it and there would be a second drawbridge on it as well.
And it would be built large enough to have the porticullis being raised into it. If these heroes had to
deal with a second drawbridge and a second porticullis, I'm not sure they would have been able to raise them. And if the guards were,
you know, not
absolute morons. That are so easy to...like...look. Slight tap on the back of the head they get knocked out. These guards are
like lemmings. One flick and they die. But if they had proper guards and, you know, there were actual guards on the outermost gatehouse,
I think they would have noticed their porticullis being raised and the drawbridge being lowered. And it would have made sure that
no one would have snuck in and been able to do the same thing to their gatehouse. And of course having a proper gatehouse means
that minotaur
wouldn't have been able to bust through with his charge. And if you're interested in my own personal analysis of
minotaurs in combat and the usefulness of charges. I've actually made two whole videos on the best medieval weapons for minotaurs. If you're interested.
The next thing, it does not seem like any of these gatehouses have
secondary porticullis, an entry porticullis, an exit porticullis with
no kind of kill-zone in between
where you could employ arrow loops on the sides or murder holes up above.
So as great as the Caspian castle is, we have already run into,
in my mind, a fairly significant
problem in its design.
Well, it's funny. What the castle has, actually is very
adequate. Okay? It's just the fact that they have a third outermost gatehouse not really
fulfilling the function of what a gatehouse is
supposed to do. It just has this flimsy metal grate on it. It's like, why else is it there? You know?
So, if you're gonna put a gatehouse,
put a proper gatehouse on it! That's what I'm saying. So that's the big flaw. So now
we come to the main part of the assault in the movie. Which is mostly conducted within the primary
bailey of the castle. You see, when assaulting the castle, the main
parts that you want to get your soldiers onto is not actually the bailey. The baileys are always made to
be somewhat kill-zones. Not
always. But it's an area where you have walls surrounding you on every single side with
potentially soldiers and archers. Which you
do, kind of, see in the movie. So, instead of getting your soldiers into the bailey, you
actually want to get your soldiers on the
ramparts and
battlements. That's their parts of the castle you want to take. But, I mean yet, take what you can. If you can't get the walls?
Okay? Taking the bailey? That's at least
one step forward in taking the castle. But what's interesting about this situation in the assault of the
Caspian castle, is that the heroes take the bailey and there are walkways
surrounding this bailey on all sides. In fact, in some
instances, there is more than one walkway as they're kind of layered up. Which really would have been the best option for the
defenders here. Instead of sending down men into
a big melee in the bailey. Just use your archers. Don't send your men down! Archers!
It's a kill-zone! Just destroy everyone! Because it doesn't seem like the
attackers here have any archers to try and fire back. So it would appear they
would've been wiped out. End of the fight right here. And of course, ultimately, they're pressed
into a retreat. But the captain is actually reluctant to fire down on the people in the bailey because his
men are there fighting the other people.
"Give the order." "My men are still down there."
So, of course, you know it would have been better to not have sent your men down there in the first place.
But because the bailey does ultimately function as a kill-zone. Just not a
perfectly effective kill-zone, in my opinion. Because there just seems to be way too much easy
access to these internal ramparts and walkways that surround it.
The people attacking the castle are getting there far too easily and they end up fighting on the walkways. So yes.
This part could have been done better. Now, let's look at some of the design elements of
the crenellations, the towers...And
the layout doesn't really need to be spoken of too much because it's just that.
It has got towers. It has got a keep. And yes, in reality, the towers
facing the sides and backs of the castle aren't really serving much of a functional purpose.
Because honestly, who can assault the castle from that direction? So there's not really much need to have them there. But it looks cool. And
maybe, you know, they actually built them to have the rooms
of these towers. And then they just put the battlements on top for the sake of having the battlements there. Now, what I like about
the apparent design of, say the crenellations, is that they look very very
authentic. I actually think some of their turret designs, I can
recognize these turret designs from
historical castles. But unfortunately, the one I'm thinking of, I can't remember the specific one. Maybe I can find it if I
scour through my references. But this has been taken from a historical source. Which means they have been looking to
historical castles for inspiration in their design. Which I love.
We can see here that the size of the crenellations,
specifically the Merlons, are almost coming up to the shoulder here. Which, honestly,
is good enough. Because on the angle, because the
attackers have to shoot up to any of the defenders. And by virtue of that angle, they
wouldn't actually be able to hit anyone standing behind this merlon. And oddly, they have a kind of step up in front of the merlon.
And I can make a concession here. I could say, all right, if you have so many
defenders that there's not enough crenels for the defenders to fire in between. There might be some circumstances where you'd want the defenders
who do not have access to the crenels to actually step over and shoot over
a merlon. And so, in that sense, I could see some functional reason for there to
be a step there. And the step does not seem to be too big. In that,
anyone standing behind it would have to be on this step to get the cover. They
can just step a little bit behind it. Because the step doesn't look to be big and still receive full cover
from anyone attacking. So I give a thumbs up to the design of these
crenellations. But this design is not the same on all the crenellations on the castle. In fact, when
I look at some of the top of other towers. The crenellations are
half as big. Like, in terms of height. This is bizarre. Why
on Earth did they do that? Maybe, I don't know, because they don't actually have any shots in the movie of people standing there. But
we can see them! Alright? And so
there are crenellations on other parts of the towers of this castle.
And they are not big enough! And that is not good enough! And I've said enough on the crenellations.
Because I just want to say "enough" again. I can be a bit of a "nuffy". (laughs)
What we also see. And this is where we come to a massive fail in this castle. So they
did so much right yet there is a
big issue here. And like, the problem that I see
here. I think, if you're familiar with my content, you'll know this is the one that gets my goat.
We see corbelling. So the top of these towers, their battlement has been extended off
the rampart a little bit. Which if you know, this is to provide
provision for
(whisper) machicolations
I did that for you headphone users there.
So, the machicolations. There is complete provision for them. But there's actually no machicolations. Okay?
We can see from the upwards angles from this shot here. There is no hole or area to be able to fight through, down from
behind, their battlements. Which means the machicolations are completely
aesthetic. They're fake! They're not real! There's no real proper
machicolations on this castle! My goodness, would they be useful on the three gate houses that they have on this castle. Having
some, you know, battlements, crenellations above the gates, and with machicolations there as well. It can, kind of, give you some murder hole
functionality. Because there doesn't seem to be murder holes in the gate houses themselves. So, while they're trying to break down the gates, you can
shoot through the machicolations and be perfectly safe. But they're not there!
They don't have them! Such a disappointment...So it's hard for me to speak on the other elements of the castle because
we're just not given enough detail. I mean,
we are shown some shots of certain windows. And it does look like the windows are built into alcoves. Which would say the walls of
this castle are properly thick. But having said that. The the main parts of the walls that you will need to fortify are
the parts of the walls that are facing the bridge. At the main
access point. Because good luck reaching any of the walls with trebuchets from any other angle. It's
also clear that they've incorporated a certain gothic kind of design elements.
Especially in the windows. There are a gothic cathedral kind of windows. Which is perfectly fine. Especially for a fantasy castle. They look
great. They could be made with the technology. And it's not a detrimental feature in its defenses because these windows are clearly positioned
on parts of the castle where
bombardment would not be able to reach at all. And there
we go. This has been my review on the Caspian castle. And
gee...it's such a really great
castle. But yet there are some design elements that are just ridiculous and I've no idea why
they'd put them there. Because like, say the crenellations, you know. Properly sized crenellations. And then
ones that aren't big enough. And they did it right in one area. So, why didn't you do it right?
You knew how. But they didn't do it right on all the parts of the castle. Very confusing. All the machicolations are
completely fake. And then, you know, some of the gatehouses weren't as fortified nearly as much as they could have
been. So there's flaws!
Unacceptable flaws on this castle that could have been avoided. But still,
there's a lot to love about it. And I hope you've enjoyed guys. Thank you for watching. And until next time...farewell