December 2, 2024
Have you ever wondered why most staircases in medieval castles were so narrow and spiraled in a clockwise direction? When you realize that most such castles were built as fortifications, it makes a lot of sense.
The genius of these staircases is that they made it extremely difficult for enemy combatants to fight their way up. Most soldiers were right-handed; if they were going up the stairs, they would need to step well to the left of the inside of the stairwell, inevitably exposing themselves to the defenders. Meanwhile, the defenders could use the inner wall as a partial shield, and could easily swing their weapon (with their right hand) without being hindered by the curvature of the stairs.
Additionally, the stairs were customarily poorly lit and built to be uneven (no ADA compliance in those days!), so attackers would also have difficulty gaining momentum and keeping their balance as they climbed the stairs with weapon in hand.
These fascinating historic tidbits are brought to absolutely free of charge, courtesy of this blog.
