Medieval Castle Layout

This illustration shows the main parts (buildings, structures, etc) of a medieval castle. In Harn, fortifications of this size are often referred to as Keeps, even though that is the name of the main defensive structure as well. Rather than castle, "fortified keep" might be more appropriate. The gatehouse is often referred to as a "Barbican." A castellan was the governor or caretaker of a castle or keep. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum 'castle'. His role was often partway between that of a majordomo and that of a military administrator — while a castellan was responsible for the work of a castle's domestic staff, as a majordomo was, the castellan was also often responsible for maintaining defenses and protecting the castle's lands. This was particularly the case if there was no lord resident at the castle, or if the resident lord was frequently absent.