Why do medieval buildings overhang their lower floors?

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 23 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 8 тис.

  • @radiocinema1819
    @radiocinema1819 4 роки тому +996

    Historian: So why did you design it this way? Aesthethic, efficiency, or protection?
    Architect (avoiding taxes) : *Money!*

    • @krzysztof765
      @krzysztof765 4 роки тому +30

      Sounds like Wrocław. In Wrocław you had to pay from the land your building occupied so they started to be thin but tall while in Lviv law was more loose so ppl over there build their homes wide and short. Both cities make beauty contrast

    • @goldenhate6649
      @goldenhate6649 4 роки тому +10

      @@krzysztof765 and that argument still holds to this day

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 4 роки тому +16

      My family has worked construction for at least 4 generations in the Pacific Northwest and I can definitely see this happening. We do ALOT to avoid taxes and permits (legally).

    • @davidweikle9921
      @davidweikle9921 3 роки тому +12

      Avoiding taxation is natural, understandable and noble.

    • @Mithr4s
      @Mithr4s 3 роки тому +4

      In Belgium, up to the 20th century, they had a tax calculated by the amount of doors and windows your building had. That way, they didn't need to actually enter the buildings, just count the amount of openings. So people began to brick their windows and doors up to a minimum. Its still visible today on buildings from that period, you'll see where a window used to be but its completely filled up with bricks.

  • @angluneenon
    @angluneenon 5 років тому +2013

    A minecraft player would say: "to stop the spiders getting over the wall" as overhang prevents the spiders from getting to the top of the wall

    • @jsmith2121
      @jsmith2121 5 років тому +188

      Actually, that's a great hypothesis: burglary prevention. In ancient Rome, the ground floor was the cheapest due mostly to security concerns. Your concept makes a lot of sense. It would be damned hard for the average burglar to creep around that outcropping. The next question is, do we have evidence of locks between the ground and second floor?

    • @maikomarx
      @maikomarx 4 роки тому +17

      That’s exactly what I was thinking when I saw the title/thumbnail

    • @fatribz
      @fatribz 4 роки тому +17

      that and to have a spot to enjoy the outdoors at ground level without being rained on! but then you make a tower with canopied balconies. itsa gg!

    • @angluneenon
      @angluneenon 4 роки тому +13

      @@fatribz rain flies at an angle, you'd have to rum round the outside of the castle every time the wind changes direction

    • @fatribz
      @fatribz 4 роки тому +6

      @@angluneenon oo true. I meant in minecraft where we don't have wind (unfortunately, maybe)

  • @MikeSn0W
    @MikeSn0W 6 років тому +2475

    An historian tell me, this is also (in some countries) because of the taxes you had to pay for the area of your house in contact with the ground. So people were building more space on the first floor to have bigger houses, with less taxes haha.

    • @DEFAULTTTT
      @DEFAULTTTT 6 років тому +80

      This. Thank you.

    • @Catalistic
      @Catalistic 6 років тому +65

      Isn't this still a thing today?
      Since you are being taxed by ground surface area.

    • @gui_teruaki
      @gui_teruaki 6 років тому +141

      @@Catalistic Today should be constructed area, not only ground floor

    • @virginiastirnweis5214
      @virginiastirnweis5214 6 років тому +18

      I heard the same thing about the taxes.

    • @TheNIX001
      @TheNIX001 6 років тому +9

      Yep i learned that too

  • @ep61611
    @ep61611 5 років тому +190

    Another reason for having the overhang on timber buildings might have been to provide a wider roof to shed rainwater and snowmelt away from the foundation.

    • @myscreen2urs
      @myscreen2urs 3 роки тому +10

      They used to throw their trash out onto the streets from their windows in medieval times. Maybe it was to prevent dumping on the floor below's heads or the ground floor porch🤔

    • @PpAirO5
      @PpAirO5 Рік тому +5

      Just about the same thought i had. But it might also be because of having an overhang to seek cover under when raining.
      Also maybe you'd have to pay some land/ground/area tax for the ground or area your building occupies. So building higher, and with overhang you get more area without having to pay additional area/ground tax... if that makes sense.

  • @christianskytte5507
    @christianskytte5507 7 років тому +2676

    In 500 years a guy in a shirt with some modern day item on it, will sit in a piece of IKEA furniture, and talk about why we build skyscrapers the way we did. And properly come to the conclusion. It looked good.

    • @geraldgrenier8132
      @geraldgrenier8132 7 років тому +123

      a lot of features on many sky scrapers are decorative, in some cases additions to claim bonus height.

    • @sintasweifell5144
      @sintasweifell5144 7 років тому +238

      It will be Shads descendant, I'm sure lol

    • @stephengrant4841
      @stephengrant4841 7 років тому +232

      Radja Amidala just like how hundreds of years ago, Shads ancestor wore a shirt bearing cave man clubs and sat in an antique chair telling people why cave men did things the way they did.
      It is the family profession of Shads.

    • @foodforfat6603
      @foodforfat6603 7 років тому +107

      It will be his great x50 grandson and he will be selling stylish shirts as well

    • @bat353
      @bat353 7 років тому +41

      skyscrapers are not designed to look good that's why they look like giant blocks of cement

  • @PieterBreda
    @PieterBreda 6 років тому +774

    There was another reason. Medieval houses didn't have gutters. These old houses wattle and daub houses would deteriorate by the water running of the walls. If you jet out the floor above, the water will not run down the entire length and dampen the walls.
    In Europe lots of older house have walls leaning over. This was done on purpose for the same reason.

    • @72strand
      @72strand 5 років тому +12

      Exactly, and stone walls don't need water if you want them to last.

    • @ratankabidge8589
      @ratankabidge8589 5 років тому +28

      In addition to water drainage, this also included garbage and excrement, which was often just tossed out the window (no plumbing at the time of course)

    • @rickpezzoni3443
      @rickpezzoni3443 5 років тому +1

      Pieter UR SO RIGHT ,!!!!!

    • @rickpezzoni3443
      @rickpezzoni3443 5 років тому +7

      Pieter ALSO BALCONEYS WERE MADE TO THROW GARBAGE IN THE STREET OR GUTTER THATS Y MEN WOULD WALK ON THE STREET SIDE I THINK!!!!!!!!

    • @adelalazur3341
      @adelalazur3341 5 років тому +13

      @@ratankabidge8589 It wasn't happening that often. Here a video about it: ua-cam.com/video/iJw2ow7jBnc/v-deo.html

  • @williamr.s.5693
    @williamr.s.5693 5 років тому +978

    Overhangs on castles also help to make setting ladders up against the wall more difficult.

    • @duudsuufd
      @duudsuufd 5 років тому +9

      I don't know if there already existed these kind of ladders which you have to extend by pulling a rope. If so, even with a very small overhang, these were useless to reach the top of the wall.

    • @pederdavisson9124
      @pederdavisson9124 4 роки тому +30

      But it’s surrrrrre nice to have even a bit of overhang where there’s an accepted practice of tossing pots full of piss out without regard to anyone who might be below.

    • @Superknullisch
      @Superknullisch 4 роки тому +6

      @@duudsuufd Why? Because they had to be leaned against the wall to begin with, while pulling up the extension bit of the ladder? Sure, if they had to do it that way, it would make it very difficult or downright impossible. But why wouldn't they have ropes attached somewhere at the ladders top 1/3? You know, so to enable the ladder being pulled slightly out from the wall to surpass the jutting?

    • @duudsuufd
      @duudsuufd 4 роки тому +8

      @@Superknullisch Yes, that is what I meant (not always easy to explain such things in English).
      But if they need men to pull the ladder slightly back, which is possible, these men have to stand in the 'fire line' so they were more easy to attack than those already against the wall.

    • @bobobo2224
      @bobobo2224 4 роки тому +11

      No. Ladders don't need to lean against the whole wall. Just a point of contact near the top. Plus ladders don't come in 1 size.
      When attacking, all ladders would be made to the exact size they needed before attacking.

  • @skjoldgames
    @skjoldgames 4 роки тому +22

    You forgot an obvious one mate, it assists with water shedding during rain. Even stone needs to shed water because the mortar would erode from water pooling up and freezing/thawing. This was especially important during the more frigid conditions during the 14th century. All your other points were awesome and I learned a lot. I'll be mindful of them as we develop our medieval castle seige game. Thanks for the awesome video!

  • @TheRagingUnprofessional
    @TheRagingUnprofessional 7 років тому +119

    This video was actually very interesting and well done. No offense, but I didn't have high hopes at the beginning and I actually ended up watching the whole thing glued to the monitor. Well done.

  • @SammaelsArt
    @SammaelsArt 6 років тому +309

    Small advice here : perhaps when you define something (like jettying), when it's a word that is not commonly used, you should write it somewhere on the screen in your video. It would makes it way easier to learn, understand and remember, especially for the foreigners like me :)
    I understand english well but since it's not my native language, that would be greatly appreciated. By the way, I love your videos !

    • @gothcoth
      @gothcoth 3 роки тому +10

      thank you for spelling it out, i was confused on how to spell jettying!

    • @Jayako12
      @Jayako12 3 роки тому +2

      I got frustrated I couldn't find out and came searching for this comment

    • @myscreen2urs
      @myscreen2urs 3 роки тому

      Should've made a shirt with 'jettying' on it

  • @dianan.4013
    @dianan.4013 6 років тому +160

    "Have you ever wondered why?"
    Nope, but I'm sure glad you brought my attention to this because now I'm wondering.

  • @PolorX25
    @PolorX25 4 роки тому +84

    I’ve lived in Germany and they had a lot of houses like that in the villages and I loved it.

  • @bunnywarren
    @bunnywarren 7 років тому +2223

    Jettying of houses became so bad that they were very close at the top floors. This contributed to rapid spread of fire because it could easy jump across streets. After the Great Fire of London they were banned in the UK as a result.

    • @natashasurvivallady8021
      @natashasurvivallady8021 7 років тому +171

      That actually makes a lot of sense. I imagine that at times the roofs would get ridiculously close together, eliminating the need for the fire to jump very much at all. Yikes.

    • @bunnywarren
      @bunnywarren 7 років тому +239

      It also causes a reduction in air movement and could make foul smells linger on the streets, especially when they were used as an open sewer.

    • @exomancer3632
      @exomancer3632 7 років тому +182

      It'd be great for any thieves looking to jump from roof to roof to cross the city.

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 7 років тому +105

      Some cities had a new-cobble-stone street every few years, since the dirt piled up and no-one bothered to remove it. In other places it was thrown over the city wall until it became a rampart...
      You have no idea how bad it must have smelled: excretion, animals, food-waste, moldy stuff (old hay, wood and leather pieces)...

    • @quentinbean348
      @quentinbean348 7 років тому +165

      Its also why town squares were so popular, because that was the only place someone could experience sunlight.

  • @Mariofan7
    @Mariofan7 7 років тому +300

    You know content is good when you didn't know you wanted it. Thanks for the video

    • @Rai2M
      @Rai2M 7 років тому +14

      ... and watched all of it :) Yes :)

    • @DanteYewToob
      @DanteYewToob 6 років тому

      Nah, you know it's good when you look down and realize... "damn that was almost 20 minutes?" And wish it was longer..

  • @makaipost260
    @makaipost260 7 років тому +1992

    I have absolutely no idea why or how this popped up in my recommended videos, but I'm glad it did. I actually learned something.

    • @MrEzilkannan
      @MrEzilkannan 7 років тому +4

      Same here, lol

    • @Phataku
      @Phataku 7 років тому +15

      Same for me. I don't usually watch architecture videos. Don't know why this was recommended, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. You have my sub, Sir.

    • @BC3012
      @BC3012 7 років тому

      Same

    • @dennismendoza8904
      @dennismendoza8904 7 років тому +3

      Same here. Probably because I was watching GOT-related videos. I'm not complaining though.

    • @bhalgrumtahnuehuk3722
      @bhalgrumtahnuehuk3722 7 років тому +5

      same here but i subscribed quickly :)

  • @stellayates4227
    @stellayates4227 5 років тому +19

    I was informed by a structural engineer that the overhang was designed to let water run off the buildings and protect it. Such buildings do not have gutters or a gully but this system worked well as an alternative.

  • @Jaabo37
    @Jaabo37 7 років тому +387

    I liked the point about using physics to reduce the sagging of the beams.

  • @joshkbai
    @joshkbai 7 років тому +49

    This video made me realize just how beautiful medieval houses looked. Thank you, Shad, for teaching me something today. :D

  • @Larry
    @Larry 6 років тому +2392

    I thought it was because they shit out of windows

    • @stevenelson9220
      @stevenelson9220 6 років тому +70

      Goddamn Larry you're everywhere lol

    • @godofcrap42
      @godofcrap42 6 років тому +163

      No- they shat through the machiculations

    • @lanasmith4795
      @lanasmith4795 6 років тому +61

      GoDoFcRaP42 typically on invading foreigners trying to steal your Castle

    • @jessicak352
      @jessicak352 6 років тому +78

      As a Dane I would def shite out me window if. say a swede attacked me walls.

    • @byronp2311
      @byronp2311 6 років тому +213

      They were more civilized than that. They shat and pissed in chamber pots and threw THAT out the window.

  • @ken481959
    @ken481959 5 років тому +54

    Having the upper floor overhang the lower wall is first and foremost a physics issue. It directs the stresses evenly downward through the wall into the ground, rather than placing a sideways force on the wall.
    Also, having this overhang tends to protect the top of the wall from the elements, keeping rain from entering the structure through the top juncture of the floor and the wall. This was important during the development of mortar and more modern joining techniques.

    • @annwachter5985
      @annwachter5985 4 роки тому +4

      Your two answers are the best of many good reasons: when the foundation erodes so goes the roof.

  • @ILUSTRADO-t5q
    @ILUSTRADO-t5q 3 роки тому +79

    "I just thought that it would look cool"
    - medieval architect

    • @d-emprahexpects
      @d-emprahexpects 3 роки тому +5

      "plus, you can shit from your window"
      - the same medieval architect

  • @MisterSoul99
    @MisterSoul99 7 років тому +406

    Other bonuses are, it creates larger overhang diverting rain run off farther away from foundation and doorways, windows. Also in timber frame construction, corners especially end up with a lot of material removed for joinery, jettison helps minimize joints all in the same place. IT creates covering around perimeters like a porch with haiving to build one.

    • @brasschick4214
      @brasschick4214 7 років тому +12

      MisterSoul99 - Agreed, no gutters and downpipes either.

    • @MrBeautrix
      @MrBeautrix 7 років тому +25

      This. And the same applies to castles, which, of course, were generally covered in plaster and whitewash, not bare stone. When you make an immense effort to build something like a castle, you wouldn't want it to start crumbling and looking like a ruin in your lifetime, due to the mortar in the joints being washed and eroded away. Plus, a smooth wall is much harder to assaut than a bare stone wall, which is basically a climbing course. The overhang, minute as it may be, acts to divert the rain from the upper sections of the wall, which were the hardest to repair, for obvious reasons. This has been done throughout history and still today, though we usually resort to zinc to cap off walls, at least in Portugal. Well, my two cents.

    • @yetanotherperson6436
      @yetanotherperson6436 7 років тому +5

      I don't know if you are right but I suspect you are. I lived in a 15th-16th century house that had some walls made of wattle and daub or lime or something like that and the walls were always wet in the winter. The walls were not jettied, so there was an obvious problem, that would have been seen and dealt with somehow.

    • @bernieleenercranz9046
      @bernieleenercranz9046 7 років тому

      That's what I was thinking. *thumbs up*

    • @janpospisilm
      @janpospisilm 7 років тому +8

      This was also my guess. When water can get directly to your foundation. Walls start to lean outwards as a consequence to wet ground outside and dry ground inside. Protection of foundations of such old buildings (no concrete) from water has major stabilizing effects. Also there are some convenience benefits, you have a rain protected passage to a nearby toilet and you can hang and dry crops.

  • @jamcalx
    @jamcalx 7 років тому +257

    It's to help keep hormone driven teen from climbing in and out of your house!

    • @Noone-rc9wf
      @Noone-rc9wf 7 років тому +69

      JamcalX Overhangs: Stopping your neighbours from defiling your daughters since the 10th Century A.D!

    • @JonatasAdoM
      @JonatasAdoM 7 років тому +32

      Nah it's clearly a templar design to stop assassins from climbing the wall to the roof.

    • @Strawberry92fs
      @Strawberry92fs 7 років тому +22

      and those damn minecraft spiders!

    • @CAepicreviews
      @CAepicreviews 7 років тому +8

      Also stopping invading Saracens from climbing in and defiling you and your daughters, since the 7th Century AD

    • @Just_A_Dude
      @Just_A_Dude 7 років тому +4

      Great, now I'm planning Minecraft ramparts. 2-3 blocks thick with stone fences 'floating' a block off the edge, extending one down every so often to give it a proper corbel-y look. Just have to grab a mod that lets you do stone-brick walls. Only question is the spacing on the corbels.

  • @Dyvinell
    @Dyvinell 5 років тому +28

    Shad, seriously, why the heck did i not get lucky enough to have you be my history teacher in school. I sucked at history and it was one of my worst subjects. But tbh i already learn more from your vids than i ever did in history class all my years of school. And you make it more entertaining to listen to as well

  • @eskurian8565
    @eskurian8565 6 років тому +909

    Okay, if you have no patience for the first half of the video:
    Reason 1: when you build a first floor on a (usually stone) foundation, you might as well have the floor beams overhang a bit to maximize floor space.
    Reason 2: the physics where the weight on the outer edges of these beams counteract sagging in the middle of the beam.
    Reason 3: design choice

    • @johntunney1864
      @johntunney1864 6 років тому +22

      This comment is underappreciated and im good on watching the commercials.

    • @k1llwizzy
      @k1llwizzy 6 років тому +8

      2 seems like only reason thus was done, people in the 1500s didnt care how stuff looked.
      building the upper layer smaller makes the beams bend, bend beams don't only apply downward force, but also outwards, making your building collapse.

    • @maxmagnus777
      @maxmagnus777 6 років тому +4

      u r the boss

    • @davidvondoom2853
      @davidvondoom2853 6 років тому +25

      Reason 4: Cost of materials. Stone first floors being more expensive than the upper wooden floors. (Ground floors being stone, to avoid wood rot)
      Reason 5: Ground floor zoning issues.

    • @jz400
      @jz400 6 років тому +1

      Nick Koiter yet it looks cool now when you are stuck with High Ranches and odd shaped modern houses that look like crap.

  • @Meroveck
    @Meroveck 7 років тому +15

    Just found your channel and I have been obsessed with Knights and Medieval history my whole life. I wish we could live in a world that looked a bit more medieval. (I'll still keep my showers and luxuries, but still). Thanks for all you do!

  • @Otiosus95
    @Otiosus95 7 років тому +368

    I live in germany and here in my local town you jettyed because u only paid taxes for the bottom floor. that is atleast the information i got from the local museum.

    • @hankrearden20
      @hankrearden20 7 років тому +8

      vegard herøy Possibly. Here in the States I've heard something similar, but in regards to the width of a house. So in some older cities houses are long but thin.

    • @haraldhermann6723
      @haraldhermann6723 7 років тому +14

      The same pattern or modifications of it can be found all around europe in older settlements. Either be it long houses or several houses build in a row . The most plausibel explanation is that in medival cities , the main reason for taxation was the bulding and maintaining of citiywalls, while in more rural aereas the main reason for community taxes was the building an maintanining of road, so a taxation of either space or roadlength your building or property takes make perfect sence. What strenghents the hypothesis in my opinion is the fact that this style of building was mostly discontinued after citywalls became more and more obsolet and gouverment became more and more centralized. But that doesn't disprove that it might be a fasion thing too.

    • @ColonelSandersLite
      @ColonelSandersLite 7 років тому +2

      +vegard herøy
      That sounds like myth to me. Broadly similar to the bakers dozen myth in the english speaking world.
      Why? Because it's not even remotely a Germanic phenomenon and it's unlikely that such a specific tax system with such a specific loophole would be that common throughout Europe. It also doesn't explain why you would go to the effort in a situation where you own more than just the land that the structure is sitting on.

    • @Otiosus95
      @Otiosus95 7 років тому +11

      why would it have to be a germanic phenomenon? "germany" at the time was also so extremely decentralized,as was most of europe. And with the state of the european states and the lack of unity when it comes to laws, why would it not be a common loophole?
      The last part of your comment i do not quite understand, idk if it is my lack of understanding of the english language or your formulation, but could u please expand on it so i can perhaps give you a more detailed response?

    • @ColonelSandersLite
      @ColonelSandersLite 7 років тому +5

      You're looking at it backwards. For that specific loophole to exist in so many places, tax laws would have to be nearly identical in all those places. That is unlikely specifically because of the extreme decentralization.
      For the last part, I guess maybe there is a language/cultural barrier there that would need some explanation.
      A dozen is 12. A bakers dozen is 13. The myth goes: This comes from an old English fraud law with a very harsh penalty. To ensure that they complied with the law, bakers would include an extra muffin/biscuit/whatever. The problem is that it's not something exclusive to England. Other cultures also traditionally commonly sell baked goods in multiples of 13. The real reason for this one probably has to do with the layout of baked goods on a rectangular pan.

  • @darklordauron
    @darklordauron 3 роки тому +17

    I always assumed one of the reasons for the very small overhang on castles was rain and snow. When you have a slight extension on an otherwise uncovered wall, all the rain and snow is going to drip off that extension instead of down the entire wall, thus keeping the erosion of the overall wall reduced. In turn, it is cheaper to reface and repair just the crenelations of the wall rather than the entire wall.

  • @thatrealba
    @thatrealba 6 років тому +778

    Maybe they played Minecraft and wanted to keep spiders out....

    • @Judasziege
      @Judasziege 6 років тому +22

      I was just about to write about my Minecraft anti-spider fortifications. :D

    • @monsieurouxx
      @monsieurouxx 6 років тому +19

      Well I haven't seen the entire video yet, but preventing rats from climbing was another reason.

    • @zacharyhandy9606
      @zacharyhandy9606 6 років тому +1

      good thought, although did they have minecraft

    • @kanders7391
      @kanders7391 6 років тому +12

      Everyone knows its half slabs around the edges that keeps spiders from climbing up and over.

    • @aarongoyvaerts438
      @aarongoyvaerts438 6 років тому +1

      Thank you. you made my day netter😂

  • @thattheresagirl
    @thattheresagirl 7 років тому +874

    I never realized I would find medieval upper floor overhangs so interesting! And everyone who watched this now has a new favorite word.

  • @jaykay5369
    @jaykay5369 7 років тому +292

    Interesting reasons, but wrong for the UK at least! This style of timber property was used as a work-around for land-tax.
    A property was taxed on its ground-floor footprint - this enabled larger properties (tall & with jetties) to exist with a lower tax.
    Another example of this in UK architecture is a 'Tax Window' - a window that has been bricked up to save on a window tax that existed in the 17-19th Centuries in Western Europe.
    Your other points may have merit, but the key reason for Tudor-age properties of this style is the Tax reason!

    • @thrand6760
      @thrand6760 7 років тому +28

      Jasem Kashani except the viking settlers were doing it in york, it was done by the Norman settlers, pretty sure Romans also did it in some cases... it was being done long before the tudors despite your reason being why the style became more popular

    • @abstractpoet8977
      @abstractpoet8977 7 років тому +9

      This is the explanation I heard when I went to Germany.

    • @tototata6729
      @tototata6729 7 років тому +11

      In France, I was told in school that the reason was taxes related as well. Don't know the reason why viking could have done it in York, but the Norman probably did it because they were French

    • @MrMischelito
      @MrMischelito 7 років тому +3

      yes, I also wondered why he didn't get to that (about tax).
      also for the castles he didn't get to the point why it was not a problem defensively if the battlement was extended outward without the use of machicolations.

    • @flatbastard9645
      @flatbastard9645 7 років тому +5

      I remember hearing a similar explanation about A-frame style houses.
      Supposedly, at one point, a tax was put on walls, so people started building houses with as much roof as possible to save money.
      Might be bullshit though, I haven't read into it much.

  • @cloudstrife3083
    @cloudstrife3083 4 роки тому +26

    I was waiting for him to tell us jettying on stone is: MACHICOLATION!!

  • @brungrisatre5968
    @brungrisatre5968 7 років тому +752

    Why do medieval buildings overhang their lower floors? BECAUSE DRAGONS, THAT'S WHY!!!

    • @Rwnds7967
      @Rwnds7967 7 років тому +59

      but, WHAT ABOUT DRAG- oh.. never mind.

    • @incendere244
      @incendere244 7 років тому +4

      Ohhhhhoh
      Oh
      oh
      i hate you

    • @Whitpusmc
      @Whitpusmc 7 років тому +7

      Brun Grisâtre No, because the Katana is the best sword ever!!

    • @sieglindehochroth322
      @sieglindehochroth322 7 років тому +6

      WHAT????
      In Medievil Times, Dragons were a serial Issue in Germany.
      Thats, why people call that Time "Evil"...
      Although, in that Time they named the Dragons "Inquisition"...
      No Scales, but killing with Fire...
      Now, the Dragons are still alive...
      Someones very well fed in Rome and someones, very hungry in the Middle East...
      But Dragons will be still Dragons... Where is the Stormborn to tame them?

    • @planpitz4190
      @planpitz4190 7 років тому

      "Did you forget to take your meds? " Placebo

  • @_pulyx
    @_pulyx 7 років тому +77

    I got here totally by accident. But i'm glad i did. I learned something today. Thank you!

  • @I3R0K3N7FEET
    @I3R0K3N7FEET 7 років тому +167

    You missed a point, during the time there was a land tax which applied to the footprint of the building, but didn't apply to the upper floors.

    • @smartalek180
      @smartalek180 7 років тому +2

      Saw that coming.
      Much like the varying taxes assessed on windows in different eras.

    • @pinchman1167
      @pinchman1167 7 років тому +3

      it might also make it so rodents and other pests couldn't climb up the walls.

    • @pinchman1167
      @pinchman1167 7 років тому

      soundspark not when their completely upside down on the over hang.

    • @krankarvolund7771
      @krankarvolund7771 7 років тому +2

      And those taxes on windows led to walled windows to don't pay taxes :D

    • @krankarvolund7771
      @krankarvolund7771 7 років тому

      Are you sure of this? Because, based on the little I know of today Greece, there is more chance that the house isn't finished cause of the lack of money of the owner than a will of flood taxes. Because Greeks had a big economic crisis, and a very bad taxes system ^^'

  • @dion789
    @dion789 3 роки тому +10

    I agree it looks brilliant. I'm from the Netherlands and we have our own style of medieval buildings, but nothing compares to British cottages surrounded by quaint pubs and shops and beautiful hills outside the villages.

  • @Zizzily
    @Zizzily 7 років тому +836

    Plus, with jettying, you have the benefit that if you pour your chamber pot out of the window, it won't land on the person looking out the window downstairs. =P

    • @phallus36
      @phallus36 7 років тому +107

      for some reason that's the first thing I thought of, and you don't get the walls below all poopy

    • @JosephHF
      @JosephHF 7 років тому +18

      +phallus36 Yeah, me too, in fact, while the wet-rotting factor is undoubtedly sound, I still believe that chamber pots are likely the primary driving factor. Perhaps a comprehensive art historical study of medieval paintings could reveal the pedestrian walking patterns most common in that period. I myself would not tend to stray too far from any building's foundation, whether due to the soft rotting caused by rainfall, or the possibility of hard waste raining down from above.

    • @squamish4244
      @squamish4244 7 років тому +14

      I always thought that was the reason, but these reasons are more convincing. That's like a side benefit I guess.

    • @tmd63
      @tmd63 7 років тому +12

      There were also toilets on the upper floors which were just a hole in the overhang. So you just sit on the hole and release your waste straight into the street.

    • @ewthmatth
      @ewthmatth 7 років тому +2

      Zzyzx Wolfe Ha! But you won't be able to see if someone is standing outside right under the overhang O_O

  • @benn2507
    @benn2507 7 років тому +517

    me: I will go to sleep
    me two seconds later: ooh shad uploaded a new video!

    • @Noone-rc9wf
      @Noone-rc9wf 7 років тому +13

      Ben Nipius Me: Oh, scrolling through UA-cam recommended videos... nothing good to watch... *sigh*
      AND THEN...
      NOTIFICATION
      *insert Latin angelical singing*

    • @littleman749
      @littleman749 7 років тому +3

      It's 5:30 pm for me when he uploaded. I'll go to bed later, and not lose sleep :D

    • @xander1052
      @xander1052 7 років тому +6

      Yep me too, and now I want a castle like house with Machicolations, so I can shoot people with a musket who are sieging said Castle of mine. 11:30 here.

    • @sephyrias883
      @sephyrias883 7 років тому +2

      +Nothing.
      Lacrimosa Dies Illa Qua Resurget Ex Favilla Judicandus Homo Reus
      Lacrimosa Dies Illa Qua Resurget Ex Favilla Judicandus Homo Reus

    • @alyzz9863
      @alyzz9863 7 років тому +2

      He always uploads around 1 pm (east Europe). And I have to watch it each time!

  • @RabbitTeaPot
    @RabbitTeaPot 6 років тому +320

    Well...I still prefer my theory! It’s so when you’re throwing your poop out onto the street it don’t hit your house wall lol
    Great video though! Very informative.

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 5 років тому +30

      it also helps keep stains from developing if you use the ol' "lean yur ass out the window" pooping strategy.

    • @CraigLeeHill
      @CraigLeeHill 5 років тому +9

      I agree... any medivil street would have a gutter (Sewer as with the Romans) running down the centre and throwing out of the window your PissPot in the morning was quite normal. If you were a Time travelor you would not have to put up with stink because of the STENCH!

    • @kathymayes4290
      @kathymayes4290 5 років тому

      @Craig Hill: I just asked if anyone had mentioned that! Totally agree.

    • @terriemartinez9989
      @terriemartinez9989 5 років тому +10

      It is because of the poop in the streets that people created high heeled/soled shoes. Also, usually the bottom ruffle on the ladies dressese were brown/black or dark blue for the poop reason too. Urine they saved in pots outside their doors for the tanners.

    • @NoCoverCharge
      @NoCoverCharge 5 років тому +5

      That was my conclusion as well ....bring out your dead?!!

  • @stevethepirate2875
    @stevethepirate2875 5 років тому +81

    Hobbit holes. Pros vs Cons of a underground house in medieval times.

    • @TheEdM3
      @TheEdM3 5 років тому +6

      Can you imagine raw timber against all of that humidity?

    • @MonkeyJedi99
      @MonkeyJedi99 5 років тому +12

      Pros: temperature control, maximizing the use of your grazing land, security. cons: moisture (can be mitigated by contouring and construction methods), few windows/poor indoor light (can be mitigated by directionality of the outer wall). - Underground/hillside houses were even built during the westward expansion of America.

    • @aleksanderamundsen6697
      @aleksanderamundsen6697 4 роки тому +1

      Flooding would be fun.. 😂

    • @demoncet1998
      @demoncet1998 4 роки тому +5

      @@MonkeyJedi99 they were commonly called sod houses and were used for the first few years, while the actual house was being built. they were then used most often for storage or shelter for livestock.

  • @stephenfestus9268
    @stephenfestus9268 7 років тому +59

    Excellent video. How form followed function, and ended up as fashion.

  • @hector_2999
    @hector_2999 7 років тому +153

    Many an archer of the Night's Watch died due to The Wall's lack of machicolatioooons!

    • @puppetmasterey
      @puppetmasterey 7 років тому +2

      Luis Héctor Parra DeLaRoche please elaborate. a man must know

    • @puppetmasterey
      @puppetmasterey 7 років тому

      Luis Héctor Parra DeLaRoche please elaborate. a man must know

    • @hector_2999
      @hector_2999 7 років тому +30

      Joey Frye During Mance Rayder's massive assault on The Wall, archers had to expose themselves to shoot a enemies that were too close to the structure. This is most evident when they want to repel the climbers, they had to be set perpendicular to the face of The Wall using ropes. Had there been any machicolatioooons, perhaps they could have killed Mag The Mighty, and Grenn would still be alive. But now his watch has ended...

    • @puppetmasterey
      @puppetmasterey 7 років тому

      green is alive in the books.

    • @lolmandos
      @lolmandos 7 років тому +9

      "We don't need no fancy machicoolatchions if we have a big ass blade that sweeps the wall against climbers!"

  • @mykulpierce
    @mykulpierce 7 років тому +162

    I do it in Minecraft to keep the spiders out

    • @JoshSideris
      @JoshSideris 7 років тому +9

      That's ingenious.

    • @matthewmorrison3745
      @matthewmorrison3745 7 років тому

      Or, you could just make sure your roof overhangs

    • @Stribog1337
      @Stribog1337 6 років тому

      Spiders cant climb cellar-type flat surfaces?

    • @Beastro777
      @Beastro777 4 роки тому

      @@Stribog1337 your a year late on that one bud, just like I am lol

  • @ZoeLycan
    @ZoeLycan 3 роки тому +6

    old video I know, but I've always mimic/recreated this medieval house style when playing minecraft, both in creative and survival, even if it takes longer, it just looks so nice!
    Another reason I think they did it this way, is because the lower section, was usually used or storage and tools, or working tables outside, so it ALSO provides shadow on sunny days and cover on rainy days. Stone walls also give a small lv. of defense by having the "living floor" lower and not at ground Lv. (same in minecraft. except it provides shadow (hiding) for zombies or skeletons.

  • @HallowqueenCrafting
    @HallowqueenCrafting 7 років тому +61

    Funny - I had three predictions as to why this would be and you touched on none of them. 1) Defensively I figured having extended ramparts would make it more difficult to have people trying to scale the walls, maybe not with ladders, but for sure with ropes. 2) chamber pots. Having an extension means if someone on the third and the second floor are chucking out their night soil at the same time, they're far less likely to dump it on one another. 3) taxes - if you're taxed on square footage of your house, having a smaller bottom floor might result in less taxes, particularly in cities. The reasons you cited make a lot of sense, don't get me wrong, but I found myself amused that I was sure I'd know the reason and not so much.

    • @iamedbytes
      @iamedbytes 7 років тому +6

      MrsRCharlton : In Holland they had narrow houses. There was a large beam and a pulley system on the top floor. The inner stairways were too narrow to bring furniture up. You open large doors on each floor and winch your furniture up the outside.

    • @jlk103144
      @jlk103144 7 років тому +19

      MrsRCharlton, I am so happy that someone was able to actually state some of the reasons. Fortunately my "Ancient Civ/Middle Ages professor mentioned them. Taxes was the main reason, because a house was taxed on the ground space it was using. And secondly, getting rid of sewage was another huge reason. People never walked in the middle of the street because that was where all the manure/urine was thrown out into the streets. And having an overhang allowed pedestrians walk close to the building and not have all that crap land on to them. All it would take is for someone to throw manure on a noble only to have same noble kick the door down and cut off your head.
      Incidentally, this is where the tradition of lower rank walking on the left of higher rank originated. Walking on the right side of the street, the highest ranking person was able to walk under the overhand. The lower ranks were more exposed because they occupied the left. That's why today, the enlisted soldier walks to the left of the sergeant, who walks to the left of the captain, who walks to the left of the colonel.

    • @MrDrawingattention
      @MrDrawingattention 7 років тому +3

      MrsRCharlton I always thought it was to prevent scaling as well. But I've only watched GOT and LOTR so I'm biased.

    • @sharonsloan
      @sharonsloan 7 років тому +4

      My first thought was the contents of chamber pots were chucked out the window, so overhangs were needed. Second thought was tax on land used.

    • @WiigWiig
      @WiigWiig 7 років тому +1

      That was what I thought as well, about the scaling. But look at the actual castles, they're almost all less than a couple feet out. That doesn't really make it any more difficult to scale with rope. But, the machicolations would make it very easy for defenders to fuck you up while you're scaling, so there's that.

  • @teambrink748
    @teambrink748 7 років тому +4

    Quality upload Shad I had never thought about that and the animations were really well done!

  • @protator
    @protator 6 років тому +63

    In most cities taxes depended on the size of the ground floor. The overhanging roofs also kept some of the rain away from the stressed lower walls.
    You could build the upper floors with as much overhang as you wanted, so long as carriages and knights on horseback were able pass through. That's why often a second floor had even more overhang than the first.
    And it's not illogical that tax laws were so similar throu out northern europe. They needed a simple and easy to enforce tax system. And the wealthy people, the only ones who could afford houses in the city centre, wouldn't have liked tax officers walking through their houses measuring the size of their bedrooms.
    That's also why many smartass local lords tried to counter that loophole with additional taxes, like taxes on the number of doors to the side alleys, the number of windows facing the main street etc.
    Stuff a small number of not too smart city officals could put onto paper without even being noticed by the house owners.
    There weren't many non-violent ways for the aristocrats to make money so they copied what others did.

    • @geekinutopia5899
      @geekinutopia5899 5 років тому

      There weren't many nonviolent ways for the lords and royalty to make money because might meant right in the medieval period. That was an extremely violent time, hence why towns, castles and mansions had to be fortified.

  • @wolfegaming36
    @wolfegaming36 4 роки тому +16

    Such a great video! I used this technique on my farm house in Minecraft, using a very similar layout with stone on the first floor and wood on the second floor with a slight overhang. Of course I didn't know what I was doing or why it worked, my building was based on some other Minecraft houses I'd seen, but it's really cool hearing why jettying works and why it was used historically. Great stuff, I always think of you as "the sword guy" but I really enjoy this kind of historical study. 👍🏻

    • @johnshite4656
      @johnshite4656 2 роки тому +1

      Me reading your comment:
      you: " I used this technique on my farm house..."
      me: "Cool!"
      you: "...in Minecraft..."
      me: "Oh......."

  • @concibar4267
    @concibar4267 7 років тому +44

    Might Jettying be inspired by battlements? "Look we got this cool castly stuff on our house."

    • @eldorados_lost_searcher
      @eldorados_lost_searcher 7 років тому +1

      Jan Plewa
      Or possibly the other way around?

    • @Kaumoo
      @Kaumoo 7 років тому +52

      +Garret LeBuis "oh look I got this normal house shit on my epic castle"

    • @nathanoconnor421
      @nathanoconnor421 7 років тому +1

      +Kaumoo 😂😂😂😂😂

  • @fep_ptcp883
    @fep_ptcp883 6 років тому +53

    in AOE2, if you don't research "murder holes", your towers and castles can't shoot arrows at enemies who are attacking in close range. Now I learned better.

    • @codingpikachu3333
      @codingpikachu3333 6 років тому +8

      Machicolations, are LITERALLY murder holes, if you think about it haha!

    • @DaddyMouse
      @DaddyMouse 6 років тому +7

      Unless you play the Teutons, then you get murder holes for free c:

    • @FurnitureFan
      @FurnitureFan 6 років тому

      They did build out, on cantilevered platforms. I thought that's what the holes were for.

  • @TheBolondron
    @TheBolondron 7 років тому +671

    You know I saw this on my recommendations and just stared at the title for a bit and then I went, you know, that's a good fucking question! :/ And then I clicked. So good job.

    • @robi4544
      @robi4544 7 років тому +7

      I did the same thing

    •  7 років тому +2

      So dumb. How did you not learn this in school, when you were 6 years old?

    • @luciusavenus8715
      @luciusavenus8715 7 років тому +3

      Not ev.ery.b.ody is an it.chy ro.bot

    • @solarnaut
      @solarnaut 7 років тому +1

      Suuucker!!! Ha Haaa... Huh? what, me...? errr... uuum..oh, yah, same, I guess. oops! Some click-bait is worth eating! ;-) I wish you could see the thumbs up/ thumbs down ratio prior to clicking... good stuff tends to have a 10:1 ratio or better, though 100:1 is quite rare. Lots of rancid clickbait is 2:1 or less ... but, too, political divide skews many votes... we need Machicolations to keep away those Machicolatioooons Deniers!

    • @KatsPurr
      @KatsPurr 7 років тому

      Me too!

  • @livinglifeoutdoorstv6550
    @livinglifeoutdoorstv6550 5 років тому +19

    I thought the lack of indoor plumbing might have to do with it.
    Dumping the pot out the window and not hitting the floor below... priceless

    • @d-emprahexpects
      @d-emprahexpects 3 роки тому

      Absolutely agree!! Plus if you're poor (think Monty Pithons paesants) and own no buckets, you could just overhang the butt outside and go on with morning rites. Fantastic 👍

    • @reinerzufall2192
      @reinerzufall2192 3 роки тому

      I don't think that was common Practice. I mean they had gong farmers.

  • @puppetmasterey
    @puppetmasterey 7 років тому +88

    I literally use like half of your videos to win arguments with people. your awesome. keep up the good work.

    • @PrometheusXV
      @PrometheusXV 7 років тому +6

      Wanna know an argument you won't win? WRONG "YOUR".

    • @puppetmasterey
      @puppetmasterey 7 років тому +1

      what?

    • @puppetmasterey
      @puppetmasterey 7 років тому

      and I love your videos shad

    • @Just_A_Dude
      @Just_A_Dude 7 років тому +4

      Joey Frye, Wolf Blade is being a grammar nazi. You said "your awesome." "Your" indicates possession, as in "Your name is Joey Frye" You wanted to say "You're awesome." "You're" is a contraction of "you are," used to indicate a quality or action. "You are awesome." "You are reading this comment."

    • @PrometheusXV
      @PrometheusXV 7 років тому +10

      Sir, I'm a grammar communist, I have 0 affiliation with the German National Workers Party

  • @ya64
    @ya64 7 років тому +141

    I didn't knew that medieval architecture could be so interesting.

    • @OpenGL4ever
      @OpenGL4ever 7 років тому +3

      These overhangs help to prevent spider zombies from climbing over your fortress. That's why they were made.

    • @JorgetePanete
      @JorgetePanete 7 років тому

      nelmaven know*

    • @JorgetePanete
      @JorgetePanete 7 років тому

      OpenGL4ever well, in minecraft that works

    • @kingtoruk
      @kingtoruk 6 років тому

      Medieval architecture is fascinating! I especially enjoy the dichotomy between the overhanging ‘jettying’ of upper stories in western architectural development, contrasted with the ziggurat-like decreasing size of upper floors in more primitive stone-only construction techniques.

  • @cleetussmith6652
    @cleetussmith6652 7 років тому +109

    Curious. I took a class many decades ago that covered in part medieval architecture and they explained this jettying style on taxes differently. Since buildings were taxed on the basis of their square footage on the ground level, many built the ground floor as small as possible to reduce their taxes. The upper floors could then be expanded upon without increasing their taxes.

    • @kewlnes987
      @kewlnes987 6 років тому +2

      Cleetus Smith interesting, thanks for sharing!

    • @mdlatham7
      @mdlatham7 6 років тому

      Well you would be right. =)

    • @Bird_Dog00
      @Bird_Dog00 6 років тому +6

      I thought that may be a reason, but I would also have asumed that who ever was calling the shots would have amended the tax law pretty quickly to plug that loophole.

    • @TheDantheman12121
      @TheDantheman12121 6 років тому +1

      If this was the actual reason would it not be better to actually build slightly smaller but more floors (smaller for stability), I am geuinely asking

    • @cleetussmith6652
      @cleetussmith6652 6 років тому

      I have no clue. I know nothing about architecture, buildings, or anything remotely close. However, I would wager the poeple of the time weren't building design geniuses either.

  • @stephendeboer7242
    @stephendeboer7242 4 роки тому +7

    Hi! Thanks for your great work! In France, the lower part of the building was less big because the taxes the owner had to pay were based on the size of the footprint (on the size of the lower part), so by having a small lower part they paid less taxes.

  • @AtomicF0x
    @AtomicF0x 7 років тому +259

    I never bothered to learn about such a seemingly insignificant detail...
    ...but now I need more.

    • @marcamant7258
      @marcamant7258 6 років тому

      Some bother. And they build and grow KNOWLEDGE.

    • @seandetente1817
      @seandetente1817 6 років тому +5

      Another “insignificant detail” is why all these castles even exist. I learned about it growing up, but saying anything bad about Muslim invaders is racist today!

    • @Depipro
      @Depipro 6 років тому +3

      As if everyone who needed to be defended against were Muslim... As if Muslim rulers didn't face the same issues against Crusaders and the like...
      It's not a religion-specific thing, it's a human thing.

    • @charlesdjones1
      @charlesdjones1 6 років тому

      .. Driving us further back into medieval times.

    • @Graestra
      @Graestra 6 років тому +1

      Depipro I get your point, but it differs based on time period. The muslim empire was huge and was made through aggressive expansionism with a holy war. In the 8th century they ruled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indus river despite having originated from just a small part of the Arabian Peninsula.
      The first crusade was started because the Byzantine Emperor asked for aid against the Seljuk Turks that they had lost a lot of territory to, and the Pope turned it into a movement to recapture the Holy Land that was originally lost to the Islamic expansion back in the 7th century.

  • @CyFr
    @CyFr 6 років тому +18

    About the jetting on rural area... The biggest concern I would have is constant or consistent mud from the rain outside. There's also a Canadian study on roofing where roofs that extend by at least 2 feet reduce the weathering of the wall below.

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 5 років тому +1

      it's especially usefull back before reliable rain jackets or umbrellas. People would often stand around under the eaves of houses during the rain and also reudces weathering on the walls. That also helps reduces leaks, cracks, etc. in the walls by directing rain

    • @tristanellis-mascoll1171
      @tristanellis-mascoll1171 3 роки тому

      @@arthas640
      You seem to have a misconceiption that they had reliable raincoats back in the ancient days (even before medieval times).
      Our modern "wax jacket" is based on that concept, and this is nothing the people back then would have not used.
      So the argument about clothing and accessories that offer protection against rain, are invalid. (but the rest is true)

    • @Mezza
      @Mezza 3 роки тому

      @@tristanellis-mascoll1171 just look at wool, if it is lanolised (lanolin applied to the wool garment) it becomes pretty waterproof but still breathable

    • @tristanellis-mascoll1171
      @tristanellis-mascoll1171 3 роки тому

      @@Mezza
      I think I have a typo in my statement.
      The first sentence is missing a "did not", since I am referring to wax jackets as rainproved options that are long known.
      Also I am talking about misconceiption.
      This would not apply in contradiction to the statement of Arthas Menethil, if I would agree with him.
      But thanks for telling me the other options that would have been used back in medieval times.

    • @Mezza
      @Mezza 3 роки тому

      @@tristanellis-mascoll1171 I was agreeing with you (I didn’t see the typo, and read it as you meant) I was just adding to your comment. People seem to think that people just walked around in the rain with no way of keeping themselves dry which was extremely important as they didn’t have many changes of clothing.

  • @philspaces7213
    @philspaces7213 7 років тому +194

    I honesty thought it was so when you dumped things out your window, it wouldn't end up leaking down the lower levels of your house...

    • @bus6292
      @bus6292 7 років тому +14

      +Phil Spaces That's exactly what I thought - that it was so people wouldn't drench their children with turds and pee ...just random passersby, hahahaha

    • @MrDannyDetail
      @MrDannyDetail 7 років тому +4

      Pretty sure that reason is one of the main reasons for overhangs on medieval buildings. There is even a scene in Blackadder II where he is trying to sell his house and goes to great lengths to use long estate agent like words to describe the lavatorial overhang..... to which his prospective buyer matter of factly responds "you poop out the window?", the joke being that that was exactly what she was looking for.

    • @OrionBlastar
      @OrionBlastar 7 років тому +3

      Chamber pots were used before they got flush toilets. Had to dump it out a window back then into the street.

    • @philspaces7213
      @philspaces7213 7 років тому +7

      If i recall correctly (documentary knowledge) this was carried on for long after just medieval times.... excavation of the streets of NYC shows that this happened historically in cities of America as well. it is truly amazing that even animals wont s#!t where they live and sleep.... leave it to humans

    • @wellesradio
      @wellesradio 7 років тому +1

      That was my first thought, too!

  • @21tryhard97
    @21tryhard97 5 років тому +78

    Please tell me more about this "walking" activity

  • @martynkalendar
    @martynkalendar 7 років тому +170

    Guess before watch:
    It's Because of taxes and that stuff
    Ok, so I was wrong, but in my defense there are swedish records of taxes on houses in cities being based on the ground area of the house.
    Btw, this was probably one of your best videos and I hope you make more content like this.

    • @Charter23682
      @Charter23682 7 років тому +18

      martyn kalendar my guess is, that it is because of the fact, that if you would empty your chamber pots, it woud be good if you didnt cover your neighbours under you with your excrements :D

    • @natashasurvivallady8021
      @natashasurvivallady8021 7 років тому +5

      Rexxaris638 ...this was my guess as well...

    • @Rakadis
      @Rakadis 7 років тому +5

      In Norway, on many old 1800 century-ish, buildings the top floor will look something like that because there was a tax on the number of floors you could have. Complicated rules on first and last floor etc. Look it up if you care. Because now you know it exists...

    • @aussiebloke609
      @aussiebloke609 7 років тому +13

      I seem to recall England once having a tax on the number of windows in a building - and so, the owners would brick the windows up. So the idea of taxing according to the building's footprint isn't as strange as some other ideas. :-)

    • @casimiriii5941
      @casimiriii5941 7 років тому +2

      martyn kalendar you're not wrong, affordability is the right answer and that's the same thing as taxes.

  • @MuchWoW56
    @MuchWoW56 7 років тому +17

    I love this style of architecture as well. When I was in Belgium I got to go to a town where they built the builds as per their original construction, this not only let me see this, but also Victorian and Gothic styled architecture,all next to one another. I was a very interesting trip, the city was also called Zeebrugge for those who are interested.

    • @Lttlemoi
      @Lttlemoi 7 років тому +2

      If you ever have the chance, you should visit Bruges itself, the city of which Zeebrugge is the port. There, large amounts of the original medieval architecture are still preserved and even protected. Many other European cities also still have large parts of their old city center preserved the way they were in (late-)medieval times.

    • @Nerudah
      @Nerudah 7 років тому

      You didn't visit Brugge wtf?

    • @MuchWoW56
      @MuchWoW56 7 років тому

      was only stopping by in Belgium, after spending the day in Zeebrugge, I had to head out to Estonia.

    • @Nerudah
      @Nerudah 7 років тому

      That's a shame. Brugge is one of the most beautiful cities in Western Europe IMHO.

  • @raymondmundt1159
    @raymondmundt1159 6 років тому +255

    I thought that it was so it would be harder to climb up the wall if the wall stuck out as you climbed. That would stop or slow an intruder from climbing in a window in an upper floor.

    • @HabibRKO
      @HabibRKO 6 років тому +15

      Raymond Mundt lol this isn’t assassins creed

    • @micah2455
      @micah2455 6 років тому +49

      Raging Russian Doesn't mean people can't find a way to climb

    • @richardtous1085
      @richardtous1085 6 років тому +17

      I heard the same. that it's sth like ladder protection

    • @johnnyrocket4357
      @johnnyrocket4357 6 років тому +8

      This was the exact same reason I was taught for the higher floors extending over the ground floor. They wouldn't be able to scale the wall if they couldn't reach the wall with their legs once their ropes were secure.

    • @Xenibalt
      @Xenibalt 6 років тому +27

      probably an accidental benefit

  • @Psymon1471
    @Psymon1471 5 років тому +3

    The 'Shambles' in the city of York, UK is a great example of these buildings. Cobbled streets and lots of medieval buildings overhanging onto the streets. Very cool and beautiful architectural style imo. Great vid Shad!

  • @Grumpy_old_Boot
    @Grumpy_old_Boot 6 років тому +42

    @16:20 he says "no functional purpose" about the "visual" machicolations, which isn't entirely true - Well not always at least..
    See, they *sometimes* acted as *_glorified gutters_* - Thus ensuring that the water landed in a spot prepared for it.
    This is important, as rain over decades could undermine your defensive wall, or fancy house !
    Also, it made the water fall just about an inch or two away from the houses walls, thus making seepage less likely.

    • @joshmann2525
      @joshmann2525 6 років тому +2

      Grumpy ol' Boot Agreed. water is hard on structures. Those that endure shed the water from the foundation. Pictures are
      Those that actually survived hundreds of years.

    • @yavrielsechelle7431
      @yavrielsechelle7431 5 років тому

      Exactly what I thought as the primary reason. Everything else he said was just a bit off the mark.

    • @SmallBizLawyer
      @SmallBizLawyer 5 років тому

      I thought water and furniture. Imagine trying to get the parts for a bed or lounging chair to the second or third story up narrow circular stair. Yeesh.

  • @minatonamikaze4819
    @minatonamikaze4819 6 років тому +514

    It's so that the Assassin's could climb up and run on the rooftops to later then jump off and perform an air assassination

    • @umarafsharzadeh2876
      @umarafsharzadeh2876 6 років тому +6

      No it is not no one builds there house to get somebody killed

    • @noahgarcia2438
      @noahgarcia2438 6 років тому +68

      Fatbones Gaming you missed the joke lol

    • @umarafsharzadeh2876
      @umarafsharzadeh2876 6 років тому +1

      Noah Garcia oh ok

    • @CaveyMoth
      @CaveyMoth 6 років тому +34

      It's easier to fit haystacks underneath.

    • @toothless9081
      @toothless9081 6 років тому +25

      We AC players are forever corrupted.

  • @M3rVsT4H
    @M3rVsT4H 7 років тому +122

    Was it not simply because in Elizabethan and Tudor times, property taxes were paid on the amount of ground space a house took up?

    • @LightCrasher
      @LightCrasher 7 років тому +18

      Yeah, taxes was the first reason came to mind before I watched this.

    • @auntjen-jen902
      @auntjen-jen902 7 років тому +8

      This was my first thought and was going to post same comment. How did he not know this???

    • @johannesvonsaaz3987
      @johannesvonsaaz3987 7 років тому

      Aunt Jen-Jen because he an american.

    • @trijigon
      @trijigon 7 років тому +4

      Amenhotep Pimpernel III he's obviously not...

    • @helltheofficialsequel2730
      @helltheofficialsequel2730 7 років тому +2

      He seems pretty American to me.

  • @gingerfreak01
    @gingerfreak01 5 років тому +7

    Recently discovered your stuff Shad, and I've enjoyed everything I've watched, but this is your best imho. Really, really interesting and informative. Cheers mate!

  • @Svet3YT
    @Svet3YT 6 років тому +17

    14:55 That might be maybe usefull for Spilling boiling hot tar/oil on enemys that try to damage/climb the wall. Now I dunno if that was actually done in the medieval age but if - it might explain it.

    • @Jack-mp4dj
      @Jack-mp4dj 3 роки тому +2

      There were dedicated 'murder holes' for that.

  • @LightningDragonGamer
    @LightningDragonGamer 7 років тому +61

    I wish cities were still made with walking distance in mind. I prefer to walk, and it'd be great for the environment.

    • @Wetcorps
      @Wetcorps 7 років тому +15

      To be fair, there are a lot more people around now.

    • @Just_A_Dude
      @Just_A_Dude 7 років тому +9

      More than ten times as many. Literally. Global population in as of April 2017 is estimated at roughly 7.5 billion. The exact decade varies, but all estimates put the global population reaching 750 million sometime in the 1700s.

    • @LightningDragonGamer
      @LightningDragonGamer 7 років тому +2

      so? thats not my fault

    • @AmarothEng
      @AmarothEng 7 років тому +2

      Still, most of houses have very low amount of floors (1-2), cover a lot of space and have as big fenced garden around them as possible, at least whenever you get out of city centers. Walking distance? What is it, we've got all kinds of crap like buses, trams and so on. Who cares that we are fat and get completely exhausted after 3 kilometres of walking.
      Thats why whenever I've got time, I always walk, as long as my destination is within 1 hour of walking distance.

    • @Just_A_Dude
      @Just_A_Dude 7 років тому

      Dev Lightning Dude, I was agreeing with you.

  • @MinedMaker
    @MinedMaker 7 років тому +340

    Him: So what did you do today?
    Me: I watched an 18 minute documentary on why old houses tend to have staggered floor plans.
    Him: Cool.
    Me: Yeah...

    • @omarma7815
      @omarma7815 7 років тому +20

      being an archictecture student this is probably gonna be useful for me in real life

    • @MinedMaker
      @MinedMaker 7 років тому +10

      I am happy for you in that case.

    • @DeathBringer769
      @DeathBringer769 7 років тому +17

      Is this "him" a special someone in your life? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • @vima8680
      @vima8680 7 років тому +1

      land was also expensive then as it is now.

    • @mcgrawnelson4722
      @mcgrawnelson4722 6 років тому

      the land was just as expensive but they had laxer property laws. i think nowadays most countries/citys you are allowed to overhang the street when building a new building.

  • @nicodranasien
    @nicodranasien 5 років тому +4

    As many people have no doubt commented already, at least in London, there was a tax on the amount of room your foundation could take up so eventually people got around that because the space above the first floor didn't have any restrictions on it, taxes speaking. this is why the Great London Fire(s) were so devastating, because they easily jumped from wooden building to wooden building; they were jettied to the high heavens, many were thought to be so close on the third and fourth floors that you could shake your neighbour's hand if you both leaned out your windows.

  • @Uradamus
    @Uradamus 7 років тому +39

    I would imagine weathering may be a big reason why you would add them on castles without the machicolations. It will cause far less water to be running down the side of the walls during storms. This will limit how much rain can damage your castle's finish, probably would limit a lot of the ugly mineral staining streaks going down the walls as well for the same reason. This keeps most of the water from flowing directly down the face of the castle and keeps the bulk of it falling several inches away from it. This also seems to be more common on the inner castle proper as well, where the walls are much taller and it is less practical to be staging defenses from the top, those towers would be more for observation I would imagine. If the enemy has already breached your out walls where the machicolations would be far more useful, then you are already well on your way to being screwed anyhow, heh.

    • @MrMezmerized
      @MrMezmerized 7 років тому +5

      I think weathering wasn't much of a concern with castles, it happened much more slowly back then (no acid rain) and the jettying is so far up. But weatherng was a very big concern with whattle and doub. And of course you can keep your stuff dry if the higher floor(s) hang out far enough, like with the big barn.

    • @ra4yu
      @ra4yu 7 років тому +3

      Was about to write something similar, even in the present a huge amount of the thought and consideration in construction deals with water, rain and drainage. Enclosed walls would no double suffer from water pooling, similar to a gutter you would want to offset the draining from cascading down the wall which outside of the obvious erosion of mortar would lead to dampness problems internally with rock being somewhat porous.

    • @ericfrancis3285
      @ericfrancis3285 7 років тому +2

      I was told once, and I don't even remember where, a version of this. The water is absorbed by the stone, and fills in the hand hewn gaps, making the castle damp inside, when you have the corbels the rain is channeled off the stones, and only the very corners (at the rampart or roof intersection) get wet. Later, the concrete mortar used would be very susceptible to water absorption, as well as disintegration (poor mix/quality of material).
      This would also have the effect of moving the water away from the structure, and although thick castle walls have a foundation, it is just hand cut stone, if only the outer part was to get wet, the outer most stones would sink into the ground faster, causing the walls to crumble/collapse. As far as in the villages, i believe it was likely a result of taxes first, water mitigation second, and proved to be popular after those by the waste disposal part. I also seem to remember the birth of sidewalks was from roman times and a "sanitary measure"

    • @matthewthomas1929
      @matthewthomas1929 7 років тому +2

      Ian S I worked building natural stone walls for a decade, and that's the reason we put overhangs on our walls.

    •  7 років тому

      Man these comments are so ignorant. I heard Americans were dumb, but this is incredible.

  • @MrTimAway
    @MrTimAway 7 років тому +61

    I haven't watched any of your videos before and am not familiar with your channel, but I stumbled upon this one and was pleasantly surprised how interesting and educational it was. That was very enjoyable. I really appreciate the amount of research that you put into this.

    • @Grunchy005
      @Grunchy005 7 років тому +2

      I also liked the groovy chair. I appreciate the ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES especially the spiky chair back which makes life more difficult for back-stabbings.

    • @fig4159
      @fig4159 7 років тому

      The Whalens Ditto, multiplied, for YOUR inane comments on this page.

    • @kaydiers5705
      @kaydiers5705 7 років тому

      What locations are the photos in the first half of the video?

  • @ToryuMau
    @ToryuMau 7 років тому +5

    I've been wondering about this for a decade now.
    It seemed too structurally unsound to make sense, but now that I've hear the counter balance theory behind it, this is making all the sense.
    Oh, and Machicolation.
    Glorious Machicolation.

  • @broberonhealer8452
    @broberonhealer8452 5 років тому +30

    "MACHICOLATIONS!!"
    *Roll credits*

  • @asahearts1
    @asahearts1 7 років тому +4

    Shad, what kind of enchantment can you recommend? Like enchantments for weapons, armor, buildings, clothing, saddles, jewelry, farming tools, masonry tools, pots, pans, writing implements, medical devices, bedding, furniture, signs for inns, milestones, communication devices.....

  • @TheLordsForce
    @TheLordsForce 7 років тому +86

    For the first part (Timber Buildings), my first thought was that they did it because they needed to chuck their chamber pots into the street and they didn't want to be hitting the people below them and getting it in their windows.

    • @raztaz826
      @raztaz826 7 років тому +6

      I was thinking they could cut a hole in a seat by the window and take a dump.

    • @AstralS7orm
      @AstralS7orm 7 років тому +6

      Unsurprisingly enough, that was how it was done in some medieval castles. But not homes, why would you want to have a dump near your home?

    • @raztaz826
      @raztaz826 7 років тому +1

      When you gotta go, you gotta go!

    • @calvinq8714
      @calvinq8714 7 років тому +1

      Phil Case so did I

    • @danfors1333
      @danfors1333 7 років тому

      Rax Taz, that is indeed true!
      AstralStorm, If you land your dump on top of hats of unsuspecting pedestrians they will cluelessly carry your shit far away from your house.

  • @OhMyTwitch
    @OhMyTwitch 7 років тому +18

    Heya, Shad! I've got a quick question about medieval architecture for ya. Since chimneys were such an integral part of living spaces at that time, where are they on castles?

    • @Nikarus2370
      @Nikarus2370 7 років тому +5

      That sounds like a great video topic. I second this person's question.

    • @death299
      @death299 7 років тому

      OhMyTwitch fireplace or chimney?
      the chimney(s) can be seen on most with minimal effort
      As only some took the effort to hide them

    • @nickkan9486
      @nickkan9486 7 років тому

      OhMyTwitch remember how thick the walls are. The chimneys were built into them.

  • @arthas640
    @arthas640 4 роки тому +5

    13:30 reminds me of Stronghold where you sometime wind up with walls that look 20ft/6m tall and 5ft/1.5m thick. I was always amazed that my men didnt fall off (I usually made thin walls in areas to hem enemies in and made thick walls where they usually attacked, such as near bridges and river fords).

  • @prestonh.2771
    @prestonh.2771 7 років тому +47

    I was waiting for the machicolations shout. I was not disappointed.

  • @72strand
    @72strand 7 років тому +82

    You forgot something! You want an overhang, because you want water, away from the wall at all times. Just a little bit overhang, makes the water fall, instead of hugging the wall.

    • @s13rr4buf3
      @s13rr4buf3 7 років тому +1

      John Strand Good for rainfall, but also if you're throwing buckets of gross stuff out of the windows into the street.

    • @iamedbytes
      @iamedbytes 7 років тому +3

      John Strand : Also gargoyles are fancy rain spouts. This keeps run off from the roof off the walls.

    • @moetoolbande
      @moetoolbande 7 років тому +1

      or you have a wrinkle like that, preventing the water from crawling towards the wall media4.bauemotion.de/media/59936/images/1754253px335x447.jpg

    • @michamcv.1846
      @michamcv.1846 7 років тому

      and its cool , this houses are also symbol of wealth

  • @milesmatheson1142
    @milesmatheson1142 7 років тому +9

    *playing D&D, when we have to defend a castle keep*
    Me: "Are there Machicolations?"
    DM: "Wha...?"

  • @barsicschneiderzanet
    @barsicschneiderzanet 5 років тому +19

    "You have seen those houses in movies, documentaries ... whatever."
    ?
    Yea, in Europe people still LIVE in well preserved and renovated houses of that time.

    • @leesawford
      @leesawford 5 років тому +3

      zaneta barsic-schneider -lol. That’s exactly what I was thinking !

    • @Kwizii
      @Kwizii 4 роки тому +1

      Yeah, I live in one! (downtown city of Bourges, France)

    • @GB-yt9sn
      @GB-yt9sn 4 роки тому +1

      I thought this too

    • @cottawalla
      @cottawalla 3 роки тому +1

      Shad is Australian (based on accent), where no structure is older than 250 years.

  • @GonzoTehGreat
    @GonzoTehGreat 7 років тому +16

    A fascinating video! I've visited dozens of medieval castles & houses while remaining ignorant of this.
    I particularly like your videos because you correct yourself when you've made mistakes previously!
    Rather than consider this a negative I see it as evidence that you continue to question and research, uncovering new/alternative explanations for well known features.
    In this way, History is similar to Science. We collect evidence and come up with a explanation but remain willing to revise this hypothesis (and any derived conclusions) based on new data or a reinterpretation of the existing evidence.
    Your videos prove that while the past itself doesn't change History evolves as our understanding improves!

  • @WeissM89
    @WeissM89 7 років тому +6

    I think I know why we like this type of design. Sensitive neurons react when they encounter a stimulus they "like": a light wavelength, a sound frequency, different orientations in space... Neurons in the primary visual cortex (which by the way is located in the back of the head, the farthest away from the eyes, oddly enough) like lines in different angles or orientations. I think we like this type of style because it is more stimulant than a flat wall. Look for "primary visual cortex orientation columns" in Google Images if you're interested. This columns represent lots of neurons that react to the same orientation arranged in columns. Once you start studying the brain, you realise how tidy the "cables" are.

  • @romanmichaelhamilton8729
    @romanmichaelhamilton8729 7 років тому +6

    This is great, I always wondered about why the upper floors extended out from the ground floor. Something I can impress my wife with.

  • @mariapennington5308
    @mariapennington5308 3 роки тому +1

    Hey my house is jettied but its a new construction. I did it so i can open my door in a heavy snow. The lip keeps the snow from drifting in front of my door. And I don't have an extra awing with roof to worry about the weight of the snow. Its also nice when it rains and I'm trying to unlock the door. Or when its hot and rainy i can just leave the door open without the water coming in. It makes just living in the house a lot nicer.

  • @papabell4831
    @papabell4831 7 років тому +10

    Wait a minute here! Are you trying to tell me that instead of paying your local mages guild a few septims to teleport you to another location, people in the medieval era walked? Yeah right, you just try convincing the citizens of Morrowind to walk anywhere. The second you step outside a building... BAM! Cliff Racers everywhere! OH GOD! I have literally killed millions but they just keep coming....... Screw Morrowind! I am moving to Cyrodiil. What could possibly go wrong there?

    • @cobraglatiator
      @cobraglatiator 7 років тому +1

      *mehrunes dagon hops out of an oblivion portal*

  • @Peekofwar
    @Peekofwar 6 років тому +47

    Huh... I came across this video in a suggestion after watching a Linus Tech Tips video.... Now I know how I can build medieval buildings in games.

    • @simonwardley890
      @simonwardley890 6 років тому

      Same here but I don't understand the relevance and I believe this guy missed the obvious waste highlighted by other comments

    • @pyroshrimp4073
      @pyroshrimp4073 4 роки тому

      or you can build old german houses

  • @Retrobution
    @Retrobution 6 років тому +37

    I watch at 0.25 speed and I then realise what a drunken night out with this guy would be like XD
    Actually genuinely enjoyed this, first time seeing his videos. You have my like, good day to you

  • @rodzandz
    @rodzandz 3 роки тому +4

    You forgot a major reason: Safety. Normally the living and sleeping quarters would be on the 2nd and/or 3rd floor (if available). Having sleeping quarters upstairs prevents wild animals and bugs from getting easy access to them. Not to mention thieves, cutthroats, rogues and other rabble. Most building would have a secured trap door separating the ground floor from the upper floors.

  • @ociosojones7714
    @ociosojones7714 7 років тому +16

    I'm visiting Kent at the moment and I literally had this question in my head today, then I saw this video! Thanks.

  • @aaronseet2738
    @aaronseet2738 6 років тому +127

    Egypt: We built pyramids.
    Europeans: Let's built the opposite profile instead!

    • @chrismcneill1530
      @chrismcneill1530 5 років тому +5

      @Bruno LaFoure
      U got a lil drool on ur chin bro

    • @damianich4824
      @damianich4824 5 років тому +1

      @Bruno LaFoure Google the Bosnian Pyramids

    • @MrCmon113
      @MrCmon113 4 роки тому

      @Bruno LaFoure
      Is this an evolution of the WeWuzKangs meme?

  • @k1llwizzy
    @k1llwizzy 6 років тому +9

    the small extended battlements are part of blocking intruders, walking up a wall with a 50cm extended battlement means the angle of your rope is closer to 90 degree(you cant push your feet into the wall for grip)
    if a wall had an inward battlement wall or a flat battlement wall a rope tossed up would angle towards the wall you were climbing giving you an advantage when scaling it.
    also a anchor running up the wall (because you tossed it to far forward) will bounce back or hit the bottom of the battlement instead of have a chance to hook the wall.

  • @littlebookwyrm
    @littlebookwyrm 5 років тому +8

    Keep it up with the "Machicolatioooons!" and we're going to end up with the successor to "Excelsior!"
    Great video and great info.

    • @arthas640
      @arthas640 5 років тому +1

      I'd love to hear him yell "Machicolatioooons!" at least once an episode. Make it a catch phrase :D

  • @alkosh7901
    @alkosh7901 7 років тому +136

    Personally, I think medieval houses look better than modern houses.

    • @Erika-gn1tv
      @Erika-gn1tv 7 років тому +10

      Alkosh Aren't more pleasant to live in however.

    • @edi9892
      @edi9892 7 років тому +8

      Depends. If you live in a thick walled stone-house, it is nice and cool in summer. Timber-frame-houses are said to have good room climate too, but most of them are rather poorly isolated.

    • @aurourus6894
      @aurourus6894 7 років тому +1

      They are quite pleasant.

    • @khorps4756
      @khorps4756 7 років тому

      Aurourus are you the Aurourus on the mount and blade forum?

    • @aurourus6894
      @aurourus6894 7 років тому

      ye

  • @isaiahuelmen7483
    @isaiahuelmen7483 7 років тому +53

    Your videos have been really helpful. I play Minecraft, and one of my favorite things to do is build castles. So having videos like yours helps me build more realistic and appealing castles. So from now on Shad I'll always include machicolations in my Minecraft castles.

    • @biocode4478
      @biocode4478 7 років тому +3

      was just thinking of going back to minecraft as I was watching this

    • @StarRider253
      @StarRider253 7 років тому

      Dude that's exactly what I'm doing now

    • @redpoint6870
      @redpoint6870 7 років тому +4

      When I thougt of an answer I instantly remembered I did that in Minceraft so that spiders coudnt climb to the roof

  • @clivewarren780
    @clivewarren780 7 років тому +26

    This was fascinating, you have earned a new subscriber.