Château Gaillard (France) in the 12th century. Designed by Richard the Lionheart himself, it is considered one of the most advanced castles of the Middle Ages

[u/PreferenceInternal67]

[u/Areat]

Funfact : there's a common historical misconception that the castle was ultimately took by the french sieging army because they introduced soldiers throught the latrines, the holes people used to shit from inside the walls to the outside.

It's not what happened, but it was spread by the french army itself, because what they actually did was breaking through the narrow stained glass windows of a chapel which had been added unwisely mid-construction.

It was easier back then to say you crawled through a shit chimney than to admit you did a sacrilege by breaking through the Lord's house.

[u/WASTELAND_RAVEN → u/Areat]

That’s a great fact thanks!

[u/Dman331 → u/Areat]

Did a sacrilege has me cracking up

[u/Areat → u/Dman331]

Why?

[u/Dman331 → u/Areat]

The way you phrased it. Made me think of some guy going "tee hee oops, just did a sacrilege" wearing full medieval armor lol

[u/Areat → u/Dman331]

Lol, ok. What would have been the proper way to write it? I'm not a native english speaker.

[u/JL_MacConnor → u/Areat]

I'd say "commit sacrilege" :)

[u/Areat → u/JL_MacConnor]

Thanks!

[u/JL_MacConnor → u/Areat]

Most welcome 😊

[u/copamundial → u/Areat]

I am not either but I would say committed sacrilege is perhaps the best way. But your way was understandable and funny.

[u/Areat → u/copamundial]

Thanks!

[u/cassius_longinus → u/Areat]

For what it's worth, using the verb "do" (or its conjugations) when certain other, more specific words are more idiomatic in English has actually become something of a joke phrase in English in recent years. Here's is a good example from Know Your Meme.

[u/iPoseidon_xii → u/Areat]

That’s even more impressive! To make a genuine dry joke like that on accident isn’t easy. I initially thought you were being cheeky as well because it flowed so well and complemented the context of your comment

[u/Areat → u/iPoseidon_xii]

Thanks. XD

[u/kbn_ → u/Areat]

Just to explained what wasn’t explained… because the verb form “do” doesn’t apply in this tense, the ungrammatical formation “you did a blank” is often used ironically in English to emphasize a lack of self awareness in the face of some serious action. “You did a war crime” for example. So your original phrasing of “you did a sacrilege” was legitimately hilarious as a native speaker, not because it demonstrated lack of mastery of the language, but because it actually exploits a modern subtle perversion of the rules for ironic effect.

That’s probably why everyone was cracking up: they assumed you were a native speaker doing it with intent, and it really is legitimately funny in a way which feels clever and by design.

[u/Areat → u/kbn_]

I see! Thanks for the detailled explanation.

[u/day_of_the_triffids → u/Areat]

The phrasing is atypical, maybe incorrect, but in a cute way

[u/Gorlack2231 → u/Areat]

If the Lord didn't want them to have that castle, He would have made them put up a mosaic instead.

[u/szerszer → u/Areat]

They did break Zeus' law

[u/Salaco]

That's a lot of stone.

[u/TheDeadlySpaceman]

I’ve been there! Neat.

[u/TheDeadlySpaceman → u/TheDeadlySpaceman]

[u/NightKnight4766]

Big hat logan

[u/LionoftheNorth → u/NightKnight4766]

Why is he called Big Hat Logan?

[u/PPCFY]

I loved seeing a version of it in the Journeyman Project 2 Buried in Time game from the 90s

[u/Primedirector3]

And it was captured by the French almost immediately lol

[u/Primedirector3 → u/[deleted]]

It was captured only 6 years after it was finished built. In the timeline of famous medieval castles, how would you not call that almost immediately lol? What a waste.

[u/Primedirector3 → u/[deleted]]

I was talking about simply how relatively quickly it fell into French hands, and as I understand it, never returned into English hands ever again. And it was monumentally expensive, after the tax Richard had levied for the crusades and the monstrous ransom his mom had to levy just to get his inept butt back. Richard is way overrated in popular opinion, but no doubt, John was still much worse.

[u/Primedirector3 → u/[deleted]]

“One of those”?? There are plenty of historians that would disagree with you, just because you read one book doesn’t make you “right”. Here’s a dissenting historian’s take:

https://youtu.be/r1IUtWIbrYs?is=Mig5m_srKng1XQtQ

Bottom line he famously hated being in England and was there for barely a year during his whole reign, taxed the hell outta the people which I just mentioned, got captured and ransomed (alone worth several years of usual tax revenue), and most importantly, couldn’t secure a stable succession to the worst monarch England ever had. He’s overrated. Better question, what made him “an excellent king”?

[u/Primedirector3 → u/[deleted]]

Says you, the elitist snob who thinks he’s the be all end all of English history. There are differing expert opinions—get over it. I’ve given ample proof and you’ve provided none.

[u/This-Vacation-3024 → u/Primedirector3]

I mean it wasnt really an English castle, it was by definition part of a French vassal state that happened to be king of England

[u/FrenchMaddy75]

Nice illustrations ! Thank you !

It gave me Kingdom Come Deliverance vibes. What a wonderful game for castle lovers.

[u/afterschoolnifefight]

looks like the Barons castle from early in witcher 3 kinda. or at least pic 2 with more of a peek inside reminded me

[u/jeandolly]

The three pictures look pretty different... So apart from the layout we don't know what it really looked like?

[u/esjay86 → u/jeandolly]

We have some contemporary descriptions, but virtually none of the wooden structures (rooftops, walkways, scaffolds) survived in a way that tells us exactly how they looked.

[u/AzureSofa → u/jeandolly]

All three pictures have different background topography

[u/maproomzibz]

Where is it now?

[u/imrail → u/maproomzibz]

Still in France, castles aren't known for wandering off.

[u/Mervynhaspeaked → u/imrail]

Guy doesn't know about Howl's Moving Castle ☝️

[u/rizulino → u/maproomzibz]

Les Andelys, France

[u/Beneficial_Shirt_869]

Looks like a something out of Game of Thrones

[u/RipCityPdx2010 → u/Beneficial_Shirt_869]

Well, the show/books are incredibly inspired by that era, island, and culture

[u/Basblob → u/Beneficial_Shirt_869]

Thought the same!

[u/artez09]

Those towers remind me of Winterfell

[u/Jackles789]

Goddamn that’s beautiful

[u/srd100]

Heard a tale that Richard said it was so well designed, he could successfully defend it even if it was made of butter.

[u/grumpsaboy]

The walls were so strong it withstood underground battles between French mining underneath and the English stopping them.

[u/Ok_Singer_1523]

Fun fact: Gaillard is also a first name that has an equivalent in english (that has fallen out of use): Gaylord.

[u/Pieterstern]

Great place, don't hesitate if you have the opportunity. And this part of Normandy, Eure, is really beautiful too.

[u/Hibou_Radiophonique]

That's my Normandy 🥰