Le confort dans les châteaux bourguignons aux XIVe et XVe siècles

Abstract

Comfort in the Burgundian Castles of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries. Until now most studies of medieval castles have focused on military aspects. Such research, however, does not take into account the increasingly residential nature of castles in the later years of the fifteenth century. This shift led to a change in the architecture and configuration of castles and fortified housing. A survey of the comfort equipment found in the castles of the Duchy of Burgundy in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries reveals two main categories of installments. Thematically defined by their relation to fire and water, these categories emerge from a close study of both sites and archives. The first axis of this research is based on the element of the fireplace, the second concentrates on water conducts found in Burgundian fortified sites and on the question of hygiene, focusing specifically on latrines. Accounting records provided major source material for this research.