A dungeon was usually a dark underground prison, used to keep prisoners in solitary confinement, over periods ranging from a few hours to many years.
The Purpose of a Dungeon in a Medieval Castle
As with many other parts of a castle, the word for dungeon comes from the Old French, in this case, either the word ‘oubliette’, which means ‘to forget’, which is what happened to some unfortunate prisoners who were literally left to die in their underground prisons. An alternative view is that the word comes from the Old French ‘donjon’, which meant tower, as some dungeons were in high towers, which were easier to guard than underground prisons.
Most dungeons were accessible only from above, via a staircase, or a hatch in the ceiling, through which food could be thrown. Few had windows or any form of lighting. The prisoner was left in darkness for most of the time, unaware of whether it was day or night.
Some prisoners were held for a few days or weeks until their trial, others were condemned to the dungeon until they died. Those who were kept in prison were generally enemies of the lord or king who was keeping them imprisoned. Common criminals were usually executed; more important political prisoners were kept in dungeons, either until they were no longer dangerous or until the political situation changed.
Famous Medieval Dungeons
The Tower of London and the Bastille in Paris were two of the best-known and most feared medieval dungeons.
The Bastille, known as the Bastion de Saint-Antoine, was built during the Hundred Years’ War, between 1370 and 1383, and was originally intended to protect the city during this war. However, it soon became a prison for common criminals and political prisoners and could hold around fifty people.
The imposing building, with its eight towers, was surrounded by a moat and faced on to a swamp.
The Tower of London, constructed in the 1080s, during the reign of William the Conqueror, was intended to be a stronghold to help the king keep control of his newly-won throne.
The Tower of London’s first prisoner was Ranulf Flambard, who was incarcerated in 1100. He was prisoner for six months and became the first man to escape from the Tower, freeing himself by a window, when his jailers were drunk.
Other medieval prisoners held included the Scottish king John Balliol, imprisoned in 1296 and freed after three years and George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV, who died or was executed in the tower after less than a year in prison.
Source
Coulson, Charles Castles in Medieval Society: Fortresses in England, France, and Ireland in the Central Middle Ages [OUP Oxford, 2004]
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