Medieval Castles Have The Most Disturbing Histories And I'm Literally Shaking After Reading These Stories

Which is basically Henry the VIII's entire reign. 

Edinburgh castle has got to be, hands down, my favorite. 

These two young boys are Prince Edward V and Richard, Duke of York. They were the sons of Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville.

After Edward IV's death, the prince's uncle, Richard III, had taken them into his custody in the White Tower in April 1483—after which there were no recorded sightings of the young princes. 

In 1674, during the renovations of the staircase near the entrance of the White Tower, the skeletons of two children were found. Those skeletons are widely believed to be of the two young princes who disappeared at the same place in the late 15th century. 

The Warwick Castle dungeon had an oubliette—a pitch-dark, narrow, claustrophobic pit created for a lone prisoner. 

It is derived from the French word 'oublier,' which means 'to forget.' So if any unfortunate prisoner had to get inside this cramped space, they would be forgotten about and given no water or food. Needless to say, it's possibly one of the worst ways to die. 

This specific oubliette can only be opened from above and not from below, giving no way for the prisoner to escape. It is located in Caesar's Tower.

If there ever were a literal door to hell, it would be this. 

The fort was built in the 17th century by Raja Madho Singh, the younger brother of the great Mughal general, Man Singh of Amber. 

This site has two famous legends about its history and what makes the place so eerie. 

The first one follows along these lines: A sadhu (religious ascetic), who used to live in the fort area, demanded that no house built in the fort area should be taller than his. And if the shadow of any of these houses fell upon his, the fort would be destroyed. 

So when columns were added to the fort, they cast a shadow on the sadhu's house—the result was the destruction of the fort and surrounding towns. 

According to this tale, a priest who practiced black magic fell in love with the beautiful princess of Bhangarh, who had several suitors. One fine day, he followed the princess to the market and offered her a love potion. She rejected it, throwing the potion onto a large rock, which rolled down and crushed the priest to death. 

Before he died, he cursed the entire village to destruction and that no one would be able to live within the precincts. Later on, the kingdom would be invaded by Mughal forces, killing all the inhabitants.

The fort is famously haunted, and no entry is allowed into the fort once it gets dark.

According to legend, when the castle was being turned into a modern military barrack a couple of hundred years ago, they found an opening to a small tunnel. But surprisingly, no one knew where this tunnel led. 

Since the tunnel was so small, they sent an orphan boy down to explore with a small set of bagpipes so the men could hear him. 

The plan worked as the officers followed the tune, until they couldn't hear it anymore. And the track went cold. They waited and waited, but the boy did not appear at the tunnel entrance. So they sent in another boy, who also went missing. 

They sealed up the tunnel's entrance.

It is said that sometimes, one can hear the tunes of the bagpipe from underneath the ground when the night is quiet. 

This castle is located in the Loire Valley and was built around the 13th or 14th century. It was built as a stronghold during the Hundred Years War—a war between England and France to see who would be the king of France, which went on from 1337 to 1453.

Before it was a castle, it was a cemetery that belonged to one of the most powerful rulers in Europe, the Merovingian dynasty family, thus adding to the haunting allure of the castle. 

The history of this castle has tales of treachery, murder, imprisonment, and ghouls in the corridors. However, the most infamous spirit is that of a 10th-century lord, known for his ruthless nature. 

He is said to wander the halls of the castle in blood-soaked clothes with a dagger. Many say his presence had a cold aura to it, and many can hear scraping against the stone walls—that's how you know it's him. 

This is a medieval castle in Unterberg, located in Salzburg, Austria. In 1285, it was seized by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. In the 1520s, it became the region's administrative seat. 

This site was involved in at least 45 bloody battles, but what stands out are the stories of witch hunt trials and claims that the residents living in the castle were actually werewolves. 

The Salzburg Witch trials between the period of 1675-1690 were a disturbing period of torture and persecution of young boys and men for allegedly practicing witchcraft. It began when a woman, Barbara Koller confessed that her son, Jackl, was leading a group of so-called "witch boys." Jackl was blamed for causing erratic natural disasters such as storms and crop failures, which led him to run away.

But the authorities were so scared of his powers that they never really captured him. However, the witch hunt for homeless children and teenagers continued. 139 were executed on the castle grounds, with the youngest being 10 years old.

After the castle fell into disrepair, local deer and stock surrounding the place were found killed and mutilated. The superstitious locals in the area pointed fingers at the residents living inside, believing that they turned into werewolves at night and feasted on the flesh of the animals.

This led to the locals capturing the residents and murdering them in the castle itself. After this, the place was abandoned, which left a haunting aura. 

Zvikov Castle is located in the Czech Republic and is known as The King of Czech Castles. 

It is thought to be haunted by a demonic imp that resides in the old castle towers and also a resident Lady In White with a hellhound guarding a secret entrance. It's a full house indeed! 

Zvíkovský Rarášek (a figure of local folklore), or Zvíkov's imp, is said to haunt the ancient tower Markomanka, a tower with mysterious markings or runes. He is known to play tricks on people, like punching them, poking them, or tripping them (he has a great sense of humor, ngl).

Another intriguing tale about the castle is that anyone who slept in the main tower was said to die within a year. Additionally, people might want to avoid going down to the catacombs of the castle, where hellhounds are said to roam, and one can even hear strange howling in the night. 

This castle is really a haunted house full of surprises in every corner!

This fort used to be the seat of the Peshwa dynasty and has had some tragic events in its history. 

When Narayan Rao, son of Balaji Baji Rao, was still a minor, he was appointed as the Peshwa, making his uncle Raghunath the regent. Narayan was murdered by his uncle and aunt due to greed over the seat of the Peshwa. 

It is said that his body was mutilated and thrown into the river. People claim to hear his cries on new moon nights, and hence this is considered one of the haunted castles in India. 

The Tower of London is probably the most famous piece of history in the city, with centuries of stories behind its walls. 

Built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century to defend his status as King of England, the tower has seen murders, executions, and much more due to its grisly history—and has created the space for ghosts as well. Thirteen of them. 

While the presence of the ghosts is not exactly certain, the site was filled with people who met their fate here. So these are the 13 ghosts of the tower: Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn, Henry VI, the ghost of a bear from Tudor times, Sir Walter Raleigh, the faceless young woman, Margaret Pole, the white figure, Lady Jane Grey, the monk's footsteps, Arbella Stuart, the young princes, and the nameless thing. 

If you are ever interested in bumping into one of these ghosts, just visit the tower and check it out!

Leap Castle is about 3 km from the Irish town of Roscrea and was built in 1250 by the O'Bannon clan. It was later seized by the much-feared O'Carroll clan. It was the stronghold of strategic and brutal political control during Ireland's medieval period. 

This castle is known to be the most haunted place in Ireland. 

The most gruesome murder was committed here in 1532—when deciding who would be the next successor after Mulrooney O'Carroll. It was clear that Thaddeus O'Carroll would take the lead, so the younger brother, Teige O'Carroll, stabbed Thaddeus in the back during mass, and he bled to death at the altar, giving it the name "The Bloody Chapel." His ghost still haunts the chapel.

There is more to the story than this ghost. In 1922, a workman made a discovery of a hidden dungeon behind a wall of the Bloody Chapel, where they found an oubliette. Over 150 human remains were discovered from the oubliette, and from a watch that was found, it was dated back to the mid-1800s. But the gruesome part was that the bodies were impaled on long, wooden spikes, which were eight feet long. 

The castle has many more stories of ghosts who were murdered within the walls. If you dare to, go read about it online (warning: it's really disturbing!)

Located in the municipality of Poggio Torriania, Rimini, this castle was intended to guard the Valmarecchia route—a vital medieval link between the Duchy of Tuscany/Montefeltro and the Adriatic coast. And in later years, it evolved to a stronghold fortress. 

It is famous for the tale of Azzurrina, a noble girl who lived there in the 14th century. And due to this legend, this castle is said to be one of the most haunted places to visit in Italy. 

Guendalina Malatesta, nicknamed Azzurrina, was an albino child born around 1370 to the lord of Montebello. Due to medieval superstitions, her parents dyed her hair, which turned blue instead of black, making her even more conspicuous. Constantly guarded, she mysteriously vanished on June 21, 1375, while playing in the castle. 

Though never found, her ghost is said to haunt Montebello, with eerie sounds reported over the years. The legend has inspired paranormal investigations, as well as a horror film by Giacomo Franciosa.

Bran Castle, located in Romania, is known as Dracula's castle. Dracula is inspired by the historical figure Vlad the Impaler. While there is no confirmation that Vlad lived in this castle, the spookiness and atmosphere of the place have become the perfect backdrop for this myth. 

Vsitors have often reported feeling an unsettling presence in the castle. One ghost story is that of the mysterious monk. Legend says that a monk was buried alive in the walls of the castle as a punishment for breaking his vows. And so, his restless spirit is said to haunt the old chapel and narrow corridors, with visitors hearing faint whispers. Some have even said they have felt a cold hand brushing against them. 

The most unsettling one is the sound of children's laughter at the castle. According to local tales, the castle was the site of a massacre during a siege, during which many children lost their lives. Visitors then say they hear playful laughter of children in the courtyard, even though no one is there. 

He looks seriously creepy.