Why were four-poster beds invented?

What is a four-poster bed?

A four-poster bed is a huge bed that has very tall columns on each corner of the bed that supports the upper panel of the bed. The upper panel has rails attached to it that all curtains to be hung and pulled all the way around the bed.

Reasons why the four-poster bed was invented

The four-poster bed was created for several reasons that were all practical. I’m the 16th century when these beds were first introduced to England there was no such thing as central heating and rooms often got very cold and draughty. To resolve this problem heavy curtains were then added to the bed to trap body heat which will help keep the sleeper warm.

The second reason why the four-poster bed was invented was because of privacy issues. Four-poster beds are lavish and expensive beds that were only used by royalty. It was important for these royals to have a bed that has a curtain and allows privacy whilst they slept as there was always more than one person sleeping in the room, as servants and bodyguards also slept in the same room as their masters. This provided the royals with no privacy whilst they slept or whilst they were in their bedroom, the curtain allows for them to have their privacy whilst still having other people in the room.

Up until the 18th-century bed were also used as places the royalty would make their appearances and even hold courts. This is why the four-poster bed is such an extravagant-looking bed, beds needed to look lavish and very expensive as the bed was used for more than just sleeping and having a little down.