Environmental World History Questions
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medievallandscapesofpower1.pptxMedieval Landscapes of Power
Castle = a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty
Latin castellum
Castle was distinct from a palace, which is not fortified; from a fortress, which was not always a residence for royalty or nobility; and from a fortified settlement, which was a public defense
Castles also served as centers of administration and symbols of power
Castles could also appear in urban settings
Before “castles” in pre-Conquest England we see fortified manor houses/lordly residences
lordly residence was a timber or wattle-and-daub manor house that sometimes had a tower and was sometimes enclosed with a wooden palisade wall
Evidence for these buildings mostly drawn from archaeology
Castles start to appear in the English landscape after the Norman Conquest of 1066
Visible monuments of power
Centers of administration
Could also be associated with a river, toll-road or mill
Many castles were associated with deer parks or royal forests
Association with deer parks or fishponds was a statement of power and control of resources
Castles impacted the local landscape
Settlements could grow around a castle
After the Norman Conquest of England, castles were often inserted into settlements and towns
Sometimes existing structures had to be moved to accommodate them
primary use of a castle was to be seen and advertise a message of feudal domination
With the castle standing as a physical representative of the lord’s power, it was important that the surrounding landscape be managed as well
Site and appearance of the castle mattered
Castles as social centers as well: important places for display of power
Castles could command strategic positions in relation to bodies of water: strategic and economic factors
The first castles were fortresses made of timber and earth that were built on mounds
motte-and-bailey castle
Likely originated from the practice of fortifying the lordly home
Motte: artificial mound
Bailey: a fortified enclosure
By the 13th century, castles were large, defensive structures of wood and stone
Curtain wall
Gatehouse
Barbican (13th and 14th centuries)
Moat
Keep – called the “donjon” in the medieval period
Main household of the castle lived in the hall inside the keep
Dover Castle
Leeds Castle: managed landscape since the 13th century
Crenellations
Fortifications and proof of a relationship with or favor from the monarch
Clear evidence for this by 1264
the heyday of licenses in England was the 14th century
Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
ca. late 11th century
Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
(another view)
Kolossi Castle, Cyprus
ca. 1210
Belvoir Castle (כוכב הירדן: Kochav HaYarden: "Star of the Jordan”), Israel. Built ca. 1168
View from Belvoir castle—stands 1600 ft above the Jordan River Valley
