Medieval castles / Marilyn Stokstad.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stokstad, Marilyn, 1929-2016.

Series:

Greenwood guides to historic events of the medieval world

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Castles--Great Britain.

Castles.

Great Britain.

Castles--France.

France.

Physical Description:

lvi, 192 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2005.

Summary:

The castle was far more than a walled and turreted fortress; it was an instrument of social control and the symbol of power, authority, and wealth. Acknowledged expert Marilyn Stokstad combines interpretive essays and original documents in English translation in order to examine the role of the castle in society as well as its use in war. Thirty illustrations provide valuable visual references, while twenty brief biographies of rulers, builders, and chroniclers allow a glimpse into the lives of those who lived in and constructed these impressive structures. Seventy excerpted and annotated primary documents cover topics ranging from the defense of castles to the banquets thrown within them. A glossary of terms, annotated chronology and index complete this useful work on a fascinating subject.

Commencing with an overview of the military and social systems operating in the Middle Ages, Stokstad places castles and other fortified places into an appropriate context. Readers are then guided through the development of early "motte and bailey" castles and the development of masonry towers and walls in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Castle as Fortress considers the military aspect of castles, including siege warfare and the architectural response to attack and defense, in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Castle as Headquarters explores castles and citadels as local and regional government and economic centers in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Castle as Symbol and Palace looks at the symbolic role of architecture and at castles as elite residences and settings for public display. A concluding interpretive essay looks at the impact of gunpowder on castles as well as our continuing fascination with the castle as a romantic fantasy of an idealized world.

Contents:

Overview: Castles in Context xxxvii

Chapter 1 The Great Tower: Norman and Early Plantagenet Castles 1

Chapter 2 The Castle as Fortress: The Castle and Siege Warfare 21

Chapter 3 The Castle as Headquarters: The Political and Economic Role of the Castle 43

Chapter 4 The Castle as Symbol and Palace 63

Chapter 5 Impact and Consequences: The Afterlife of the Castle 83

Anna Comnena 95

The Venerable Bede 96

Jean Froissart 96

Geoffrey of Monmouth 97

Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) 98

Jean, Lord of Joinville 99

Lambert of Ardre 99

Ordericus Vitalis 100

Builders 101

Blanche of Castile 101

Edward I 102

Eleanor of Aquitaine 103

Henry I 103

Henry II Plantagenet 104

James of St. George 105

John of Gaunt 105

Louis VII 106

Louis IX (St. Louis) 107

Philip II Augustus 108

Philip IV the Fair 108

Richard I the Lion Hearted 109

William I the Conqueror 110

Primary Documents 111

1 King Arthur's Parents 112

2 The Roman Rampart, Built of Earth and Timber 114

3 The Mound and Ditch Castles in Ireland Continue the Earth and Timber Building Traditions of the North 114

4 The Irish Win through a Daring Trick; They Enter the Castle and Kill the Lord 115

5 Gerald Describes His Home, the Castle of Manorbeer 116

6 The Castle of Ardre, a Huge Timber Castle, Built after Arnold's Return from the First Crusade 117

7 The Masonry Castle at Guines 118

8 Repairs and Improvements-Building a Prison, a Chapel, Lists between the Walls, and a Fish Pond 118

9 The Problems of a Medieval Baker when the Oven Is Badly Located 119

10 Separate Bedrooms but a Convenient Spiral Staircase in a Thirteenth-Century Castle 120

11 A Crusader's Sorrow at Leaving Home 120

12 The Mound Is Built 121

13 The Castle and the Master Builder 121

14 The Crew Needed to Build a Castle, and the Hazards They Faced 123

15 Compulsory Service on Castle Building and Destruction 123

16 The Burden of Castle Building on the People, 1066 124

17 The Burden of Castle Building on the People, 1087 124

18 The Common People Hated the Castles 125

19 A Demand for Wages in the Fourteenth Century 125

20 The Norman Conquest of England 126

21 The Failure of an Attack on Dover Castle 126

22 The Siege of Rochester and the Plague of Flies, 1088 127

23 The Rapid and Cowardly Departure of a Castle's Garrison 128

24 The Burning of a City 129

25 Bohemund's Siege Engines 129

26 The Battering Ram 130

27 Mining Operations 131

28 The Siege Tower 132

29 The Assault 133

30 Difficulties for Those Conducting a Siege 134

31 The Assault on Jerusalem 135

32 The Massacre of the People of Jerusalem 135

33 The Water Supply Is Cut at Alencon 136

34 The Countess Surrenders the Castles 137

35 The Siege of Brevol; Returning Crusaders Bring Experience back to Europe 138

36 The Surrender of Rochester Castle, the Trumpets Sound 138

37 The Ice Torture of Prisoners and the High Cost of Freedom 139

38 A Successful Defense 139

39 The Siege Tower, Called a Belfry, at the Siege of Courci 140

40 A Constable Saves His Castle by Pretending to Have Plenty of Food 141

41 The Escape of the Bishop of Durham from the Tower of London 142

42 The Virtues of Good Grooming-an Escape 143

43 The Tables Are Turned; an Inept Castellan and a Clever Governor, the Scots Take a Castle, and Are Trapped 144

44 Matilda Governs Normandy while William Conquers England 145

45 A Militant Countess 145

46 Princess Sibylla Defends Tarragona 145

47 The Changing Fortunes of Civil War, and the Daring Escape of Empress Matilda from Oxford in 1140 146

48 The Heroic Countess of Montfort Saves Her Castle and Fights for Brittany 146

49 Countess Alberede Builds a Fine Castle and Then Has Her Architect Lanfred Beheaded so that He Cannot Build Another 149

50 Isabel, a Warrior Countess, and Her Rival Stir up a Civil War 149

51 A Clever Mother, but Was She Wicked Too? 150

52 Juliana, King Henry's Illegitimate Daughter, Tries to Shoot Her Father and Escapes by Way of the Moat 150

53 The Earl of Chester and His Brother Capture Lincoln Castle with the Help of Their Wives 151

54 The Earl of Pembroke and His Men Find Shelter in a Fortified House 152

55 City Walls 153

56 The Destruction of Limerick 153

57 The Building of a Town 154

58 The Origin of Oven Dues-the Bear and the Bread 154

59 A City Is Forced to Feed the Army 155

60 A Rare Description of a Poor Woman's House; the Earl Takes Refuge 156

61 Homes in the Countryside 157

62 The Welsh Character, Hospitality, and Personal Hygiene 157

63 Noble Entertainments 158

64 A Poet Suffers for His Jokes 159

65 A Noble Household Finds Lodging, and the Dangers of Spanish Wine in the Fourteenth Century 159

66 A Description of a Livery 160

67 The Lord at Dinner 160

68 A Great Banquet in Thirteenth-Century France, the Social and Architectural Arrangements 161

69 A Splendid Royal Banquet and Entertainment, June 20, 1399 162

70 The Dance of the Flaming Wildmen: A Wedding Party Ends in Tragedy, January 1392 163.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [177]-187) and index.

ISBN:

0313325251

OCLC:

57186498