Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500Windgather Press, 2005 - 178 pages Castle studies have been transformed in recent years with a movement away from the traditional interpretation of castles as static military structures towards a wider view of castles as aesthetic symbols of power, with a more complicated relationship with the landscape. Supported by numerous colour photographs of the most `tangible' remains of the Middle Ages, this clearly written and very accessible study makes the most current ideas about the role of the castle available to a wider and more general readership. Robert Liddiard discusses the history of castle building before and after the Norman Conquest, considering the Norman and medieval definition of the castle, and he reassesses the military defensive capabilities of castles, demolishing the idea that they were built in response to military policy. Instead, they proved a very effective means for aristocrats to display their status. Liddiard evaluates the role of the castle in warfare and the extent to which sieges played a part in conflicts before turning his attention to the varied role of the castle in the landscape (and in the lives of those who lived in and around it) and its relationship to its environment, arguing that the aesthetic setting of many castles was not a happy accident. Throughout, the study is supported by numerous case studies which examine the archaeological, architectural and historical evidence for numerous castles. |
From inside the book
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Page 23
... building rather than direct military effort . It is also tempting to see the 1070s as the time when castle - building more generally increased in intensity . It was only at this time that the Earldoms of Mercia , Northumbria and East ...
... building rather than direct military effort . It is also tempting to see the 1070s as the time when castle - building more generally increased in intensity . It was only at this time that the Earldoms of Mercia , Northumbria and East ...
Page 30
... castle - building after the Conquest represented a massive replacement of existing sites . Building on the past If this idea of a seigneurial take - over is accurate then the rebuilding of secular residences can be placed in the context ...
... castle - building after the Conquest represented a massive replacement of existing sites . Building on the past If this idea of a seigneurial take - over is accurate then the rebuilding of secular residences can be placed in the context ...
Page 36
... building of a castle was a potent symbol of occupation . Other pieces of information can balance the picture of the ' Norman Yoke ' . Although sources such as the Anglo - Saxon Chronicle greeted castle - building with howls of protest ...
... building of a castle was a potent symbol of occupation . Other pieces of information can balance the picture of the ' Norman Yoke ' . Although sources such as the Anglo - Saxon Chronicle greeted castle - building with howls of protest ...
Common terms and phrases
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman Castles Anglo-Norman Studies Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Architecture and Power aristocratic attacks bailey Bodiam Bodiam Castle Boydell Press building built Castellarium Castle Acre Castle Acre Castle Castle Hedingham Castle in England castle studies castle-building Castles and Landscapes Castles in Context chapter Château-Gaillard Chronicle Conquest construction Coulson crenellate deer park defence designed landscapes Domesday Book donjon dovecote Dover Edward eleventh England and Wales example Excavations Experiencing Castles fifteenth centuries Figure fishponds fortifications fourteenth century Framlingham Framlingham Castle garden garrison gatehouse hall Hedingham Hen Domen Henry Hertfordshire King later medieval London Lordly Landscapes lords lordship major manor manorial Medieval Castle medieval period medieval warfare Middle Ages motte motte and bailey noble Norfolk Orderic Vitalis Oxford Peddars ponds probably raised reprinted in Liddiard residence ringwork role royal seigneurial settlement Shropshire social Stokesay structures Suffolk suggested surrender Symbolism and Landscape thirteenth century tower town twelfth century visitor visual walls Welsh William Woodbridge
References to this book
Castles from the Air: An Aerial Portrait of Britain's Finest Castles Paul Johnson No preview available - 2006 |