castles-lnks - 8/6/04 A set of web links to information on medieval castles and fortifications by Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon. NOTE: See also the files: castles-msg, buildings-msg, wattle-daub-msg, thatch-roofs-msg, siege-engines-msg, firearms-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From: Lis Date: August 10, 2004 10:54:28 PM CDT To: Stefan li Rous Subject: Links: Medieval Fortifications Greetings everyone, on this hot, muggy day. I hope the weather is treating you better than it's treating me here in the Poconos. We hit 90 today! And it's still spring. Whew! This week's Links list, by special request of my Husband, is on castles and fortifications. I've included a little bit on fortifications from all over Medieval Europe, and even a program for your kids to use to build their own castle at home. I hope you enjoy these Links and will pass thema long to those who will find them interesting. Cheers Aoife Dame Aoife Finn of Ynos Mon m/k/a Lisbeth Her-Gelatt Riverouge Aethelmearc For Fun: Build A Medieval Castle: Free children's activity http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm (Site Excerpt) Free educational software. Build your own medieval castle, complete with towers, gatehouse and keep. To understand how an army lay siege to a castle, how a castle was defended, or what it might be like to live in a castle (though this varied by who you were) -- build a model castle. For Teachers: Castle Builder Lesson Plan http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/castle_builder/ And the Serious Links: Castles of Britain: Build a Castle http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle88.htm (Site Excerpt) Even today, centuries after they were active in British history, castles demonstrate the majesty, power and wealth of their noble builders. By the end of the 12th century, stone castles became more elaborate, the obsession of several powerful personalities who felt pressure to prove their own value by constructing these towering piles. While Edward I used the stone fortress as an effective means of dominating a rebellious Welsh populace, and gave us several of the most impressive structures in the world, his fortresses also reinforced his status as a wealthy and privileged ruler. Medieval Fortifications Prof. Jefferey Howe, Boston College http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/medieval_fort.html Inlcudes slides of castles at: Aigues-Mortes, Carcassonne, Pierrefonds, all in France. 123Voyage--Southwest France Medieval fortifications http://www.123voyage.com/realsw/tosee/medvill.htm (Site excerpt) The south west of France is full of medieval castles - or rather the remains of them - reflecting the turbulent and bloody history of the area. A comprehensive listing of the medieval castles, castle sites, fortified houses, urban and coastal defences and other fortifications of England and Wales http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/home.html (Site excerpt) The site consists of two main sections. The first is the listings of medieval fortifications and the second is a listing of the texts and online sources used in compiling in information for these lists This section also contains details of some other important or useful texts and Internet resources. Infoplease: Ancient and Medieval Fortification http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0858197.html (Site Excerpt) As long as weapons remained relatively primitive, permanent fortifications predominated. The art of fortification developed in earliest times with the building of earthworks made up of layers of mud, sticks, rocks, and the like. These soon were developed into walls, then into palisades and elaborate wooden stockades. In the Middle East walled cities appeared very early. Those of Mesopotamia had walls of mud or sun-dried brick built to withstand invaders. The citadel, a fort or fortified section within the city, also appeared early. Phoenician cities were strongly walled and offered sturdy resistance to Assyrian, Persian, and Macedonian attackers. Alphabetical Listing of German Castles and Fortifications http://www.roadstoruins.com/directory.html Medieval Fortifications in Florence http://graphics.stanford.edu/~lucasp/pictures/italy/forts/ (Site excerpt) In Medieval times, Florence was protected by city walls that surrounded the city, as well as a number of forts around the perimeter. These forts and walls served as the first line of defense, followed by the defenses of the individual buildings -- the Medici's palace and the town hall are even more imposing structures... The medieval town fortifications of Limerick by Kenneth Wiggins http://www.ijai.supanet.com/vol1/kw/limerick.htm (Site Excerpt) Limerick is situated about sixty miles from the coast at the lowest crossing point on the River Shannon. The island area to the north, known as King's Island (Inis-Sibtonn), formed by the Shannon and Abbey rivers, attracted settlement by the Vikings in the 9th century, and they were well established in the 10th century. An account of the sack of 'the fort and the good town' at Limerick in 968 describes a place of fabulous opulence (Todd 1876, 79, 81). This core Danish town was later taken over by the Anglo-Normans at the end of the 12th century, and re-walled and extended to the north to form medieval English Town. Later the Irish borough on the southern side of the Abbey River was walled in 1310 - 1495 as Irish Town. Therefore, the city was like a figure-of-eight in the medieval period, with Baal's Bridge connecting the two halves. ISLAND CASTLES MEDIEVAL FORTRESSES OF GREAT BRITAIN By Edward Blanchard http://www.wtj.com/articles/castles/ (Site Excerpt) In the many hundreds of years since the days of Roman Britain, the island which makes up England, Wales and Scotland has become studded with thousands of castles, fortifications and towers. Even major highlights of the apparently unending wars which swept over this land would make for lengthy reading, and a solid understanding of them would consume a lifetime of study. So it is not surprising that as I was driving along the southern coast of England a while back, I chanced upon the dramatic ruins of Corfe Castle which was partly destroyed on the orders of Parliament in 1646. Castle-UK Castle Listing http://www.castleuk.net/list.htm Castles Unlimited (Castles of Britain Learning Center) http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm Castle and Seige Terminology http://home.olemiss.edu/~tjray/tjr6.html Nova: Secrets of Lost Empires: Medieval Seige--Shockwave required to play the seige game http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/trebuchet/ (Site Excerpt)Welcome to the companion Web site to the NOVA program "Medieval Siege," originally broadcast on February 1, 2000. In the film, which is a part of the NOVA series Secrets of Lost Empires, a team of timber framers and other specialists design, build, and fire a pair of trebuchets, a devastating engine of war popular in the Middle Ages. Here's what you'll find online: Medieval Arms Race...Nova Builds a Trebuchet...Life in a Castle...Destroy the Castle...Resources...A Teacher's Guide The Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne http://whc.unesco.org/sites/345.htm (Site Excerpt) Since the pre-Roman period, a fortified settlement has existed on the hill where Carcassonne now stands. In its present form it is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with its massive defences encircling the castle and the surrounding buildings, its streets and its fine Gothic cathedral. Carcassonne is also of exceptional importance because of the lengthy restoration campaign undertaken by Viollet-le-Duc, one of the founders of the modern science of conservation (Note: Further two links, a very short page). Russian Military History--Fortifications http://www.xenophongi.org/ruscity/fortress/main.htm (Site Excerpt) This is the 'cover page' for an expanding web site devoted to the history of fortifications in Russia and Ukraine. It features extensive illustrations. The following locations are currently on line. Gorodetz fortress on the Volga Ivangorod Ivan III's fortress opposite Narva Izborsk Novgorodian fortress on Livonian frontier west of Pskov Kam'yantes Medieval fortress fought over by Poles and Turks Kazan Tatar capital captured by Ivan IV Khotin Polish- Galician fortress fought over by them and Turks...(many more links) LePage Castles and Fortified Cities in Medieval Europe (Book Review) http://www.deremilitari.org/RESOURCES/REVIEWS/review27.htm (Site Excerpt) The Dutch writer and illustrator, Jean-Denis Lepage, has produced a wonderfully illustrated, comprehensive volume on the history of fortification that demonstrates his enviable ability with ink and fluidity of prose, although not quite as much his analytical skills. A large-format (9x12in.) volume with copious (easily half the overall page space) clear black and white line-art drawings of castles from Roman castra to early modern trace italienne fortified cities, this book is clearly targeted at the general reader rather than the scholarly academic Edited by Mark S, Harris castles-lnks Page 4 of 4