Castles in Medieval Society

Fortresses in England, France, and Ireland in the Central Middle Ages

Charles L. H. Coulson (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

454 Seiten

2003
Oxford University Press (Verlag)
978-0-19-820824-2 (ISBN)

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Demolishing the traditional belief that castles were overwhelmingly military in their function, this book overturns many of the traditional assumptions about the nature and purpose of castle-building in the middle ages. It sets out to recreate the medieval understanding of castles as symbolically fortified places of all kinds.

In this challenging new book Charles Coulson overturns many of the traditional assumptions about the nature and purpose of castle-building in the middle ages. He demolishes the traditional belief that castles were overwhelmingly military in their function, showing how this was simply one aspect of a more complicated whole. He sets out to recreate the medieval understanding of castles as symbolically fortified places of all kinds, from ancient walled post-Roman towns and prestigious religious enclaves to transitory campaign forts.

Going back to the original sources, Dr Coulson proposes a new and more subtle understanding of the function and symbolism of castles as well as vivid insights into the lives of the people who inhabited them. Fortresses were only occasionally caught up in war, but constantly were central to the ordinary life of all classes: of the nobility and gentry, of widows and heiresses, of prelates and clergy, of peasantry and townspeople alike. Castles in Medieval Society presents and explores this broad social panorama.

PART I. CASTLES: ANCIENT, VARIOUS, AND SOCIABLE ; 1. A Fresh Look at Early Castles ; 2. Variety Violated: Some Conceptual Problems ; 3. Some Social Relations of 'Castles and Fortresses' ; PART II. CASTLES AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST ; 4. Noble Military 'Liberties', Ethos, and Ethics ; 5. Peacekeeping at Home and Abroad ; 6. Private Property but Public Utility ; PART III. CASTELLANS, COLONIZATION, AND RURAL COMMUNITY ; 7. Castle-Lords, Castle-Lordships, and Noble Civilization ; 8. Colonization and Fortresses ; 9. Population and Fortresses: Protection and Perquisites ; PART IV. CASTLES AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF WIDOWS, GUARDIANS, AND HEIRESSES ; 10. Female Castellans: Prevision not Prejudice ; 11. Ladies of Fortresses and Castle-Children ; Epilogue ; Bibliography ; Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	1.3.2003
Verlagsort	Oxford
Sprache	englisch
Maße	162 x 241 mm
Gewicht	777 g
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Mittelalter
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Kulturgeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Sozialgeschichte
	Technik ► Architektur
ISBN-10	0-19-820824-3 / 0198208243
ISBN-13	978-0-19-820824-2 / 9780198208242
Zustand	Neuware