About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 88. Chapters: Castle, Medieval fortification, Dubrovnik, Carcassonne, Defensive wall, Shield, Abatis, Leeds Castle, Moat, Palisade, Westgate, Canterbury, Medieval household, Vitre, Ille-et-Vilaine, Chinese city wall, Yett, Corbel, Laager, Keep, Sally port, Moorish Castle, Guedelon Castle, Parapet, Concentric castle, Motte-and-bailey, Battlement, Circular rampart, Cheval de frise, Embrasure, Merlon, Trail of the Eagles' Nests, Machicolation, Turret, Aberwyvern castle, Barbican, Bent entrance, Trou de loup, Burgward, Kasbah, Gulyay-gorod, Murage, Putlog hole, Quadrangular castle, Hoarding, Murder-hole, Chemin de ronde, Tenshudai donjon, Vidoski, Tenail. Excerpt: A castle (from Latin castellum) is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a palace, which is not fortified, from a fortress, which was not always a residence for nobility, and from a fortified town, which was a public defence - though there are many similarities among these types of construction. Usage of the term has varied over time and has been applied to structures as diverse as hill forts and country houses. Over the approximately 900 years that castles were built they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain walls and arrowslits, were commonplace. A European innovation, castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries, after the fall of the Carolingian Empire resulted in its territory being divided among individual lords and princes. These nobles built castles to control the area immediately surrounding them, and were both offensive and defensive structures; they provided a base from which raids could be...
