Types of Castle and The History of Castles

Castles Around The World

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Castles Around The World

Here we look at castles around the world. Although they might look very different, they share many features and have followed the same broad developments, for example replacing wood with stone, and adapting to the use of gunpowder.

Partly this similarity is attributable to the fact that they share the same functions, which are

to provide a defensible stronghold
to provide a strategic point of control
to act as a barracks for troops
to privide a centre of government
to provide a comfortable home for a feudal lord and his extended family

In the photographs below you can identify many features that filfil these five functions:

Europe
Asia
Japan

Europe

Château de Blandy-les-Tours
Blandy-les-Tours
Seine-et-Marne
France

The Castle of Bardi (or Landi)
Upper Ceno Valley
Parma
Emilia-Romagna
Italy

Gammel Estrup (Gammel Estrup Manor)
east of Randers City
Denmark

Schloss Moritzburg (Moritzburg Castle)
Moritzburg
Saxony
Germany

The Château de Brissac
Brissac-Quincé
Maine-et-Loire
France

Bedzin Castle
Zamkowa
Bedzin
Poland

Château de Azay-le-Rideau
Azay-le-Rideau
Chnon
Indre-et-Loire,
Centre
France

Kasteel Ammersoyen
Kasteellaan
Ammerzoden
Netherlands

Castel del Monte
Andria
Apulia region
Italy

Baba Vida, Vidin, Bulgaria

Leeds Castle
Kent
England

Aljaferia
Zaragoza
Spain

The Gravensteen
"castle of the count"
Sint-Veerleplein
Gent
Belgium

Dover Castle
Kent
England

Culzean Castle
near Maybole
Carrick
Ayrshire
Scotland

Trakai Island Castle
Lake Galve
Lithuania

Bouzov Castle,
located between the village of Hvozdek
and the town of Bouzov
west of Litovel
Moravia
Czech Republic

Pena Palace
Sintra
Portugal

Hohenwerfen Castle
above the Salzach Valley
Austria

Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork,
Marienburg (Mary's Castle)
Poland

Schloss Drachenburg (Drachenburg Castle)
Königswinter
on the Rhine near Bonn
Germany

Château de Langeais
(a medieval castle rebuilt as a château)
Indre-et-Loire
France

Château de Beynac
Castle in Beynac-et-Cazenac
France

Burg Eltz
located above the Moselle River
between Koblenz and Trier
Germany

Castel Sant Angelo (The Mausoleum of Hadrian)
Parco Adriano
Rome
Italy

Château de Sceaux
Sceaux
Hauts-de-Seine
France

Asia

Alila Fort Bishangarh, near Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Arg-e-Bam (Bam Citadel),Bam, Kerman Province, Iran

Sazova Mahallesi
Eskisehir
Turkey

Bahla Fort, situated at the foot of the Djebel Akhdar highlands,Oman

Amer Fort,Amer, Rajasthan, India

Falak-ol-Aflak Castle, within the city of Khorramabad, Lorestan Province, Iran.

Khiva City Walls, Xorazm Province, Uzbekistan.

Japan

Matsumoto Castle, Japan

Akashi Castle
Akashi
Hyogo Prefecture
Japan

Azuchi Castle
[reconstruction of the keep]
on the shores of Lake Biwa
Omi Province
Japan

Matsumoto Castle, ("Crow Castle")
Matsumoto,
Nagano Prefecture near Tokyo.

More on Types of Castle and History of Castles

Click on any of the following links to learn more about specific types of castle

Ancient Castles: The basics of attack and defence
Castles Around the world
Motte & Bailey Castles European castles around 1000 AD
- Mottes
- Baileys
- Examples
- Photos
Norman Castles The first significant European castles with stone keeps.
Crusader Castles & Concentric Castles Evolution of design due to lessons learned in the Levant.
Cathar Castles Distinctive hilltop castles of the Languedoc
Japanese Castles
Town Fortifications - Defensible villages and towns
- Castra
- Fauxburgs
- Circulades
- Bastides
Fortified Houses Defensible Manors and other defensible houses.
- Tower Houses Defensible Towers.
- Peel Towers Defensible Towers in the Scottish Borders.
- Bastle Houses Defensible Scottish Houses.
- Irish Fortified Houses Defensible Irish houses.
- Defensible Manor Houses Defensible English houses.
Star Forts Castle design affected by the rising power of fire arms and the innovations of de Vauban
Stately Homes - New Great Country Houses
- Country Houses
- Châteaux
Palaces - Around the world
Romantic & Decorative Castles. Looking like romanticised castles and built for comfort, notably:
Manors
Town Houses

Dover Castle, Kent, England

Matsumoto Castle, ("Crow Castle"), Matsumoto,, Nagano Prefecture near Tokyo.

Château de Sceaux, Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine,France

Alcazar Castle, Segovia,Spain

I want to a in

INTRO TO
CASTLES

STAY IN A
CASTLE

CASTLE
ARCHITECTURE

CRUSADE
CASTLES

CASTLE
WEDDINGS

LIFE IN A
CASTLE

CHILDREN'S
CASTLES

HAUNTED
CASTLES

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