Castle: A History of Buildings That Shaped Medieval Britain

by Marc Morris (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $4.20

  Castle is an enlightening look at the origins, development and decline of castles in Britain. A real castle is a fortress and a stately home all rolled into one. This is part of what makes these extraordinary structures so fascinating - they are a product of two contradictory impulses - to be warlike and homely at the same time.

  The castle occupies an easily definable place in British history - introduced to Britain as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066, it was not until the middle of the seventeenth century, as a result of the English Civil War, that castles were destroyed and abandoned on a large scale and the story draws to a close.

  Medieval historian and presenter Marc Morris focuses on a range of castles across England, Scotland and Wales, and explores their humble origins as timber buildings to the development of stone towers and keeps used in siege warfare. Among the castles featured are the tower of London, Dover, Rochester, Caerphilly, Caernarfon, Rhuddlan, Bodiam, Threave, Borthwick, Urquhart, Raglan and Pontefract. He also uncovers the lives of the inhabitants, examining the peculiarities of domestic life in a castle and the workings of an aristocratic household.

  Castle brings back to life the kings and queens, damsels and knights, sieges and tournaments that were once a part of these magical buildings.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $11.85

  Castle is a wide-ranging history of some of the most magnificent buildings in Britain. It explores many of the country's most famous and best-loved castles, as well as some little-known national treasures. The story begins in the 11th century, when castles were introduced to Britain, and ends in the 17th century, when they were largely abandoned. It is, in some respects, an epic tale, driven by characters like William the Conqueror, Bad King John and Edward I, who, by building and besieging castles, shaped the fate of the nation. At the same time, however, it is a more homely story, about the adventures, struggles and ambitions of lesser-known individuals, and how every aspect of their lives was wrapped up in the castles they built. As Marc Morris shows, there is more to castles than drawbridges and battlements, portcullises and arrow-loops. Be it ever so grand or ever so humble, a castle is first and foremost a home. It may look tough and defensible on the outside, but on the inside, a castle is all about luxury and creature comforts. Inside real castles, we do no necessarily find cannons and suits of armour, but we do discover great halls, huge kitchens, private chambers and chapels - all rooms which were once luxurious and lavish, and which made these buildings perfect residences for their owners. To understand castles - who built them, who lived in them, and why - is to understand the forces that shaped medieval Britain.