Great Castles of Europe

Begin with a look at how historians and archaeologists define castles and at the misleading narrative that has often surrounded their history. At Château Gaillard in France, built by King Richard Lionheart of England, study the many defensive features of the edifice, such as curtain walls, towers, crenellations, baileys, and gates, and consider the deterrent roles of castle architecture.

Look behind the walls and parapets to the areas of castles reserved for residential life, from the central hall and its communal uses to the kitchens and cellars; the main tower, home to the castle lord and family; and residential areas for people of lesser rank and servants. Take account of the often-elaborate furnishings of castles, in their role as homes to many people serving many functions.

Explore the vital ways in which castles served administrative roles. Learn about their core function as landed estates within the medieval agricultural economy, and in broader areas such as local governance; tax collection; and as judicial courts, prisons, and religious centers. Visit Slot Loevestein in the Netherlands and trace the many administrative roles it played across its history.

Investigate the history and lore of earth-and-timber castles, which flourished alongside the better-preserved masonry castles. Encounter the two subtypes, motte and bailey and ringwork castles, and track their architectural features, organization, and how life was lived within them. Travel the site of Hen Domen in Wales, visualize its many buildings, and relive its colorful and dramatic history.

Discover the spectrum of castle types that proliferated on the medieval Iberian peninsula. Trace the history of the region, and the mix of Muslim and Christian kingdoms that produced the alcazaba (fortress/citadel), alcázar (castle or palace) and castillo (Christian-built castle). Visit impressive examples such as the Alcazaba of Almeria, the walled city of Avila, and the Alcázar of Seville.

Enter the world of the Normans, great castle builders of Britain and beyond. Learn how the Normans took stone castles to new heights, constructing numerous urban fortifications focused on a central tower or donjon. In the examples of the Tower of London and Colchester Castle, study the iconic features of Norman castle architecture, edifices designed to be imposing symbols of authority.

Though their male inhabitants draw much focus, women were integrally involved in life within castles. Learn about women in the medieval workforce, and their many roles on manorial estates. Take account of women as landowners and castle holders—women who owned, ruled over, and defended castles militarily. Look in depth at the example of Castle Roche in Ireland, built by Lady Roesia de Verdun.

Travel to the dramatic era of the Crusades, and the swath of castle-building that took place in the crusader kingdoms of the Mediterranean. Study the roles of these castles in crusading, many under the rule of military orders such as the Hospitallers. At the stunning Crac des Chevaliers in Syria, tour the site and note the innovative defensive features that influenced castle-building in Europe.

Envision the world of the remarkable Frederick II, 11th-century Holy Roman Emperor and massive landholder in Italy and Germany. Trace the events of his action-filled life, and the many castles he held and influenced. Take a detailed look at his masterpiece, Castel del Monte, built as a royal pleasure palace to indulge his passion for hunting, and study its unusual octagonal, geometric design.

Here, follow the Christian Crusades of the Baltic, which saw many crusader castles built by military-monastic orders such as the Brothers of the Sword. See how these wars of conquest, conversion, and colonization transformed the region, and visit the much-excavated Cēsis Castle. Note what archaeologists have learned about the castle, its inhabitants, and its history as a major center of power.

The military order of the Teutonic Knights made major incursions into Prussia, continuing castle-building in the Northern Crusades. Observe the fusion of military and religious design that makes these castles distinctive. At Malbork, one of the largest castles in the world, tour the high, middle, and low castle areas, and explore the diverse architectural program of the massive site.

The magnificent Caernarfon Castle brings alive the 13th-century annexation of Wales by the English crown, and the castle-building undertaken by king Edward I to consolidate his hold on the region. View Caernarfon’s figure-eight layout, polygonal towers, gatehouses, and royal apartments, and grasp the deliberate symbolism of its architecture which functioned as a weapon of propaganda.

Castles often transformed the landscapes that surrounded them. Take account of how castle lords created estate landscapes designed to extract the potential of the land, as well as landscape features related to pleasure pursuits and the assertion of power, from orchards and ornamental gardens to deer parks, private forests, and high-status animal husbandry such as fishponds and dovecotes.

The power of castles as symbols—of authority, of power, of social identity, and more—is an integral part of their story. Look into the features of defensive fortifications with an eye toward what they convey to viewers, versus their practicality. At Bodiam Castle in England, consider two differing interpretations of the structure: as a real military defense and as a purely symbolic set piece.

Discover how urban fortifications fit into the history of castles. At Visby in Sweden, learn about the amazingly diverse functions city fortifications could play. Then encounter France’s Carcassonne, one of the most famous fortified cities in Europe. Trace its remarkable history, the building of the iconic walled city, and follow the longstanding controversy surrounding its restoration.

Delve into the history of medieval inheritance and succession as it affected women, who often inherited castles and lands. See how heiresses could become economic and political pawns. Study the case of Isabel de Clare, heiress to vast lands and castle estates crossing national boundaries, who resourcefully managed her holdings, including the luxurious rebuilding of Chepstow Castle in Wales.

With the proliferation of medieval trade, learn about the core role castles played in revenue collection, as lords assessed tolls to traveling merchants. At Kronborg Castle in Denmark, immortalized as Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, take in the sumptuous architecture of the edifice, and note its strategic location on the Oresund waterway, as a toll and customs collection point for ships.

Trace the long era of the Reconquista in Spain, as Christian rulers fought to reclaim Muslim-held territories on the Iberian peninsula. In the wake of the conflict, witness the fusion of Islamic and Christian influences the produced the uniquely beautiful castles of Spain. In Granada, tour the fortress-palace complex of the Alhambra, and savor the extraordinary decoration of the palace interiors.

Transylvania offers a key example of mythmaking surrounding castles. Look into the history of castles in Transylvania, as they protected border areas that were vulnerable to invasions. Investigate the misidentification of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with the ruler Vlad Tepes and with the imposing Bran and Corvin castles, both of which have been marketed to tourists as connected with Dracula.

England’s Claister Castle is uniquely noteworthy because of the 930 surviving letters of the Paston family, which tell the incredible story of their lives in the 15th century. Follow the drama of the family and their relationship with the castle through wars, political upheaval, and intrigue. Through the letters, learn rare details of daily life within a medieval castle and estate.

The Renaissance châteaus of France were creations of palatial splendor, which held huge symbolic power while their defensive functions receded. Encounter the formidable personality of French queen Catherine de Medici, and her remarkable building projects, featuring her richly decorated palaces in Paris and her expansion and opulent additions to the grandiose château of Chenonceau.

In the late Middle Ages, chart the rise of tower houses, small defensive towers built as private homes by the emerging merchant class and gentry, as well as by churchmen and some nobles. Study their spread in Ireland in the case of Kilcolman Castle, the tower house of famous poet Edmund Spenser. Visualize the structure and features of the castle, typical of this later form of castle-building.

Witness how Europeans brought castle-building traditions to the slave trade on the West African coast. Explore the fortified trading outposts that made use of curtain walls, towers, and battlements, highlighting Elmina and Cape Coast castles, as they served as dehumanizing holding centers for transporting the enslaved. Assess scholarly debate as to whether these buildings qualify as castles.

In the aftermath of the age of castles, learn how medieval castle architecture found new life in European palaces and mythologized versions of castles. Visit Neuschwanstein, an example of 19th-century Romantic revivalism created by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. At this fanciful and picturesque palace, contemplate the continuing fascination of castles, as tangible pieces of a distant time.