Crusader Castles of the Teutonic Knights (1): The Red Brick Castles of Prussia 1230-1466
The Teutonic Knights were the most warlike of the religious orders, and this is reflected in the architecture they left behind. The Teutonic memorials are the magnificent castles they built as a result of their conquest of Prussia. They were all built of brick, and raised during a period of less than a century and a half between 1230 and 1380. Many of these dramatic fortresses still exist today in what is now Poland, and provide a unique example of an architectural style that is both well defined and very closely reflects the nature of the men who created it. This book details the history of these spectacular fortresses from their inception through to their eventual decline and fall.
Following the creation of the Duchy of Normandy, the Normans were soon introduced to the castle and they built them in large numbers. In the mid-11th century, other Norman adventurers began carving out dominions for themselves in Southern Italy: some crossed to Sicily in 1061 and by 1091 had conquered the whole island. As in Normandy, they were keen to assimilate new ideas, including architectural styles, resulting in some striking buildings. This title, a companion to Fortress 13: Norman Stone Castles (1) The British Isles 1066-1216
Norman Stone Castles (1) - The British Isles 1066 - 1216
Descended from the Viking raiders who settled in Northern France under the leadership of Rollo in around 911, the Normans were amongst the most feared warriors of their time. Their territorial ambitions culminated in Duke William 1's conquest of England in 1066, but although victory at Hastings left the English crown in William's hands, Norman sovereignty remained far from established on the island. In order to consolidate his position, the new king built a series of fortifications across the country - this book covers all these developments from the early days of William I through to the fortifications of Henry II, Richard I and John.
The simple castles raised after the Norman conquest had been developed throughout 11th and 12th centuries, whilst the introduction of Islamic and Byzantine fortification techniques from the late 12th century led to further developments in castle architecture. These fortifications were to be well tested throughout the course of the 13th century as England was riven by the conflict, characterized by prolonged sieges, between the monarchy and powerful magnates. As well as providing the focus for warfare, castles increasingly became the centres of their communities
Stephen Turnbull's Japanese Castles in Korea is definitely one of these weird unknown subject matter that is worthy of Osprey's Fortress Series. In this short book, Turnbull managed to give a pretty good summary account of history of Japanese castles that were built during Hideyoshi's Korean invasion between the years 1592 to 1598. The book explained how these castles were built initially to support the invasion, support the supply lines, to control and policed the area around it and finally to support the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Korea after Hideyoshi's death.
