Montfort (castle)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Montfort ( he, מבצר מונפור, Mivtzar Monfor; ar, قلعة القرين, ''Qal'at al-Qurain'' or ''Qal'at al-Qarn'' - "Castle of the Little Horn" or "Castle of the Horn") is a ruined Crusader
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, about northeast of the city of Haifa and south of the border with Lebanon. The site is now a
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
inside the
Nahal Kziv Nahal Kziv ( he, נחל כזיב) (lit. "Kziv stream") or the Horn Valley ( ar, وادي القرن, Wadi al Qarn) is a 39-kilometer long perennial stream in the Upper Galilee, Israel. During the winter, rainfall fills the channel, and springs al ...
nature reserve, and is an important tourist destination attracting many visitors from inside and outside Israel.


Etymology

The name of the castle derives from the two
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
words ''mont'', mountain, and ''fort'', strong, meaning the "strong mountain". In German the castle was accordingly called ''Starkenberg'', meaning the same phrase (''stark'' meaning strong, and ''Berg'' meaning mountain). It was built on land that the Teutonic Order purchased from the
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
de Milly family in 1220 and is one of the finest examples of fortified building architecture in Outremer.


History

Montfort was the principal castle in the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
of the monastic military Teutonic Order, which was founded in the late 12th century in the port city of Acre. The castle is built on a narrow and steep cliff above the southern bank of Nahal Kziv in the Upper Galilee region, about 8 mi (13 km) northeast of the city of
Nahariya Nahariya ( he, נַהֲרִיָּה, ar, نهاريا) is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology Nahariya takes its name from the stream of Ga'aton (river is ''nahar'' in Hebrew), which bisects it. Hist ...
. Unlike many other Crusader castles in the
Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
, this castle was not originally built for military purposes, but was built to move some of the order's administration, such as the archives and treasury, from Acre to a more isolated location. The Teutonic Order had at the time come under pressure from the Templars and the Hospitallers in Acre, who had designs of taking it over. Soon after the Crusaders conquered the Holy Land from the
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
s in 1099 during the First Crusade, European settlers began to populate the land. The noble French de Milly family received the estate and began to cultivate the land, turning it into a farming estate. In 1187 Muslims under the leadership of Saladin managed to defeat the Crusaders and take over Jerusalem following the
Battle of Hattin The Battle of Hattin took place on 4 July 1187, between the Crusader states of the Levant and the forces of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin. It is also known as the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, due to the shape of the nearby extinct volcano of t ...
. Along with Jerusalem, the property which was to be the Montfort castle became a Muslim possession as well. The Muslims, just like their Crusader predecessors, did not find the property particularly significant. The farmland lacked strategic importance because it was situated inland, above a stream, far away from any border or main road. Saladin's victory triggered the Third Crusade (1189–1192). Led by King Richard I of England, the Third Crusade ended with a substantial Crusader victory. Nonetheless, the territories of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were much smaller in size than those from before Saladin's reconquests. Jerusalem and most of the central Judea and Samaria mountains remained under Muslim control, and the Crusaders ruled mainly in the coastal plain and the
Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...
. As the Crusaders set their new capital in
Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...
, the significance of the Montfort estate increased, due to the proximity of the property to the new capital (8 mi). Although the de Milly family received back the territory after its recapture during the Third Crusade, they sold it to the Teutonic Knights in 1220. The German knights began to renovate the buildings of the estate and, following internal conflicts between themselves and the
Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...
and Knights Hospitaller, it was imperative for the Teutonic Knights to leave Acre for a separate headquarters, and the property (on which the Montfort was soon to be built) was a natural choice.


Building and use of the castle (1228–1271)

Following a formal request of assistance by Grand Master
Hermann von Salza Hermann von Salza (or Herman of Salza; c. 1165 – 20 March 1239) was the fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, serving from 1210 to 1239. A skilled diplomat with ties to the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope, Hermann oversaw the expansio ...
to Pope Gregory IX, the latter sent numerous fiscal contributions by many pilgrims and European citizens, to aid in the renovation of the new property. With the help of these contributions, the Teutonic Knights fortified the property and turned it into a magnificent castle. The knights set their
headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...
, archive, and treasury at the new property in 1229. By that time the property ceased being simply a farming estate and was considered a castle with all its implications. The Teutonic Knights expanded the fortifications and built an elongated two-storey hall-type structure in the centre; this is now the main remnant of the ruined castle.


Siege of 1266

An army led by two emirs of Mamluk sultan
Baibars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...
besieged the castle in 1266. However, the defenders resisted and eventually compelled the Mamluk invaders to leave.


Siege of 1271 and Mamluk conquest

In 1271, after most of the Crusader strongholds had fallen into Baibars' hands, the Mamluk leader himself besieged the castle using several military engineering battalions. After about three days of siege Baibars' troops took the ''rabad'' or
faubourg "Faubourg" () is an ancient French term historically equivalent to " fore-town" (now often termed suburb or ). The earliest form is , derived from Latin , 'out of', and Vulgar Latin (originally Germanic) , 'town' or 'fortress'. Traditionally, th ...
, the next day the ''bashura'' or
outer bailey An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...
fell, and on the fifteenth day the German defenders, which were still resisting in the keep, surrendered. Due to prior negotiations between Baibars and the Crusaders, the latter were allowed to leave the castle with all of their belongings and return to Acre. After the fall of that city in 1291, the Teutonic Knights made
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
their headquarters. The Mamluks then thoroughly demolished the castle over a period of twelve days. Adrian Boas blames the rapid fall of the castle on its weak geographical location and the unfinished outer works, while Nicholas Morton of
Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as a new university in 1992, although its roots go back to 1843 with the establishment of the Nottingham Government School of Design, w ...
includes as factors Baibars' pillage of the Teutonic Order's estate and the weakened morale of the defenders after the fall in 1271 of three more military order castles.


Architecture

Topographically, a spur is a narrow ridge projecting from a larger hill. Built on this defensible feature, Montfort is a spur castle. The defences are concentrated at the most vulnerable eastern side where the spur joins the hill. On that side there are two ditches in front of a large D-shaped tower.Detlef Mewes, ''Burgen und Stadtbefestigungen in Israel'' ("Castles and City Fortifictions in Israel"), p
20-23
GRIN Verlag (2016), , via burgenfotos.de
The entrance to the castle is on the opposite side, with a smaller entrance tower guarding it. As the top of the spur is quite narrow, the main residential buildings are arranged in sequence between these two towers along the top of the ridge. Together with a western gate zwinger, these elements constitute the upper ward, or the castle proper. The outer ward, possibly unfinished by the time the castle fell in 1271, is delineated by the remnants of an outer defensive wall extending down the northern and western slopes. East-to-west elements:


Dry moats

Two ditches cut through the spur to the east of the tower-keep.


Tower-keep

The D-shaped keep was the first part to be built. It protects the castle from the highest, and most exposed, eastern point.


Elongated two-storey building

West of the keep, an elongated two-storey building was added. This became the main domestic structure, stretching between the keep to the east and the three-storey administrative building to the west.


Three-storey administrative building

The three-storey administrative building to the lower, western end of the main castle contained what Adrian Boas interprets as the ceremonial hall (second storey), and the living quarters of the
castellan A castellan is the title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory referred to as the castellany. The title of ''governor'' is retained in the English prison system, as a remnant o ...
(third storey). At ground level, two tall vaulted halls are still standing.


Westernmost building

A small vaulted structure was added to the west. It is now badly ruined.


Access system – gate tower and zwingers

The main entrance to the castle was through a three-storey gate tower. This was built as a
half tower A half tower (sometimes half-tower), open tower,Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. (2001). ''The Medieval Fortress. Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages'', Da Capo, Cambridge, MA, p. 27. . or open-gorged towerHull, Lise. ''Understan ...
and is well preserved. It gave access to a gate zwinger created by a wall which included the gate tower, stretched westwards, turned south following a semicircular plan, and connected to the castle at the westernmost vaulted building. People entering this gate and its zwinger would have probably continued along the northern wall of the administrative and domestic buildings, apparently passing here through a second, elongated zwinger which was closed in on its northern side by a now badly ruined wall. One would have finally accessed the castle through a gate opening onto a vestibule situated at the eastern end of the domestic building, between this and the keep.


Outer ward

An external wall enclosed the outer ward, situated some 50 metres down the northern slope from the castle proper, curving up along the western slope and ending southwest of the castle. No trace of a continuation south of the castle has been discovered until the end of the 2016 excavation season; if anything, there might have been a connecting wall going up the slope to the westernmost part of the upper ward. In the outer ward several auxiliary structures were discovered, including the stables.


Related structures


Mill and guest house below the castle

A building containing a water mill with its upper floor converted into a guest house during the 13th century is located in the Kziv River valley below the castle.


Tarphile

A fortified courtyard building with a tower at a stone quarry used for building Montfort Castle at less than 1 km of the castle towards Mi'ilya/Castellum Regis. This might be the ''rabad'' (faubourg) mentioned in Arab chronicles as being the first fortification taken by Baibars in 1271. It appears in Crusader sources as Tarphile, Trefile, or Tertille.


Castellum Regis

The former royal castle, later residence of the de Milly family before the purchase of their property by the Teutonic Order in 1220 and known from Crusader sources as Mhalia or Castellum Novum Regis. Its ruins are located today in the Christian Arab village of Mi'ilya, where modern houses have been built against some of its outer walls.


Excavations

The castle was surveyed in 1877 by
Horatio H. Kitchener Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener, (; 24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916) was a senior British Army officer and colonial administrator. Kitchener came to prominence for his imperial campaigns, his scorched earth policy against the Boers, h ...
for the British Survey of Western Palestine. Archaeological excavations at Montfort occurred in 1926 in an expedition organised by Bashford Dean, curator of the Arms and Armour Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. William L. Calver was chosen by Dean to head the excavation. A four-week season of excavations was conducted in the summer of 2011, organised by Professor Adrian Boas from the University of Haifa and supported by the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East. Excavations have continued every summer since then. In August 2015 and 2016 the excavations were aided by students from
Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...
. In 2017, board games and a luxury dining room were discovered at Montfort Castle. In 2018, a decorated Gothic hall was located under the castle. A year later, evidence of Mamluk destruction was found, dates back to the
Baibars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...
' campaign in 1266.


References


Further reading

* Biller, Thomas; Burger, Daniel; Radt, Timm: ''Montfort und der frühe Burgenbau des Deutschen Ordens.'' Herausgegeben von Thomas Biller (Forschungen zu Burgen und Schlössern, Sonderband 5), Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2015, . * Boas, Adrian
"Montfort Castle Project"
(website) * * * * Shlomo Lota
"The 'River Structure' at the Montfort Castle in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem"
''Analecta Theutonica, Studies for the History of the Teutonic Order 1'', 2014, pp. 63–75 * Shlomo Lota
"The Transfer of the Armenian Crown to the Holy Land – A Text Case for the Strength of the Teutonic Military Order in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem"
''Quaestiones Medii Aevii Novae'' 15, 2010, pp. 323–334


External links

* {{authority control Archaeological sites in Israel Buildings and structures in Northern District (Israel) Castles of the Teutonic Knights Castles in Israel Crusader castles 13th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem National parks of Israel Tourist attractions in Northern District (Israel) Disestablishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem