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Hilltop Castle
A hilltop castle is a type of hill castle that was built on the summit of a hill or mountain. In the latter case it may be termed a mountaintop castle. The term is derived from the German, ''Gipfelburg'', which is one of a number of terms used in continental castellology to classify castles by topology. The chief advantage of such a strategically selected site was its inaccessibility. The steep flanks of the hill made assaults on the castle difficult or, depending on the terrain, even impossible. In addition, it often commanded excellent fields of view and fire over the surrounding countryside. The sheer height of the castle above the local area could also protect the occupants of the castle from bombardment. In addition, the prominent location of such a castle enhanced its status as a residence. Nevertheless, hilltop castles presented their logistic difficulties. Without sufficiently strong pumps, water supply could be problematic if there was no well in the vicinity. The tran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burg Hohenzollern Ak
The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * '' -burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aargau, Switzerland * Burg, Bernkastel-Wittlich, Germany * Burg, Bitburg-Prüm, Germany * Burg, Brandenburg, Germany * Burg, Dithmarschen, Germany * Burg auf Fehmarn, Germany * Burg bei Magdeburg, Germany * Burg im Leimental, Switzerland * Den Burg, Netherlands * The Burg, Illinois, United States * Burg, Hautes-Pyrénées, France * Burg, Kilfinichen and Kilvickeon parish, Scotland * Melber, Kentucky, United States, also known as Burg Other uses * Burg (surname) or Bürg * Bürg (crater) * Burg (ship, 2003), a car ferry operating on Switzerland's Lake Zurich *Burgs (fast-food chain) See also * * Burgh (other) * Borg (other) * Bourg (other) * Borough and -bury, common English variants of burg * Burg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franks
file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which was the most northerly province of the Roman Empire in continental Europe. These Frankish tribes lived for centuries under varying degrees of Roman hegemony and influence, but after the collapse of Roman institutions in western Europe they took control of a large empire including areas which had been ruled by Rome, and what it meant to be a Frank began to evolve. Once they were deeply established in Gaul, the Franks became a multilingual, Catholic Christian people, who subsequently came to rule over several other post-Roman kingdoms both inside and outside the old empire. In a broader sense much of the population of western Europe could eventually described as Franks in some contexts. The term "Frank" itself first appeared in the third cent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronneburg Castle
Ronneburg Castle () is a castle in Ronneburg, Hesse, Ronneburg in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, Main-Kinzig district of Hesse, Germany. It is a hilltop castle situated near the near Altwiedermus village on a steep basalt cone. Its position makes it visible from afar. It lends its name to the Ronneburg hill country. Originally founded in the 13th century as a Mainz castle to secure the territory, Ronneburg Castle came under the ownership of the Ysenburgs in 1476. Its greatest significance was in the 16th century when it served as the residence of the Ysenburg-Büdingen-Ronneburg collateral line. The castle showcases Renaissance architecture, including the distinctive domed helmet of the keep, the Zinzendorf Building, and the New Bower. During the Thirty Years' War, the core castle was substantially damaged by fire, and a few years later, it was plundered. Subsequently, Ronneburg Castle lost its role as a fortress and noble seat, becoming a refuge for social fringe groups like the Moravian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Population decline, counterurbanisation, the collapse of centralised authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which had begun in late antiquity, continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—once part of the Byzantine Empire� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Château De Montségur
The Château de Montségur (English: Castle of Montsegur; Languedocien: ) is a former fortress near Montségur, a commune in the Ariège department in southern France. Its ruins are the site of a razed stronghold of the Cathars. The present fortress on the site, though described as one of the " Cathar castles," is actually of a later period. It has been listed as a by the French Ministry of Culture since 1862. Geography The ruins of Montségur are perched at a precarious altitude in the south of France near the Pyrenees. Located in the heart of France's Languedoc- Occitanie regions, southwest of Carcassonne, Montségur dominates a rock formation known as a ''pog'' — a term derived from the Languedocien dialect of Occitan — ''puòg'' or ''puèg'', meaning "peak, hill, mountain." The top of the ruin is reached by a path and is 170 m above the road. History The earliest signs of human settlement in the area date back to the Stone Age. Evidence of Roman occupati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cathars
Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a heretical sect by the Catholic Church, its followers were attacked first by the Albigensian Crusade and later by the Medieval Inquisition, which eradicated the sect by 1350. Around 1 million were slaughtered, hanged, or burnt at the stake. Followers were known as Cathars or Albigensians, after the French city Albi where the movement first took hold, but referred to themselves as Good Christians. They famously believed that there were not one, but two Godsthe good God of Heaven and the evil god of this age (). According to tradition, Cathars believed that the good God was the God of the New Testament faith and creator of the spiritual realm. Many Cathars identified the evil god as Satan, the master of the physical world. The Cathars believe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices. In older fortifications, such as hillforts, they are usually referred to simply as ditches, although the function is similar. In later periods, moats or water defences may be largely ornamental. They could also act as a sewer. Historical use Ancient Some of the earliest evidence of moats has been uncovered around ancient Egyptian fortresses. One example is at Buhen, a settlement excavated in Nubia. Other evidence of ancient moats is found in the ruins of Babylon, and in reliefs from ancient Egypt, Assyria, and other cultures in the region. Evidence of early moats around settlements has been discovered in many archaeological sites throughout Southeast Asia, including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otzberg
Otzberg is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg, located in the Odenwald forest region of Germany. It was founded in 1972 by the merger of six former independent municipalities. Otzberg consists of seven villages: Habitzheim, Hering, Lengfeld with Zipfen, Nieder-Klingen, Ober-Klingen and Ober-Nauses, and Schloss-Nauses. One place of interest in Otzberg is its eponymous castle, a medieval fortress that was first mentioned in 1231. It is widely known for its white tower. The castle itself has been slowly reconstructed to resemble its medieval appearance. Partners * Lencloître, Département Vienne, France, since 1983 * Langenweißbach, Landkreis Zwickauer Land, Germany, since 1990 Geography Location The town is located in the northern Odenwald in southern Hesse. The Otzberg, an extinct volcano, rises above the village, reaching a height of 367 m above sea level. In clear conditions one can see from here to Frankfurt am Main and the Taunus The Taunus ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bergfried
''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Italian: ''torrione''; Castilian: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German influence. Stephen Friar in the ''Sutton Companion to Castles'' describes a bergfried as a "free-standing, fighting-tower".Friar (2003), p 36. Its defensive function is to some extent similar to that of a keep (also known as a ''donjon'') in English or French castles. However, the characteristic difference between a bergfried and a keep is that a bergfried was typically not designed for permanent habitation. Overview The living quarters of a castle with a bergfried are separate, often in a lower tower or an adjacent building called a ''palas'' (an English-style keep combines both functions of habitation and defence.) Consequently, a bergfried could be built as a tall slender tower with little internal room, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otzberg Castle
Otzberg Castle () in the German state of Hesse is a medieval castle on the summit of the Otzberg in the Odenwald forest at a height of 367 m above NN. On its northern slopes is the village of Hering, which grew out of the lower ward or castellan's settlement. The history of castle and village is therefore closely interwoven. History The region around the Otzberg probably belonged to the territory that King Pippin gifted in 766 A.D. to Fulda Abbey, together with Groß-Umstadt. Otzberg Castle was probably built in the late 12th/early 13th century. At this time, Abbot Marquard I of Fulda secured the abbey estates and built castles that were visible from a long way as a sign of his influence. : ''...Here is a site for a castle…''Die Gesta Marcuardi, in: Traditiones et Antiquitates Fuldenses, Fulda, 1844 He transferred the castle to Conrad of Hohenstaufen, brother of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, as ''vogt''. Conrad was Count Palatine of the R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siege Engine
A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while others have wheels to enable advancing up to the enemy fortification. There are many distinct types, such as siege towers that allow foot soldiers to scale walls and attack the defenders, battering rams that damage walls or gates, and large ranged weapons (such as ballistas, catapults/ trebuchets and other similar constructions) that attack from a distance by launching heavy projectiles. Some complex siege engines were combinations of these types. Siege engines are fairly large constructions – from the size of a small house to a large building. From antiquity up to the development of gunpowder, they were made largely of wood, using rope or leather to help bind them, possibly with a few pieces of metal at key stress points. They could la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spur Castle
A spur castle is a type of medieval fortification that is sited on a spur (mountain), spur of a hill or mountain for defensive purposes. Ideally, it would be protected on three sides by steep hillsides; the only vulnerable side being that where the spur joins the hill from which it projects. By contrast, a ridge castle is only protected by steep terrain on two sides. Description A spur castle was one of several types of hill castle. Depending on the local topography, a spur castle may have relied mainly on its inaccessible position or may have integrated further features such as shield walls and towers into the defences. In addition castle builders may have improved the natural defences of the terrain by hewing into them to make the hillsides harder to climb and reduce the risk of landslide. A classic feature is the neck ditch, cutting off the spur from the rest of the hill. A long spur castle is sometimes, but not always, subdivided into a lower ward (fortification), ward and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
