Let’s start with a strategic maxim: To control territory, you need boots on the ground, which is a metaphor for foot soldiers. In medieval terms, you could expand the metaphor to include not only knights, sergeants, and men-at-arms but also archers, crossbowmen, and feudal levies.
Some histories talk about the great medieval castles as if the castle itself allowed rulers to control contested lands or defend key trading cities. But the garrison technically was the mechanism of control. The castle acted as a protected residence and a force multiplier.
But the structures and ruins are often so massive that they exert a magnetic fascination for those of us interested in military history or medieval history.
I traveled to Cardiff and Caerphilly recently specifically to examine two interesting castles, and the idea occurred to me that a post introducing some of the important medieval castles might be useful to worldbuilding readers, especially if I included some relevant good book recommendations.
So here are some medieval castles (I’ll add to the initial list over time):
Castle of the Counts—Carcassonne
Crac des ChevaliersNimrod Fortress
If you enjoy reading and have access to a good library system, you might start with R. Allen Brown’s English Castles or F. Matarasso’s The English Castle.
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