Castles of the World (ENG)

From the Highlands of Scotland to the plains of northern India, this book is a beautiful examination of past worlds viewed through castles that continue to enrich the modern landscape. They evoke an imagined age of aristocratic warriors and noble aspirations for which many people still yearn today. Castles have been constructed at least since the Bronze Age. Unlike fortified towns, castles were not primarily intended as places for large numbers of people to live, but rather through most of history have housed a small garrison of military professionals, as well as the controlling noble’s family. Castles also became such status symbols that nobles constructed castles as their family homes even when the need for defence was long past. Illustrated with over 200 colour photographs, Castles of the World examines more than 150 fortifications from across the world, from Cathar castles and Alpine schlösser to Norman keeps and Samurai strongholds. Discover how the 13th-century Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland was destroyed during the Jacobite rebellion of 1719; find out about Marmaris Castle in Turkey, built in 1522 by Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent to support his attack on neighboring Rhodes; and explore the Mughal-constructed Red Fort in Delhi, home of Muslim rulers from 1648 until 1803, and today a symbol of Indian nationalism. About the Author Phyllis G. Jestice is a professor of medieval history and chair of the Department of History at the College of Charleston, South Carolina, where she regularly teaches about vikings, crusaders, and the 100 Years War. Dr. Jestice enjoys a variety of research and writing, and her work over the years has included two scholarly monographs, a number of translations, and extensive publications for a more general audience on ancient and medieval warfare, including The Timeline of Medieval Warfare (2008).

MOJE KNIHOVNY