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  • Published: 3 May 2012
  • ISBN: 9781446492796
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304
Categories:

Castle

A History of the Buildings that Shaped Medieval Britain




From the author of A Great and Terrible King and The Norman Conquest comes a sweeping and surprising history of some of the most magnificent buildings in Britain.

Beginning with their introduction in the eleventh century, and ending with their widespread abandonment in the seventeenth, Marc Morris explores many of the country’s most famous castles, as well as some spectacular lesser-known examples. At times this is an epic tale, driven by characters like William the Conqueror, King John and Edward I, full of sieges and conquest on an awesome scale. But it is also by turns an intimate story of less eminent individuals, whose adventures, struggles and ambitions were reflected in the fortified residences they constructed. Be it ever so grand or ever so humble, a castle was first and foremost a home.

To understand castles – who built them, who lived in them, and why – is to understand the forces that shaped medieval Britain.

  • Published: 3 May 2012
  • ISBN: 9781446492796
  • Imprint: Cornerstone Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 304
Categories:

About the author

Marc Morris

Dr Marc Morris is a historian and broadcaster, specialising in the Middle Ages. He is the author of King John: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta, The Norman Conquest and A Great and Terrible King.

In 2003 Marc presented the highly acclaimed TV series Castle for Channel 4 and wrote its accompanying book. He has also contributed to other history programmes on radio and television.

An expert on medieval monarchy and aristocracy, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Marc has written numerous articles for History Today, BBC History Magazine and Heritage Today (now published together as an e-book, Kings and Castles).

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Praise for Castle

Captivating and entertaining... More than just a study of architecture, weaponry and personalities, Castle pieces together a comprehensive overview that gives a fresh take on medieval and early modern Britain and the forces that shaped it. Whether ruined or intact, castles still have the power to fire the imagination, and Marc Morris leave you in no doubt why.

BBC History Magazine