Castles!- Large Photos

[DonaCatalina]

Dolwyddelan Castle is unusual within Wales. In a land of castles, Dolwyddelan stands apart not as a stronghold erected by Norman or English forces but as a fortress of the native Welsh princes.

The castle occupies a magnificent location deep in Snowdonia, on a ridge set against the rugged backcloth of Moel Siabod. It was built between about 1210 and 1240 by Wales's most powerful medieval prince, Llwelyn the Great, ruler of Snowdonia. All that remains of the earlier fortress from the 9th or 10th century is a rocky outcropping below the present castle.
map coordinates 53° 3? 17.06? N, 3° 53? 19.79? W

[captmarga]

Oh, poor sad ruins.  Lovely ones you've been posting, though, madame!!!

Capt Marga

[DonaCatalina]

We're going to see a partially ruined castle today at the Château de Murol. The first castle was built on a basalt outcrop in the 12th century to provide surveillance over several roads. It was reinforced in the 14th century by Guillaume de Sam, who built the keep, a second chapel and the eastern buildings.

The castle became the property of the d'Estaing family when the sole heir, Jehanne de Murol, married Gaspard d'Estaing in the 15th century. The castle was richly decorated and, under, François I d'Estaing, in the 16th century, it was surrounded by a huge curtain wall with towers. Emerging unscathed from the sieges during the Catholic League, the castle was transformed when Jean d'Estaing built a more comfortable Renaissance pavilion at the foot of the inner castle. The castle was later abandoned. Today it serves as a sort of living history museum.

Map coordinates 45° 34? 42? N, 2° 56? 43? E

[DonaCatalina]

Our destination for today is Rochester Castle in Kent. There has been a castle on this site since Roman times (c AD43), though it is the keep of 1127 and the Norman castle which can be seen today. With the invention of gunpowder other types of defence became more appropriate, and the military centre of the Medway Towns moved to Chatham. In 1206, King John spent £115 on repairs to the castle and moat. He even preemptively held it during the year of the negotiations leading up to Magna Carta, but its terms forced him to hand it back into the custody of Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury.

[Tremayne]

It would be so cool for a large group of RF goers to travel to these castles in garb and populate them for a day each. Dreams Dreams Dreams *sigh*

[LadyShadow]

That would be wonderful.

[DonaCatalina]

King John's Castle is on King's Island in Ireland. The walls, towers and fortifications remain today, and are a visitor attraction. The remains of a Viking settlement were uncovered during the construction of a visitor centre at the site.

The Viking sea-king, Thormodr Helgason, built the first permanent Viking stronghold on Inis Sibhtonn (King's Island) in 922. He used the base to raid the length of the River Shannon from Lough Derg to Lough Ree, pillaging ecclesiastical settlements. In 937 the Limerick Vikings clashed with those of Dublin on Lough Ree and were defeated. In 943 they were defeated again when the chief of the local Dalcassian clan joined with Ceallachan, king of Munster and the Limerick Vikings were forced to pay tribute to the clans. The power of the Vikings never recovered, and they reduced to the level of a minor clan, however often playing pivotal parts in the endless power struggles of the next few centuries.

The arrival of the Anglo-Normans to the area in 1172 changed everything. Domhnall Mor O'Brien burned the city to the ground in 1174 in a bid to keep it from the hands of the new invaders. The Anglo-Normans finally captured the area in 1195, under John, Lord of Ireland. In 1197 local legend claims Limerick was given its first charter and its first Mayor, Adam Sarvant. A castle, built on the orders of King John and bearing his name, was completed around 1200.

[DonaCatalina]

Today's castle was suggested by Lady Renee Buchanan. Castle Coch (usually pronounced Castle Cox) is a 19th century Gothic Revival castle built on the remains of a genuine 13th century fortification. It is situated in the village of Tongwynlais, north of Cardiff in Wales.
A castle was previously founded on the site and it is thought to have been built in the early thirteenth century by a Welsh chieftain named Ifor Bach. In the late thirteenth century the castle site was claimed by the De Clare family because of its strategic importance, commanding both the plains area and the entrance to the Taff valley. The castle was rebuilt in stone and consisted of a keep, towers, an enclosed courtyard and a gatehouse. 
It is assumed, in the absence of documentary evidence, that the castle was almost completely destroyed in the Welsh rebellions of the early 14th century. Certainly, in Tudor times, the antiquary John Leyland described it as "al in ruine".

[captmarga]

Castle Coch - LOVE the red trim in the courtyard!!

Nice choice!!!

Capt. Marga

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Thank you, Dona.

Steve and I plan to go there when we go to England in 2 weeks.  It is about a 3 hour drive into Southeast Wales from Weymouth, Dorset, where his parents live.  We plan to visit Caerphilly Castle, Castell Coch, and Cardiff Castle on a multi-castle pass. 

Alas, only 1 day in Wales, but we hope to see a lot.

[dbaldock]

Maybe you should wait and go when the days are looooooong!   


Take Care,
David Baldock

[DonaCatalina]

Today we are moving over to Italy. Larciano Castello became during the tenth century lordship of Auditors Guidi, while in 1225 it was sold to the town of Pistoia. The village became over time one of the most strategic areas for defense. Pistoia strengthened the fortress through the construction of walls and towers. In 1391 the [ur=lhttp://lh3.ggpht.com/_fHIMenmDrO0/SE71RmRKM8I/AAAAAAAAA8Y/a7VqSDmT2p0/HPIM1042.JPG]Castle [/url] assumed even greater value, becoming a solid military base of Commons organised Pistoia and Florence, which was subject to the danger of an imminent attack on the part of Gian Galeazzo Visconti. In 1401 it was conquered by Florence, becoming part of one of four podesterie of Pistoia.

[DonaCatalina]

On to Germany now to visit Festung Ehrenbreitstein. This castle was one of the greatest fortresses in Europe. Now it houses several museums as well as a Youth Hostel. It was first built in the 10th century. It was destroyed by the french in 1801 and was rebuilt by the prussians after the treaty of Vienna in 1815.

[DonaCatalina]

Get out your maps and look up coordinates 56° 3' 27.19" N, 2° 38' 52.79" W, we're going to Tantallon Castle
in Scotland. Tantallon Castle is a mid 14th century fortress, located 5 km (3 miles) south-east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to be constructed in Scotland, Tantallon comprises a single wall blocking off the headland, with the other three sides naturally protected by sea cliffs.

[DonaCatalina]

We're going back to Belgium today to see Château de Franchimont.
It sits at the western end of a small hill overlooking the village of Franchimont.
It is thought to have originally been built in the 11th Century, as a stronghold of the Principality of Liège. The original building was extended several times during the Middle Ages, once after a fire in 1387.
In 1487 the castle was besieged, and around the same period the La Marck family took ownership of it. In the early 16th Century the outer wall was built, with casemates and an artillery tower added.