"Were castles really as rough and rugged as their owners? The answer seems to be, “not necessarily.” Castles were inde…"

"Never as neat or well organized as many descriptions suggest, in essence feudalism involved the exchange of grants of…"

"The Church attempted to regulate this rather violent society, and eventually a code of honor evolved known as the cod…"

"Women played a greater role than might be expected in this elite warrior society, as heiresses and chatelaines in cha…"

"An alternate career path for a woman lay in the Church, where as a nun she escaped the dangers of childbirth. In the …"

"Before we continue our story we must stop to ask, “What is a castle?” Once a castle was defined simply as the fortifi…"

"When a strong central authority protects borders and reduces internal crime, people have little need for fortified dw…"

"As they captured each territory, William and his men secured their camps with simple earth and timber defenses charac…"

"Ninth-century castles were relatively small and simple affairs designed to safeguard a relatively small number of peo…"

"The castle was far more than a walled and turreted fortress; it was an instrument of social control and the symbol of…"