Historical question: The strategic value of castles

Well, technically, "remparts" appears in Renaissance. There's simple walls maintaining earth as for resisting gunpowder artillery.
For the large stone walls, "muraille" would be more correct.

Now, in everyday language, "remparts" tends to be used as well for the latter, but there's no use knowing the difference if you can't be pedantic from times to times.

(Interestingly, english language seems to not really make the distinction)
 

Neirdak

Banned
Well, technically, "remparts" appears in Renaissance. There's simple walls maintaining earth as for resisting gunpowder artillery.
For the large stone walls, "muraille" would be more correct.

Now, in everyday language, "remparts" tends to be used as well for the latter, but there's no use knowing the difference if you can't be pedantic from times to times.

(Interestingly, english language seems to not really make the distinction)

So if I understand clearly, muraille is a word you can use for any defensive walls, including high curtain walls. Remparts are from trace italienne (star forts) and smaller walls between two bastions, with glacis, ravelins and tenaille. They became retaining walls.
 
So if I understand clearly, muraille is a word you can use for any defensive walls, including high curtain walls.
A muraille is a masoned wall, with a variable but generally high height generally without back sustaining.

Mur, fortification would tend to be more generic and fit for defensive walls as a whole.

Remparts are from trace italienne (star forts) and smaller walls between two bastions, with glacis, ravelins and tenaille. They became retaining walls.

Well, a rempart is typical from bastions, but technically not reserved to tracé à l'italienne, that is its refinement. (Even bastions themselves doesn't always have a rempart, for exemple in half-buried bastions). But your overall point fits in.
 

Maur

Banned
Well, technically, "remparts" appears in Renaissance. There's simple walls maintaining earth as for resisting gunpowder artillery.
For the large stone walls, "muraille" would be more correct.

Now, in everyday language, "remparts" tends to be used as well for the latter, but there's no use knowing the difference if you can't be pedantic from times to times.

(Interestingly, english language seems to not really make the distinction)
Oh, sorry. When you mentioned sentimental value, and linked to French castles consistently, i thought you had an experience with this:

http://www.rempart.com/
 
Thanks again for all the advice! You all were incredibly helpful!

Edit: Just a thought I had: If France had roughly 10.000 castles, that would mean around one castle every 8 km. That is really impressive.

Kind regards,
G.
 
Edit: Just a thought I had: If France had roughly 10.000 castles, that would mean around one castle every 8 km. That is really impressive.
(And now, think that's 10,000 known emplacements). Of course, it wasn't rare to have castles very close to each other, if not in vincinity : 2, 3 sometimes 4 castles in a same city or small region (Albi had 2 castles, Cucugnan was stuck between Peyrepertuse and Quéribus)

Remember that many castles were simple as this, or this or that.
 
Think on the North Wales castles of Edward 1, which gave him a method to control the surrounding country by allowing troops of men to be safely stationed between raiding recaltrient Princes. Plus the social benefits. They also act as a cost effective force multiplyer.

If you want a scholarly treatment, it may be worth finding Marc Morris' "Castles"
 
Edit: Just a thought I had: If France had roughly 10.000 castles, that would mean around one castle every 8 km. That is really impressive.
G.
For me that is a little bit too impressive. I mean unsupported by evidence.
If you try to find any estimate of how many medieval castles there were in Europe in serious academic books you will see that the authors carefully avoid mentioning precise number of castles.
And I think that is for a reason.

But I might guess where from this 10 000 might appear.

just a guess. If you are reading a book, for example this one
http://books.google.ru/books?id=xHKluWlJS_8C&lpg=PP1&dq=rise%20of%20the%20castle&hl=ru&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=rise%20of%20the%20castle&f=false
The rise of the castle
by M.W.Thompson
and you see a map (see the attached file) it might seem like "hell of a lot of castles". Literally hundreds.
But if you are careful enough you will see that for the most part these dots are ringworks and mottes.

140926.JPG
 
If France had roughly 10.000 castles, that would mean around one castle every 8 km.
Well, it depends on your definition of a "castle".

See the attached file. If this proud "Donjon chateau" at Saint-Sylvain-d'Anjoy France qualify as a "castle" than there might be 100 000 castles in France...

* Sorry for double posting but I am not sure how to attach two pictures to a post from my new laptop.

180.jpg
 
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