Re: Two Worlds II Castle Defense Download Pc Games 88
Malka Crickenberger
Up until the age of gunpowder, castles with their thick stone walls were the go-to way to create defensive positions. But unfortunately, after gunpowder and cannons, these marvels of the medieval world became obsolete, giving way to newer fortifications like the packed-earth wall and the star fort.
The Derawar Fort was originally constructed sometime in the 9th century CE. Most of the wall structure that is seen today dates from 1732. It changed hands a few times after its construction and although not the strongest castle ever built, it still proved to be a formidable fortress. It is a towering structure within the Cholistan Desert and can be seen from a great distance.
Although it is most known for its iconic buildings, such as the Parthenon, the Acropolis of Athens was a strategic fortress that was integral in the defense system of the city. Unfortunately, like the rest of Greece, the Acropolis was besieged and taken several times. The Persians, Romans, Ottomans, Venetians, and finally the modern state of Greece all successfully took over the site. All of these civilizations left their mark on the site, but today the Greeks have returned the site back to its original look.
This UNESCO-listed site is one of the best-preserved examples of traditional earthen clay construction. Dating originally from the Almoravid period in the 11th century, the site has been continuously inhabited for more than 900 years. Most of the buildings today are from the 17th century. The Ksar is made up of closely packed houses and buildings, surrounded by a defensive wall. One element that makes At Benhaddou particularly formidable is the fort or Kasbah, located on the steep rocky cliff above. At Benhaddou is regarded by many as one of the strongest castles in all of Africa.
The Castle of the Moors in Sintra is one of the finest examples of Moorish Architecture on the Iberian Peninsula. Following their expansion into modern-day Spain and Portugal in the early 700s the Moors built the castle in the 8th and 9th centuries. The castle only changed hands one time during its existence in 1147. After taking the city of Lisbon the Moorish forces occupying the castle gave it over without a fight. Today The Castle of the Moors is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site along with several other notable buildings in Sintra.
During the conquest of Wales, King Edward I decided to build several fortifications to help secure the Welsh under English Rule. One of the finest examples of these fortifications is Conway Castle (also spelled Conwy Castle). Located in North Wales, the castle was a constant target during Welsh revolts. Although the castle fell a few times in its history, it helped the English maintain control of Wales during some very turbulent times.
The Tower of London was one of the original defensive fortifications built to protect the city of London. Constructed using many elements from Romanesque Architecture, the castle is perched overlooking the Thames River. The castle was instrumental in maintaining London as a powerful medieval city. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 CE. Throughout history, it has served a myriad of different functions, including a defensive castle, a currency mint, a jail, and currently the storage spot for the English Crown Jewels.
The Aragonese Castle at Ischia is one of several Aragonese Castles that can be found throughout the Mediterranean. The Castle at Ischia, built by the Kingdom of Aragon in the mid 15th century, is a particularly strong fortification. Located on an island with steep natural cliffs, it is only connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway. Although the castle suffered severe damage during a siege by British Soldiers in the 18th century, much of the original walls and towers can still be seen today.
Dating from the reign of Ottoman Ruler Mehmed II, the Rumelihisarı also known as Boğazkesen Castle is a medieval castle located on the banks of the Bosphorus in modern-day Istanbul, Turkey. The castle was strategically placed along a narrow waterway, which was meant to block ships from sailing through undetected. The castle was an important element in the Ottoman siege of the Byzantine city of Constantinople. (which was later renamed Istanbul) Today the castle remains an important tourist attraction and is visited by thousands of tourists each year.
One of the largest castles in all of Europe by area, Spiš Castle is a highly formidable medieval fortress. The castle originally dates from the 12th century, on the foundation of a much earlier castle. Throughout history, it was primarily controlled by the Kingdom of Hungary. Unfortunately, after an 18th-century fire, today the castle is largely left in ruins. However, it is currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is frequently visited by tourists in Slovakia.
Malbork Castle is the largest castle in the world by land area and was originally built by Knights of the Teutonic Order. Construction on the castle began in the 13th century with many of the oldest portions containing Gothic Architecture, and work continued for several centuries after that. The castle was expanded repeatedly to provide more and more living space for the soldiers garrisoned within. This expansion created a series of defensive rings with different layers of towers, moats, and walls. Malbork Castle is strategically placed on the banks of the Nogat River, which allowed it to oversee much of the ships entering and exiting Poland from the Baltic Sea.
Potala Palace, while not technically built as a military fortress, is a formidable castle-like building. The defensive walls are on average more than 3 meters thick. Its design was made to protect its most notable inhabitant, the Dalai Lama. Construction on the current palace began in the late 17th century, although it was built on the site of an older building dating from the 7th century. Today Potala Palace is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known as one of the most important buildings in all of Tibet.
San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world. It was able to maintain itself as an independent nation during the unification of Italy, thanks in large part to the fortifications on Monte Titano. The three towers, most notably Guaita Tower, are perched high over the land below. Dating largely from the 15th century, the three towers are now listed as part of the San Marino UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Masada is an ancient fortress that was built by Herod the Great from 37 to 31 BCE. The fortress sits on top of a rock mesa with sheer cliffs on all sides. Masada is famous for a siege that occurred from 73-74 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War. A group of nearly 1,000 Jewish rebels barricaded themselves within the castle. They held out for a time, but eventually, in order to combat the fortifications, the Romans constructed a massive earthen ramp along the side of the cliffs. They used this ramp to attack the fortress with a siege tower. According to historical accounts, upon entering Masada, the Romans were astonished to find that all of the inhabitants had committed suicide in order to evade capture.
Aleppo is known for being one of the oldest continually inhabited cities on earth. In the heart of the old city of Aleppo, the Citadel sits atop a large natural hill. The majority of medieval castle construction dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. But the use of the Aleppo Citadel as a military outpost dates to as early as the 3rd millennium BCE. This makes it by far the oldest castle on this list. Unfortunately, large portions of the citadel were damaged in the Syrian Civil War, but restoration works are currently in progress.
A motte-and-bailey castle was a Norman fortification consisting of a wooden keep placed on a raised earthwork called a motte, overlooking an enclosed courtyard called the bailey. Originally, these castles were constructed from timber and earth alone; they were cheap and easy to build and didn't require any special design.
The motte (the word derives from Old French) was a large earthen mound with a ditch surrounding its base. It was often artificial, meaning it had to be built by piling up the earth, but sometimes, it incorporated a pre-existing feature of the landscape, such as a nearby hill.
The keep on top of the motte was the castle's primary defensive element. It was surrounded by a protective wall, originally made of wood. Small mottes could only support a simple tower, but larger mottes could support more complex structures that often contained multiple rooms.
The term bailey refers to a yard formed by flattening an area alongside the motte. The yard was surrounded by a wooden fence called a palisade and then a ditch. The bailey was the center of domestic life within the castle and could contain a variety of buildings, including halls, kitchens, stores, stables, a chapel, barracks, and workshops.
The bailey was linked to the motte either by a flying bridge stretching between the two or, more commonly in England, by steps cut into the motte. Sometimes, the ditches were filled with water by damming or diverting nearby streams, forming water-filled moats.
For example, a castle could have had more than one bailey, and a good example is Windsor Castle, where several baileys flank the motte. Alternatively, some castles, such as Lincoln Castle, were designed with a single bailey and two mottes. Fundamentally, each castle's design adapted to its natural surroundings.
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