Crusader Castles

["John S. Quarterman" <jsq@matrix.net>]

>...
> Laurel wrote:

>   "Crusader castles were, moreover, garrisoned by very few people--the
>Crusaders were, after all, always a beleaguered minority--and, to offset
>this disadvantage, the defences of their castles had to be much more subtle
>and multi-layered than those of a city wall.

The largest, most famous, and best preserved was and is Krak des Chevaliers,
which was held for 130 years by the Knights Hospitalers:

 http://www.nadn.navy.mil/Users/history/abels/hh381/krakcastle.htm

Note the explicit comparison (with ground plan) of Krak with Richard
Lionheart's Chateau Gaillard in Normandy.  Richard learned much from
Crusader castles in Outremer.  Here are some pictures of Chateau Gaillard:

 http://www.giverny-art.com/andelys/indexen.htm

Another who learned from the same source was T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence
of Arabia.  The famous movie about him omits that before its action started
Lawrence had spent many years studying Crusader fortresses throughout the
Near East.

Lest the Templars not be mentioned, here's a list of the Templar strongholds
in Outremer:

 http://members.nbci.com/doru_gavril/strong.htm

John S. Quarterman <jsq@quarterman.com>
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