Castles and Kings

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Castles and Kings presents thirteen castles in England and Wales through the rulers, soldiers, prisoners and families associated with them. Rather than treating a castle only as an architectural type, Treece explains how each site functioned within conquest, royal government, rebellion and local power. The buildings become evidence for the people who constructed, defended and altered them.

The book combines historical narrative with an accessible account of walls, towers, halls and defensive design. Its individual castle stories show how military requirements changed across the Middle Ages and how royal residences could also be administrative centres, prisons and symbols of authority. C. Walter Hodges’s illustrations support Treece’s emphasis on lived space and historical action.