The Historical Atlas of Knights & Castles: The Rise and Fall of the Age of Chivalry

by Ian Barnes

With over 140 stunning, high quality maps, plans, and illustrations, this book brings the subject to life, revealing all aspects of knights and castles, mapping the spread of the Norman influence, the crusades and other important battles, the layout and location of major castles, and much more. 

The knight in shining armor is an enduring image in Western culture and this book contains the fascinating story of the evolution of the knight, his code of chivalry, and his homes, the castle. Knights have a unique military and romantic legacy, and this analyzes how knighthood has been portrayed in art and literature over the centuries. 

The book examines the distinct legacy of the knight, focusing on knighthood in its military and romantic modes and looking at the concept of chivalry as an ideal but seldom attained state. It also details the castle, explaining how and why they were built.  It looks at their construction and demonstrates how designs became more intricate over the centuries.  Castle life is examined in detail, focusing on the social fabric and hierarchy, work, entertainment, food production, and the castle town.  The role of religion and monasticism in castles is also explored.  Many of the major castles are visited and mapped, giving a real insight into the role they played in centuries gone by. 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Reference, Medieval History, Medieval, Historical

400 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Jim Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting rwad charting the beginning and end of knightly behavior and orders.

[Lauren]

An excellent high-level introduction on medieval war tactics and their evolution over time. I feel the title is grossly misleading as it spends very little time actually talking about knights and castles, but expends most of its energy explaining how and when wars were fought and how the tactics changed over time to suit new enemies, technologies, and understanding of clashing little men together in their tin suits to cause as much damage as possible at each go. Lots of time spent explaining economic and political circumstances surrounding each major war, which I find useful. But, as I said, not what the title would have suggested. The maps are a bit disjointed and inconsistent, but still often useful for imagining the placement and movement of troops.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really great book of maps of movements of all the primary powers of Europe throughout the middle ages. You can scan the book and see how modern europe took shape in the middle ages. This also gets into feudal structures, knights, and town and garrison structures.

[Ben Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good
Lots of good information, but sometimes I was a little bored.