ABSTRACT

Even in their most secure period in the mid-twelfth century, the Frankish territories were constantly exposed to the danger of assault. Defensive structures are consequently the type of buildings that most characterize the period, and even non-military buildings including churches, urban houses and farms often display elements of a defensive nature. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Franks built numerous castles in the East. Rather than seeing them as attesting to the strength of the Franks, we should perhaps regard the castles as the most tangible evidence of the instability of their holdings in the East. On a more positive note, they can also be seen as evidence of the resourcefulness of the Franks, and they are a most eloquent testimony to Frankish innovation and inventiveness.