Editing Castle (section)

==Locations and landscapes==
[[File:Montsegur montagne.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Highland castles such as [[Château de Montségur]] in southern France have become the popular idea of where castles should be found because they are photogenic, where in reality castles were built in a variety of places due to a range of considerations.<ref name=Creighton64/>]]

The positioning of castles was influenced by the available terrain. Whereas hill castles such as [[Marksburg]] were common in Germany, where 66&nbsp;per cent of all known medieval were [[hill castle|highland area]] while 34&nbsp;per cent were on [[lowland castle|low-lying land]],<ref name=Krahe>{{harvnb|Krahe|2002|pp=21&ndash;23}}</ref> they formed a minority of sites in England.<ref name=Creighton64>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|p=64}}</ref> Because of the range of functions they had to fulfil, castles were built in a variety of locations. Multiple factors were considered when choosing a site, balancing between the need for a defendable position with other considerations such as proximity to resources. For instance many castles are located near Roman roads, which remained important transport routes in the Middle Ages, or could lead to the alteration or creation of new road systems in the area. Where available it was common to exploit pre-existing defences such as building with a [[Roman fort]] or the ramparts of an Iron Age hillfort. A prominent site that overlooked the surrounding area and offered some natural defences may also have been chosen because its visibility made it a symbol of power.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=35&ndash;41}}</ref> Urban castles were particularly important in controlling centres of population and production, especially with an invading force, for instance in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th&nbsp;century the majority of royal castles were built in or near towns.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|p=36}}</ref>

[[File:Let vrtulnikem11 - hrad Srebrenik (13.-18. stol.) jeste lepe.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Srebrenik Fortress]] in [[Srebrenik]], [[Bosnia]]: inaccessibility of location with only a narrow bridge traversing deep canyon provides excellent protection.]]
As castles were not simply military buildings but centres of administration and symbols of power, they had a significant impact on the surrounding landscape. Placed by a frequently-used road or river, the [[toll castle]] ensured that a lord would get his due toll money from merchants. Rural castles were often associated with mills and field systems due to their role in managing the lord's estate,<ref name="ReferenceA">{{harvnb|Creighton|Higham|2003|pp=55–56}}</ref> which gave them greater influence over resources.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=181–182}}</ref> Others were adjacent to or in royal forests or deer parks and were important in their upkeep. Fish ponds were a luxury of the lordly elite, and many were found next to castles. Not only were they practical in that they ensured a water supply and fresh fish, but they were a status symbol as they were expensive to build and maintain.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=184–185}}</ref>

Although sometimes the construction of a castle led to the destruction of a village, such as at [[Eaton Socon]] in England, it was more common for the villages nearby to have grown as a result of the presence of a castle. Sometimes [[castle town|planned towns]] or villages were created around a castle.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The benefits of castle building on settlements was not confined to Europe. When the 13th-century [[Safed|Safad Castle]] was founded in [[Galilee]] in the Holy Land, the 260&nbsp;villages benefitted from the inhabitants' newfound ability to move freely.<ref>{{harvnb|Smail|1973|p=90}}</ref> When built, a castle could result in the restructuring of the local landscape, with roads moved for the convenience of the lord.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|p=198}}</ref> Settlements could also grow naturally around a castle, rather than being planned, due to the benefits of proximity to an economic centre in a rural landscape and the safety given by the defences. Not all such settlements survived, as once the castle lost its importance&nbsp;– perhaps succeeded by a [[manor house]] as the centre of administration&nbsp;– the benefits of living next to a castle vanished and the settlement depopulated.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=180–181, 217}}</ref>

[[File:Castelo_de_Almourol.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Castle of Almourol|Almourol Castle]] in [[Portugal]], which stands on a small islet in the Tejo River.]]
During and shortly after the Norman Conquest of England, castles were inserted into important pre-existing towns to control and subdue the populace. They were usually located near any existing town defences, such as Roman walls, although this sometimes resulted in the demolition of structures occupying the desired site. In [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]], 166&nbsp;houses were destroyed to clear space for the castle, and in York agricultural land was flooded to create a moat for the castle. As the military importance of urban castles waned from their early origins, they became more important as centres of administration, and their financial and judicial roles.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|Higham|2003|pp=58–59}}</ref> When the [[Normans]] invaded Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in the 11th&nbsp;and 12th&nbsp;centuries, settlement in those countries was predominantly non-urban, and the foundation of towns was often linked with the creation of a castle.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|Higham|2003|pp=59–63}}</ref>

[[File:Hämeen linna.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Häme Castle|Tavastia Castle]] in [[Hämeenlinna]], Finland, one of the northernmost castles in Europe. The exact date of construction of the castle is unclear, as far as it is known to have been built in the late 13th century,<ref name=Kansallis-museo-Hämeen/> but the first mention of it in contemporary documents is from 1308.<ref>{{harvnb|Gardberg|Welin|2003|p=51}}</ref> It was built close to [[Vanajavesi|Lake Vanajavesi]].]]
The location of castles in relation to high status features, such as fish ponds, was a statement of power and control of resources. Also often found near a castle, sometimes within its defences, was the [[parish church]].<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|p=221}}</ref> This signified a close relationship between feudal lords and the Church, one of the most important institutions of medieval society.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=110, 131–132}}</ref> Even elements of castle architecture that have usually been interpreted as military could be used for display. The water features of [[Kenilworth Castle]] in England&nbsp;– comprising a moat and several satellite ponds&nbsp;– forced anyone approaching a [[water castle]] entrance to take a very indirect route, walking around the defences before the final approach towards the gateway.<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=76–79}}</ref> Another example is that of the 14th-century [[Bodiam Castle]], also in England; although it appears to be a state of the art, advanced castle it is in a site of little strategic importance, and the moat was shallow and more likely intended to make the site appear impressive than as a defence against mining. The approach was long and took the viewer around the castle, ensuring they got a good look before entering. Moreover, the gunports were impractical and unlikely to have been effective.<ref>{{harvnb|Liddiard|2005|pp=7–10}}</ref>

{{wide image|Leeds Castle panorama.jpg|1000px|alt=A castle on two islands surrounded by a lake. A stone curtain wall runs along the edge of the first island and access is provided by a stone bridge and gatehouse. The second island has a square stone keep.|Movable panorama of the landscape around [[Leeds Castle]] in [[Kent]], England, which has been managed since the 13th&nbsp;century. The castle overlooks artificial lakes and ponds within a [[medieval deer park]].<ref>{{harvnb|Creighton|2002|pp=79–80}}</ref>}}