Editing Citadel (section)

===400–1600===
[[File:Siége de la flotte turc.jpg|thumb|Although much of [[Nice]] was ransacked during the 1543 [[Siege of Nice|siege of the city]], [[Franco-Ottoman alliance|Franco-Ottoman]] forces besieging Nice were unable to capture its Citadel. Citadels have often been used as a last defence for a besieged army.]]
At various periods, and particularly during the [[Middle Ages]] and the [[Renaissance]], the citadel – having its own fortifications, independent of the city walls – was the last defence of a besieged army, often held after the town had been conquered. Locals and defending armies have often held out citadels long after the city had fallen. For example, in the 1543 [[Siege of Nice]] the Ottoman forces led by [[Hayreddin Barbarossa|Barbarossa]] conquered and pillaged the town and took many captives, but the citadel held out.

In the [[Philippines]], the [[Ivatan people]] of the northern islands of [[Batanes]] often built fortifications to protect themselves during times of war. They built their so-called ''[[idjang]]s'' on hills and elevated areas. These fortifications were likened to European castles because of their purpose. Usually, the only entrance to the castles would be via a rope ladder that would only be lowered for the villagers and could be kept away when invaders arrived.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filipiknow.net/archaeological-discoveries-in-the-philippines/|title=15 Most Intense Archaeological Discoveries in Philippine History|publisher=Filipknow|date=2018-07-03}}</ref>