The role of castles in the political and military history of the Crusader States and the Levant 1187 to 1380

This thesis deals with the various functions of Latin and
Armenian fortifications in Cilician Armenia, Greece,
Cyprus, Syria and Palestine between 1187 and c.1380.
Offensively, such structures were needed as starting
points for both land based and naval campaigns into enemy
territory, and could thereafter be used to colonize and
suppress newly acquired land. Defensively, individual
strongpoints could also prevent Greek, Bulgar or Muslim
attackers from making any permanent conquests, whilst at
the same time protecting local farmers and traders against
the ravages of war. In addition, they were frequently
relied on to maintain internal security and to deter
hostile locals from rebelling against their overlords. The
security provided by fortifications meant that they also
fulfilled a wide variety of non-military functions as
prisons, residences, courthouses and administrative
centres. Most importantly, however, they enabled heavily
outnumbered Latin newcomers to conquer large parts of the
eastern Mediterranean without having to match their
opponents man for man, or risking a direct confrontation
with numerically superior invasion forces. These factors
made castles and urban fortifications vital to the entire
crusading movement, and they will therefore be discussed
in great detail, with reference to a variety of
contemporary chronicles and documents. In addition,
extensive use will be made of archaeological and
architectural evidence, for the design of an individual
fortress was clearly determined by the numerous military,
economic and political functions which it was expected to
fulfil.