The Hundred Years’ War between England and France is a story of an epic conflict between two nations whose destinies became inextricably entwined throughout the later Middle Ages. During that time the balance of architectural power moved from religious to secular domination, the Gothic form continued to grow and the palace-fortress was in the ascendancy. Seats of Power in Europe is a major new study of the residences of the crowned heads and the royal ducal families of the countries involved in the Hundred Years’ War. Though they were the leading protagonists and therefore responsible for the course of the war, do their residences reflect an entirely defensive purpose, a social function, or the personality of their builders? As well as the castles of England and France it also looks at rulers residences in other European countries who supported one of the protagonists. They include Scotland, Castile, Aragon, Navarre, Portugal, the Low Countries, the imperial territories of Bohemia, and the papacy in Avignon and then Rome.
The study concentrates on sixty properties extending from the castles at Windsor and Denilworth to those at Saumur and Rambures, and from the palaces at Avignon and Seville to the manor-houses at Germolles and Launay. A number of subsidiary or associated properties are also considered in more broad-based sections. Each region and its residences are prefaced by supporting historical and architectural surveys to help position the properties against the contemporary military, financial, and aesthetic backgrounds.
Extensively illustrated in full color with over 120 photographs and over 70 plans this is an attractive and accessible overview of how architecture both shaped and was influenced by events during this tumultuous period in the history of Europe. Essential reading for students of architecture, architectural historians, historians and those interested in Medieval Europe.
CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION
The Hundred Years’ War : 1330-1480
Seats of Power
Gothic Architecture During the Later Middle Ages
PART ONE : 1330-1400
2. THE AVIGNAN PAPACY : 1300-1400
The Papal Court Moves from Rome
Avignon, The Papal Palace
3. ENGLAND: 1330-1360
Ambition and Success at War
English Royal and Semi-royal Palaces
Windsor Castle
4. ENGLAND: 1360-1400
Retrenchment and Failure
Royal and Semi-royal Palaces
Kenilworth Castle
Palace-Fortresses in Northern England
English Response to the Threat of Invasion
5. THE FRENCH CROWN
Crown and Provinces in France During the War
Pride and Disgrace: 1337-1360
Repair and Recovery: 1360-1400
Castles during the Later Fourteenth Century
The Royal Residences
Paris, The Louvre
Vincennes Castle
Sully-Sur-Loire Castle
6. THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY
The War of Breton Succession: 1341-1381
Ducal and Seigneurial Defences and Protection
Suscinio Castle
Clisson Castle
7. THE DUCHY OF AQUITAINE
Economic Prosperity and Political Uncertainty
Regional Residences
8. THE COUNTY OF FOIX
Gaston, count of Foix
Gaston’s Building Programme
9. THE DUCHY OF BURGUNDY
The Growth of Burgundy
The Artistic Patronage of the Duke of Burgundy
Dijon, The Ducal Palace
Germolles Manor
10. SCOTLAND
A Persistant War
High and Royal Status Residences
Doune Castle
11. THE DUCHY OF FLANDERS
A Century of Political and Economic Turbulence
The Ducal Residences
12. THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
Political Involvement in the War
Architectural Development During the Middle Ages
The Royal Palaces of Iberia
Seville, El Alcázar
Monastic Palaces of Castile and Aragon
Zaragoza, La Aljaferia
Barcelona, Royal Palace
Palma, Almudaine Palace and Belver Castle
Perpignan Palace
Collioure Castle
Olite Castle
Sintra Palace
13. THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
Political Development and Cultural Consequences
Prague Castle
Karlstein Castle
14. THE ORDER OF THE TEUTONIC KNIGHTS
The Changing Purpose of the Order
Malbork Castle
PART TWO: 1380-1420
15. THE FRENCH CROWN
Charles VI and the Breakdown of Consent
Paris, The Royal Residence
16. THE DUCHY OF ANJOU
The House of Anjou
Angers Castle
Saumur Castle
Tarascon Castle
17. THE DUCHY OF BERRY
John, Duke of Berry
Bourges Palace
Mehun-sur-Yevre Castle
Poitiers, Ducal Palace
Poitiers, Clain Castle
18. THE DUCHY OF ORLEANS
The House of Orleans
Pierrefonds Castle
La Ferté Milon Castle
19. THE DUCHY OF BURGUNDY
John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy
Paris, Tour Jean Sans Peur
PART THREE: 1415-1480
20. ENGLAND
Surprise, Success, and Factional Bitterness: 1415-1453
Rouen Castle
The Dying Embers of War: 1453-1475
Royal Residences: 1400-1485
Eltham Palace
The Castles of Returning Commanders and Captains of War: 1340-1460
21. THE FRENCH CROWN: 1420-1453
Withdrawal and Reconstruction
Chinon Castle
Loches Castle
Rambures Castle
22. THE FRENCH CROWN AND COURT: 1453-1483
Recovery and Expansion
Fifteenth Century Castles
The Appeal of the Loire Valley
Montsoreau Castle
Langeais Castle
Fougères-sur-Bièrre Castle
Le Plessis Bourré Castle
Le Plessis Macé Castle
Plessis lès Tours Manor
23. THE DUCHY OF ANJOU
King René
King René’s Properties
Baugé Castle
Launay Manor
24. THE DUCHY OF ORLEANS
Jean, the bastard of Orleans
Chateaudun Castle
Anjony Castle
Beaugency Manor
25. THE DUCHY OF BURGUNDY
Expansion and Collapse
Culture at European Courts During the Fifteenth Century
The Ducal Residences
Bruges, Het Prinsenhof
Lille, Rihour Palace
Olhain Castle
26. THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY
The Maintenance of Ducal Authority
Ducal and Seigneurial Defences
Nantes Castle
27. THE DUCHY OF AQUITAINE
The Collapse of English Government
28. SCOTLAND
The Re-assertion of Royal Authority
Royal Building Activity
Lithlingow Palace
29. CONCLUSION
A War of Bankruptcy and Ostentation
Architectural Similarities and Differences
The Architectural Influence of War
Seats of Power
Notes:
Historical Review
Architectural Study
