Schloss Berlepsch, Germany
In the 13th and 14th centuries, as the Holy Land Crusades became intermittent exercises in futility, the Crusading spirit moved to the north. Instead of taking back the Holy Land, they could take new pagan lands. The Teutonic Knights created a new Crusader front facing Prussia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Berlepsch Castle is right along this line, on the modern border of Poland. It was built in 1368 by the Berlepsch family independently of both the government and the Teutonic Knights. In fact, by 1392, the Landgrave of Hesse sent his army against the castle and ruined it, so that it had to be rebuilt in 1400. In 1461, a knight loyal to the Landgrave further strengthened it, and it became a key stronghold during the Thirty Years’ War (1600s, post-medieval). There was a final set of changes in the late 1800s. The castle was closed to the public until about 2010.
It’s hard to point to the castle’s features and say “this is definitively 14th century.” In general, we see that it’s a mix of stone and brick. There are glass windows and the upper story of the main building is not done in a super-secure military way, rather it’s timber-and-wattle like civilian houses. We can be sure that inside, the house had house-like features. video
Chateau de Pierrefonds, northern France
The first castle at this location was built in the 12th century, so it would have been a standard keep with concentric walls. A massive rebuilding was undertaken in 1393, when it became the seat of the Duke of Orleans, brother of the king. Defenses were updated; the gatehouse still had all of the machinery of war such as murder holes and a portcullis. But inside, more attention was paid to carved stone and comfortable rooms. Here is a map of the castle.
But in 1617, the castle’s owner joined the side of a prince who opposed the new King Louis XIII, and the result is that Cardinal Richelieu’s army destroyed parts of it so that it could not be used as a rebel stronghold. The castle remained a ruin until Emperor Napoleon III allocated government money to its rebuilding. The architect Eugene Viollet-Le-Duc rebuilt and restored it. The interior was over-restored; it’s even fancier than the 14th century project had made it. The castle has been chosen as the site for filming a number of movies. video of its history
This entry created 12/12/2024.