Castles at War: The Danish Castle Research Association "Magt, Borg og Landskab" Interdisciplinary Symposium 2013

The symposium will focus on the political and military aspects of castles in medieval warfare, in particular during the period AD 1000–1660. Castles were strongholds of vital military importance and played a central role in the political strategies of the ruling elite. The role of castles in medieval warfare has long been considered a topic primarily for a narrow circle of specialists in military history, while historians have generally focused on the broader social, economic and political aspects of castles and archaeologists focused on the structural aspects and excavations of particular sites. The picture is changing, however, and both historians and archaeologists are starting to recognise decisive importance of castles in medieval warfare.