A castle is a type of fortified structure, generally built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages. Usually the private residences of lords and nobles, castles ranged from hill forts and country houses to expansive keeps surrounded by curtain walls and fortified towers. After the fall of the Carolingian Empire in the ninth century, castles were used for defence, as bases for raiders, as centres of administration, and for controlling trade routes. As symbols of power, some grand castles had long winding approaches that dominated their landscape. In the late 12th and early 13th centuries, a scientific approach to castle defence emerged, leading to the proliferation of towers, with an emphasis on flanking fire. Many new castles were polygonal or relied on concentric stages of defence that could all function at the same time. Castle building began to decline in the 15th century, when artillery became powerful enough to break through stone walls. In the 18th and 19th centuries, mock castles with no military purpose epitomized the Romantic revival of Gothic architecture.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
324:
Roman emperor Constantine the Great defeated former colleague Licinius in the Battle of Adrianople. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adrianople_(324)
1863:
Pickett's Charge, a futile Confederate infantry assault against Union Army positions, occurred during the final and bloodiest day of fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, marking a turning point in the American Civil War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickett%27s_Charge
1940:
Second World War: The British Navy attacked the French fleet (French destroyer Mogador pictured), fearing that the ships would fall into German hands after the armistice between those two nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Mers-el-K%C3%A9bir
1970:
The Troubles: The British Army imposed the Falls Curfew on Belfast, Northern Ireland, which only resulted in greater Irish republican resistance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_Curfew
2005:
Same-sex marriage became legal in Spain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Spain
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
coupist: One who takes part in a coup d'état. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/coupist
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
There is nothing besides a spiritual world; what we call the world of the senses is the Evil in the spiritual world, and what we call Evil is only the necessity of a moment in our eternal evolution. One can disintegrate the world by means of very strong light. For weak eyes the world becomes solid, for still weaker eyes it seems to develop fists, for eyes weaker still it becomes shamefaced and smashes anyone who dares to gaze upon it. --Franz Kafka https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka