The castle was far more than a walled and turreted fortress; it was an instrument of social control and the symbol of power, authority, and wealth. Acknowledged expert Marilyn Stokstad combines interpretive essays and original documents in English translation in order to examine the role of the castle in society as well as its use in war. Commencing with an overview of the military and social systems operating in the Middle Ages, Stokstad places castles and other fortified places into an appropriate context. Readers are then guided through the development of early motte and bailey castles and the development of masonry towers and walls in the 11th and 12th centuries. "Medieval CastleS" considers the military aspect of castles, including seige warfare and the architectural response to attack and defence, in the 12th and 13th centuries. It explores castles and citadels as local and regional government and economic centers in the 14th and 15th centuries. It also looks at the symbolic role of architecture and at castles as elite residences and settings for public display. A concluding interpretive essay looks at the impact of gunpowder on castles as well as our continuing fascination with the castle as a romantic fantasy of an idealized world.

瑪麗蓮·斯托剋斯塔德是堪薩斯大學藝術史專業的Judith Harris Murphy 傑齣榮譽教授，也是堪薩斯Nelson-Atkins 藝術博物館中世紀藝術的谘詢顧問。她是數本教科書的作者，包括《藝術史》（1995,2005）、《藝術簡史》（2000,2004）和《中世紀藝術》（1986,2004）。在12世紀的雕塑、中世紀園林和西班牙聖地亞哥朝聖之旅等研究領域均有學術成果。