posted 01-05-2002 09:48 PM            

As for towns, this question hasn't come up lately.
Try this post; http://www.castlesontheweb.com/quest/Forum9/HTML/000220.html
Towns did sometimes develop around a castle, usually due to reasons of protection and service to the castle.
Often however, castles were built in an already existing town or village. It often depended on the suitability of the site.

As I always suggest, try your local library. The information is usually much easier to get from a book than to try and find on the web.

posted 01-08-2002 06:59 PM            

There are mainly those two types of developement that Erik already desribed.

• TYPE A: In old towns, dating back to roman times, castles were often built to replace an earlier fortification or other important building like a ruined palace for the roman administration, a theatre, etc. In times like the 5th to the 10th century, when the political landscape all over Europe changed very fast, a new townlord, (may he be count, earl or even bishop) needed a residence on a place which was an undisputed symbol for power and importance within the old citywalls.

The other type are the castles in towns founded in medieval times.
• TYPE B1: In a town founded by a mighty lord (king or earl), there would be built a castle toghether with the citywall as a residence for the lord or his substitute. This could be a larger structure or just a tower.
• TYPE B2: Near the castle of a mighty family, which is growing over the centuries and attracting more and more people like workers and merchantmen, a small town can be born if the lord is able to get the right to have a regular market there. Many of these towns stayed very small or vanished after some time. Others grew and even survived the fall of the original castle. Such towns also developed near old monasteries.