The castle is a unique phenomenon. Most buildings are created to fulfill a single, specific purpose like a church, a house, a factory, a school, etc. A castle could be a military base, a seat of government, a court, and a stronghold for the surrounding region. Castles have fascinated generations ...

Tracing Chivalry Through Knighthood Throughout my semester of studies on knighthood, I have noticed two major swings in its goal. At first the knight existed only as a vassal, a mounted warrior for fighting. Then as the first crusade came around in 1095 it turned the knights...

The First Crusades In the middle of the Eleventh Century the tranquility of the eastern Mediterranean seemed assured for many years to come, but little did the people know what was ahead. This embarks a journey back into the First Crusade. The Crusades were a time of confusion for most pe...

The Crusades During the Dark Ages, Muslim influence spread throughout Africa and Eastern Europe. The quick spread caused Christians to become more and more fearful of Muslim invasion. As new Turk leaders limited pilgrimages to the Holy Land and the Byzantine Empire became more susceptible to att...