The castle of Leuktron ( el, Λεύκτρον) or Beaufort is a late medieval fortification in the southern
Peloponnese.
The fortress was built by the
Prince of Achaea
The Prince of Achaea was the ruler of the Principality of Achaea, one of the crusader states founded in Greece in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade (1202–1204). Though more or less autonomous, the principality was never a fully independent s ...
,
William II Villehardouin
William of Villehardouin (french: Guillaume de Villehardouin; Kalamata, 1211 – 1 May 1278) was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamata ...
, on the eastern shore of the
Messenian Gulf
The Messenian Gulf (, ''Messiniakós Kólpos'') is a sea that is part of the Ionian Sea. The gulf is circumscribed by the southern coasts of Messenia and the southwestern coast of the Mani peninsula in Laconia. Its bounds are Venetiko Islan ...
, in order to keep at bay the
Slavic tribes living on
Mount Taygetos
The Taygetus, Taugetus, Taygetos or Taÿgetus ( el, Ταΰγετος, Taygetos) is a mountain range on the Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece. The highest mountain of the range is Mount Taygetus, also known as "Profitis Ilias", or "Prophet ...
. It is located close to the ancient settlement of
Leuctra
Leuctra or Leuktra ( grc, τὰ Λεῦκτρα, tà Leûktra, grc, τὸ Λεῦκτρον, tò Leûktron, label=none ) was a village of ancient Boeotia, situated on the road from Thespiae to Plataea, and in the territory of the former city. I ...
and the modern village of
Stoupa, on a large rock rising above the shore, forming a platform some long, wide, and less than high that extends from northeast to southwest. The curtain wall is constructed of irregular-sized stones mixed with brick fragments. Remnants of a square
keep and a cistern are still visible in the interior.
References
Sources
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Castles and fortifications of the Principality of Achaea
Medieval Messenia
1240s establishments in Europe
West Mani
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