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Postern Gate
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often placed in concealed locations, allowing inconspicuous entrance and exit. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing defenders to make a sortie on the besiegers. Placed in a less exposed, less visible location, they were usually relatively small, and therefore easily defensible.Van Emden, Wolgang. "Castle in Medieval French Literature", ''The Medieval Castle: Romance and Reality'' (Kathryn L. Reyerson, Faye Powe, eds.) U of Minnesota Press, 1991, p.17 Tactical use Posterns were one of the essen ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Festung Dömitz Bastion Held
''Festung'' is the German word for fortress. Although it is not in common usage in English, it is used in contexts related to Central European, especially German, history. The term is used: * In the names of fortresses in German speaking Europe * For fortified areas in Switzerland's National Redoubt * In German World War Two propaganda for: ** Festung Europa — The defensive buildup of Western Europe against the Allies *** Vital locations along the Atlantic wall, including the entirety of Norway ** For key strategic locations which were to be held at all costs, especially towards the end of the war *** Festung Stalingrad following the city's encirclement in Operation Uranus *** Festung Warschau — used in different contexts in 1939 and 1944 *** Festung Posen *** Festung Kolberg *** Festung Breslau *** Festung Budapest *** Festung Königsberg *** Alpenfestung — the planned national redoubt ** For proposed post war German exclaves in key places such as Brest and Trond ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
York City Walls
York has, since Roman Britain, Roman times, been defended by defensive wall, walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England. They are known variously as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and the Roman walls (though this last is a misnomer as very little of the extant stonework is of Roman origin, and the course of the wall has been substantially altered since Roman times). The walls are generally 13 feet (4m) high and 6 feet (1.8m) wide. They are the longest town walls in England. History Roman walls The original walls were built around 71 AD, when the Roman Empire, Romans erected a fort (castra) occupying about 50 acres or 21.5 hectares near the banks of the River Ouse, Yorkshire, River Ouse. The rectangle of walls was built as part of the fort's defences. The foundations and the line of about half of these Roman walls form part of the existing walls, as follows: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Four Sons Of Aymon
The Four Sons of Aymon (, , ), sometimes also referred to as ''Renaud de Montauban'' (after its main character) is a medieval tale centring around the four sons of Duke Aymon: the knight Renaud de Montauban (also spelt ''Renaut'', ''Renault'', , ) and his brothers Guichard, Allard and Richardet, their magical horse Bayard (), and their adventures and revolt against Emperor Charlemagne. The story became popular throughout Europe, and echoes of the story are still found today in certain folklore traditions. Medieval and Renaissance texts French versions The oldest extant version of the tale is an anonymous Old French ''-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... ''chanson de geste'', ''Quatre Fils Aymon'', which dates from the late 12th century and comprises 18,489 French alexandrine">alexandrine (12-syllable) verses grouped in assonanced and rhymed laisses (the first 12,120 verses use assonance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chanson De Geste
The , from 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poetry, epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th centuries, shortly before the emergence of the lyric poetry of the troubadours and trouvères, and the earliest verse Romance (heroic literature), romances. They reached their highest point of acceptance in the period 1150–1250.Hasenohr, 242. Composed in verse, these narrative poems of moderate length (averaging 4000 lines) were originally sung, or (later) recited, by minstrels or jongleurs. More than one hundred ''chansons de geste'' have survived in approximately three hundred manuscripts''La Chanson de Roland,'' 12. that date from the 12th to the 15th century. Origins Since the 19th century, much critical debate has centered on the origins of the ''chansons de geste'', and particularly on explaining the length of time between the composition of the ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Renaud De Montauban
Renaud (or Renaut or Renault) de Montauban (Modern ; ; ; or ) was a legendary hero and knight which appeared in a 12th-century Old French known as ''The Four Sons of Aymon''. The four sons of Duke Aymon are Renaud, Richard, Alard and Guiscard, and their cousin is the magician Maugris (; or ). Renaud possesses the magical horse Bayard (legend), Bayard and the sword Flamberge, Froberge (; or ). The story of Renaud was popular across Europe. The tale was adapted into Dutch, German, Italian and English versions throughout the Middle Ages, inspired the Old Icelandic , and also incited subsequent sequels and related texts that form part of the Doon de Mayence cycle of ''chansons''. Renaud, as Rinaldo, is an important character in Italian Renaissance epics, including ''Morgante'' by Luigi Pulci, by Matteo Maria Boiardo and by Ludovico Ariosto. Quatre Fils Aymon The oldest extant version of the anonymous Old French ''chanson de geste'' ''Quatre Fils Aymon'' dates from the late 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Girart De Roussillon
Girart de Roussillon, also called ''Girard'', ''Gérard II'', ''Gyrart de Vienne,'' and ''Girart de Fraite'', (c. 810–877/879?) was a Frankish Burgundian leader who became Count of Paris in 837, and embraced the cause of Lothair I against Charles the Bald. He was a son of Leuthard I, Count of Fézensac and Paris, and his wife Grimildis. Girart is not described as being from Roussillon in authentic historical sources. The placename in his title is derived from a castle he built on Mont Lassois, near Vix and Châtillon-sur-Seine (Côte-d'Or). Girart de Roussillon is also an epic figure in the cycle of Carolingian romances, collectively known as the ''Matter of France.'' In the genealogy of the cycle's legendary heroes, Girart is a son of Doon de Mayence and appears in various irreconcilable events. Biography Girart fought at the Battle of Fontenay in 841, and followed Lothair I to Aix-en-Provence. In 843, Girart married Bertha. They had two children: Thierry and Ava. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moorgate
Moorgate was one of the City of London's northern gates in its defensive wall, the last to be built. The gate took its name from the Moorfields, an area of marshy land that lay immediately north of the wall. The gate was demolished in 1762, but gave its name to a major street, ''Moorgate'', laid out in 1834. The area around the street and around Moorgate station is informally also referred to as ''Moorgate''. The Moorgate district is home to many financial institutions and has many notable historic and contemporary buildings. Moorgate station was the site of the Moorgate tube crash of 1975, when a Northern City Line train failed to stop and hit a brick wall killing 43. This resulted in systems, known as Moorgate control, being installed on the Underground in order to stop trains at dead-ends. The gate The earliest descriptions of Moorgate date from the early 15th century, where it was described as only a postern in the London city wall. Located between Bishopsgate and Cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tower Hill Postern
The Tower Hill Postern was a small fortified entrance (postern) at the eastern terminal point to the London Wall, at the junction of the Wall and the Tower of London moat. The size of the gateway indicates that it was suitable for pedestrians and horsemen but not wide enough to accommodate wagons, carts or carriages. Antecedent gateway There is no evidence for a gateway on the site earlier than the building erected by Edward I around 1297-1308, and no reason for there to have been a gateway there before the expansion of the Tower of London. There are a number of circumstantial arguments including arguments based on road alignments, records of parochial disputes and indirect references by William Fitzstephen to indicate that there may have been a gateway further south that was replaced when much of the wall was demolished as part of the expansion of the Tower. History The Tower of London moat was dug in around 1270 as part of a scheme to extend the Tower, and part of the London ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New College, Oxford
New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first colleges in the university to admit and tutor undergraduate students. The college is in the centre of Oxford, between Holywell Street and New College Lane (known for Oxford's Bridge of Sighs). Its sister college is King's College, Cambridge. The choir of New College has recorded over one hundred albums, and has won two Gramophone Awards. History Despite its name, New College is one of the oldest of the Oxford colleges; it was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, as "Saint Mary College of Winchester in Oxenford", with both graduates and undergraduates. It became known as "New College" because there was already a college dedicated to St Mary in Oxford ( Oriel College). Foundation In 1379 William of Wykeh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest university in the English-speaking world; it has buildings in every style of Architecture of England, English architecture since late History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon. Oxford's industries include motor manufacturing, education, publishing, science, and information technologies. Founded in the 8th century, it was granted city status in 1542. The city is located at the confluence of the rivers Thames (locally known as the Isis) and River Cherwell, Cherwell. It had a population of in . It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. History The history of Oxford in England dates back to its original settlement in the History of Anglo-Saxon England, Saxon period. The name � ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skeldergate
Skeldergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. The street is now primarily residential, with many of its warehouse buildings having been converted into apartments. History During the Roman Eboracum period, the area in which Skeldergate runs lay within the civilian settlement. Trade took place throughout the area, and also in the Viking Jorvik period. The street's name is of Viking origin, and is often supposed to have derived from shield-makers in the area, but the ''Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York'' argues that there is no evidence for this industry in the area, and that such a niche trade would be unlikely to have given its name to an important city street. Instead, its name might derive from "skelde", meaning a shelf, and referring to the location of the street between the River Ouse and the then-terraced slope up to Bishophill, or alternatively, from the Viking name "Skjoldr", meaning a shield. The street was first recorded in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Layerthorpe
Layerthorpe is a part of the city of York in, North Yorkshire, England. It is outside York city walls, the city walls of York. The road through Layerthorpe from the bridge over the River Foss to Heworth is also shares the same name. Origin of the name York historian Francis Drake (antiquary), Francis Drake suggested in his ''Eboracum'' (1736) that the first part of the name referred to a resting-place (or "lair") used by deer on the edge of the Forest of Galtres. The second part (Thorp, "thorpe") is a placename suffix used within the Danelaw for small settlements adjacent to larger ones. The earliest known reference (in a charter of 1184–9) calls the area (then a village) "Leirthorp". History After William I of England, William the Conqueror created a dam in the River Foss in 1069 to create a moat around York Castle, the river flooded in the Layerthorpe area, forming a large lake that would become known as the "King's Pool" (or "King's Fishpool"). The King's Pool be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
