A sconce is a small protective

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

, such as an earthwork, often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. It was used primarily in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

from the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

until the 19th century. This type of fortification was common during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, and the remains of one such structure can be seen on Fort Royal Hill in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

, England. During the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

for Dutch independence, the sconces (''schans'' in Dutch) were often used to defend strategic places, but were used also during

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

s and in circumvallations. Several more or less intact sconces remain in the Netherlands. The

Zaanse Schans Zaanse Schans () is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of historic windmills and wooden houses that were relocated here from the wider region north of Amsterdam for preservation. From 1961 t ...

, one of the top tourist locations in the Netherlands, derived its name from its original function as a sconce. Sconces played a major part in the

Serbian Revolution The Serbian Revolution ( / ') was a national uprising and constitutional change in Serbia that took place between 1804 and 1835, during which this territory evolved from an Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman province into a Revolutionary Serbia, reb ...

, countering the numerical superiority of the Turkish army. Most notable cases are the battles at Mišar, Deligrad and

Čegar Čegar ( sr-Cyrl, Чегар) is a location in Serbia where the Battle of Čegar, Battle of Čegar Hill took place. It was first marked on July 4, 1878 with the following inscription: :"To voivoda Stevan Sinđelić and his undying heroes who lost ...

Etymology

The etymology of sconce is from the Latin ''absconsus'', via the French ''esconce'': a word of many meanings, mostly signifying a covering or protection, or, by extension, that which is covered or protected. The word is closely related to the medieval Dutch ''schans'' and the German word '' Schanze'', as used for example in the name of

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's military headquarters, the

Wolfsschanze The Wolf's Lair (; ) was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The headquarters was located in the Masurian woods, near the village of Görlitz (now Gierłoż), about 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of the tow ...

.ensconceThe Lexiteria & alphaDictionary
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References

{{Authority control Fortification (architectural elements) Fortifications by type

Etymology

See also

References