Forts

An illustrated history of building for defence

Forts cover

Description

A fascinating, illustrated history of forts and castles from their earliest origins to the 20th century.

Ever since humans began to live together in settlements they have felt the need to organise some kind of defence against potentially hostile neighbours. Many of the earliest city states were built as walled towns, and during the medieval era, stone castles were built both as symbols of the defenders' strength and as protection against potential attack.

The advent of cannon prompted fortifications to become lower, denser and more complex, and the forts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries could appear like snowflakes in their complexity and beautiful geometry. Without forts, the history of America could have taken a very different course, pirates could have sailed the seas unchecked, and Britain itself could have been successfully invaded.

This book explains the history of human fortifications, and is beautifully illustrated using photographs, plans, drawings and maps to explain why they were built, their various functions and their immense historical legacy in laying the foundations of empire.

Table of Contents

Preface

Origins
The medieval castle
The sixteenth century
The seventeenth century
The eighteenth century
The nineteenth century
The twentieth century

Index
Image credits

Product details

Published Sep 20 2018
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 224
ISBN 9781472827623
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jeremy Black

Jeremy Black is Professor of History at the Univer…

Resources

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