Crusader Castles of the Teutonic Knights (1) AD 1230-1466: The Red Brick Castles of Prussia 1230-1466

The Teutonic Knights were the most warlike of the religious orders, and this is reflected in the architecture they left behind. The Teutonic memorials are the magnificent castles they built as a result of their conquest of Prussia. They were all built of brick, and raised during a period of less than a century and a half between 1230 and 1380. Many of these dramatic fortresses still exist today in what is now Poland, and provide a unique example of an architectural style that is both well defined and very closely reflects the nature of the men who created it. This book details the history of these spectacular fortresses from their inception through to their eventual decline and fall.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - Tour of the Sites - The Principles of Defence - The Living Sites - Operational History - Aftermath - The Sites Today - Bibliography and Further Reading - Glossary - Index

Author Biography

Stephen Turnbull is the world's leading English language authority on medieval Japan and the samurai. He has travelled extensively in the far east, particularly in Japan and Korea and is the author of 'The Samurai - A Military History' and Men-at-Arms 86: 'Samurai Armies 1550-1615'. Peter Dennis was born in 1950 and, having been inspired by contemporary magazines such as 'Look and Learn', studied illustration at Liverpool Art College. He has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects.