Under the shadow of a central place: defining the landscape with fortified places and their memory in the written sources of the Kingdom of León

Abstract

Castles usually appear in the Kingdom of León’s written sources during the medieval period. The 10th and 11th centuries show an increase in those mentions, including some that helped scribes describe the landscape and territory. This study analyses the different terminology that represented fortifications, and their use as spatial markers to situate other settlements, lands, or relevant sites. Further, it considers some fortifications that appear to have been abandoned when the documents were written as a useful tool to enhance the relationship between local territories and memory.