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The "Gateways" of the Crusader Peloponnese: Castles, Fortifications, and Feudal Exchanges in the Principality of Achaea, 1204-1432

Shimoda, Kyle S.T.
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7079-297X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524060867817435

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
The crusader state known as the Principality of Achaea, established after the Fourth Crusade in the Morea (Peloponnese) in Greece, has been seen as an example of “pure” western European feudalism transplanted into the former lands of the Byzantine Empire. The numerous castles constructed by the crusaders that still stand in the Peloponnese testify to this feudal presence. The castle provided a base by which a feudal lord could establish and maintain local dominance in the area, by both resisting and threatening attack. In addition, the castles stood as testaments to the cultural views of the society that created them. I argue that the history of castles in the Morea emphasized intra-Frankish feudal conflict. The castle in the early years of the crusader Peloponnese was a tool by which the princes intended to keep their feudal subordinates under control, which aligns with the political trends occurring in contemporary western Europe. As central authority in the former Byzantine lands was weakened, however, mass construction of castles by the feudal lords occurred as they attempted to assert their independence from the central authority of the prince, effectively establishing a “feudalized landscape” in the Morea during the mid-thirteenth century. By the later thirteenth century, however, the return of the Byzantines to the Peloponnese prevented extensive intra-Frankish conflict, although feudal trends continued to accelerate in the crusader Morea. The castles of the Frankish Peloponnese were also key elements in the development of a distinctively “Moreot” style of architecture. Building on Heather Grossman’s arguments about the church architecture of Frankish Greece, I further conclude that the castles were also designed to communicate to the people of the Morea that a new and unique style of architecture had been born out of the fusion of western European and Byzantine architectural styles. The Frankish Morea conceived of itself as a unique society that combined the histories of western Europe, the crusades, and Byzantium, and this view is reflected in the construction of its fortifications. Ultimately, I conclude that a thorough understanding of the castles allows us to reevaluate the political and cultural history of the Frankish Morea during the thirteenth through fifteenth centuries, and that they have been underappreciated in this capacity. The story of the rise of the Moreot castles is also the history of understanding how the Frankish system of governance in the Peloponnese was molded by how the crusaders related to one another and to their conquered Byzantine subordinates. The proliferation of castles in the Morea split the society along feudal lines, and the Franks of the Peloponnese transformed their society into a thoroughly feudalized one in which both Frankish lords and Byzantine subjects played their part. The Franks of Greece were, essentially, prepared for war with one another. And so, while the narrative sources do give us the framework for understanding these developments, the castles are the best tools to fill in the details.
Timothy Gregory (Advisor)
Alison Beach (Committee Member)
Anthony Kaldellis (Committee Member)
314 p.
History
Archaeology; castles; crusades; Greece

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shimoda, K. S.T. (2018). The "Gateways" of the Crusader Peloponnese: Castles, Fortifications, and Feudal Exchanges in the Principality of Achaea, 1204-1432 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524060867817435

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shimoda, Kyle. The "Gateways" of the Crusader Peloponnese: Castles, Fortifications, and Feudal Exchanges in the Principality of Achaea, 1204-1432. 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524060867817435.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shimoda, Kyle. "The "Gateways" of the Crusader Peloponnese: Castles, Fortifications, and Feudal Exchanges in the Principality of Achaea, 1204-1432." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1524060867817435

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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