Program:

14:15-14:30 Introduction by Associate Professor Rainer Atzbach

14:30-15:00 The Spaciality of Castles. The siege of Gottorp(1426) and the castle policy of king Erik VII by Dr Stefan Magnussen, University of Leipzig

15:00-15:15 Coffee break

15:15-16:15 The Archaeology of Anarchy? Landscapes of War and Status in 12th-century England by Professor Oliver Creighton, University of Exeter

Discussion and whine reception

All are welcome!

Abstract:

The Spaciality of Castles. The siege of Gottorp (1426) and the castle policy of king Erik VII, by Stefan Magnussen

Castles are traditionally analyzed as rather independent institutions, examined mostly in terms of military and architectural design. Recent approaches within the disciplines of archaeology and medieval history however challenged this simplifying perception, and emphasized the embeddedness of castles in various different and overlapping spaces. They illustrate the importance of developing an awareness of this spatial plurality as an effect on castle building, in order to be able to fully comprehend the complex functionality of medieval castles. By examining the events prior to the attempted (and failed) siege of Gottorp in 1426, when the Danish King Erik VII. (1397–1439/40) sought to satisfy his ambition to incorporate the duchy of Schleswig into his reign, the co-lecture will illustrate this embeddedness, and how its consideration helps to understand medieval castles.

The Archaeology of Anarchy? Landscapes of War and Status in 12th-century England, by Oliver Creighton

This lecture will examine material evidence for the conflict of the mid-12th century popularly known as ‘the Anarchy’, during the turbulent reign of Stephen, King of England (1135–54).

Drawing on new research and fieldwork, the lecture will provide an overview of the material record for this controversial period, covering castles, siege-castles, churches and settlements, alongside material culture including coins, pottery, seals and arms and armour, and question the ‘real’ impact of Stephen’s troubled reign on society and the English landscape.