The bastides, or fortified towns, of south-west France were the new towns of the Middle Ages. The very first, Cordes, was founded early in the thirteenth century, and others were built and developed right up to the seventeenth century, affording their people both protection and prosperity. The architecture of the bastides is as stunning as their rural settings. It is characterized by elaborate double rings of fortifications, huge arcaded market squares, chequerboard urban layouts, and exquisite combinations of wood and ...
Read More
The bastides, or fortified towns, of south-west France were the new towns of the Middle Ages. The very first, Cordes, was founded early in the thirteenth century, and others were built and developed right up to the seventeenth century, affording their people both protection and prosperity. The architecture of the bastides is as stunning as their rural settings. It is characterized by elaborate double rings of fortifications, huge arcaded market squares, chequerboard urban layouts, and exquisite combinations of wood and stone pillars and vaulting. James Bentley gives an authoritative and entertaining history of the hundred most important bastides, their origins, their fate during France's many wars, daily life within their walls and their unique architectural style. He also provides a gazetteer of all the 200-plus remaining examples, with maps and aerial photographs.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine in fine jacket. 224 pages. Extraordinary condition Text is crisp, white & unmarked. Giftable! I. B. Tauris & Company December 1993. Octavo, 9 1/2" tall, 224 pages, black boards; color photographs, map. A fine, clean, neat hard cover.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Like New in Fine jacket. Size: 6x1x9; The fortified bastides of southwest France were the new towns of the Middle Ages, built to respond to the unique needs of a moment of medieval French history. The very first bastide, the astonishingly beautiful Cordes, was created in 1222 in the wake of the bloody legacy of Catharism and the Albigensian crusade, to provide prosperity and protection for its population. All the other bastides were founded either by the English or the French within the space of 150 years, and continued to develop until the seventeenth century. Most have survived as lovely small towns in spectacular countryside, and almost two hundred are discussed, and many also illustrated, in this book.