TLDR: Forts
When people voted for the border to be my next analysis of Capri's architecture I was not prepared for the amount of forts I would be looking at. Sure, I've read Prince's Gambit but rereading it for this analysis I realized how little detail we get on the architecture. Moving from location to location every few chapters is largely to blame for this.
The places we visit are pretty much all forts. We stop in a few villages but most of the book is populated with forts like this:When we are presented with a location it is likely to be a fort. Only a few villages are visited and there the details are sparse. That’s fine but it leaves the little room for my research. The forts are largely similarly described:
Now we are presented with a problem. I don't know much about forts. So I have worked to do some research in my free time to better understand them. I will likely be missing information but want to know more about this after being so stumped.
The forts on the Veretian border are likely Concentric Castles (also know as Crusader Castles). This is when a fort is set up with outer walls with a disconnected structure on the inside. The thought is that with two layers of walls the fort has a better chance of with standing siege warfare. This type of construction is very common throughout history though the main thru line on defensive structures are high walls and strategic placement.
I am once again going to Spain for examples of Veretian architecture. Central Spain is home to many concentric castles. After looking at them the best example that I found was Castillo de Guadamur. This is a castle from the Castile period (around the same time as the Nasrid period). It served as both a military outpost and housing for nobility. This can be seen in the following interior images.
As you can see from the exterior and interior images the Castle has influences from both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The styles serve different purposes, one for protection and the other for aesthetics.
Looking at the layout you can see how it the defensive strategies worked:
A low wall surrounds the keep with watch tower at every corner and on the center of walls. This provides a near 360 view of approaching foes. The main keep is separate from the outer walls. The tallest tower is placed in front of the entrance to protect the weakest point of the fort. This all serves the purpose of protecting those who are in the keep. Some elements that stand out to me are the construction of the battlements with the rounded dorms on the keep. This adds so much personality to the building while providing needed cover for archers that might be stationed there. It’s construction isn’t at all related to the Moorish style. Their forts didn‘t use the multilayered approach. Concentric castles on the whole to me were closer to Pacat's description. The interior of the keep has gothic ornamentation. The stone work is quite nice but makes sense for the interior of the space. With detailed stone work it would be a waste for it to be taken out by siege warfare. Though it doesn’t feel Veretian in decoration (see my first architecture post) it is a nice example of domestic gothic architecture.
With the information above I believe that Veretian forts, and likely all the border forts were inspired by Concentric Castles. Though Castillo de Guadamur doesn’t have the same funneling structure Pacat described it’s construction focuses on providing an advantage to the fort’s residents in a fight.
Looking on the Akielon side of the boarder is a different story. Greece approached protection of land and people differently. Most cities were coastal, thus defenses focused on protecting from attacks at sea. (Finding information about the construction of phrourions is difficult. Feel free to correct me if you are an expert) If we extend our range to Rome, their forts didn’t have have walls but the interior was more of a camp that evolved into buildings with time.
Since we aren't dealing with naval invasion on the border we can rule out phrourions as a possible inspiration. The only Akielon fort we visit is Marlas, which is described as follows:
This quote is puzzling to me because of my established belief of Moorish architecture as the base for Veretian style. The detailed stone work that Dame is referencing being used in ‘new building’ is odd to me. Isn’t Akielon style supposed to be the most simple version of Classical Greek architecture? Even then where would this stone be used? I couldn’t find examples of architectural changes in captured forts and keeps. That doesn’t mean there aren’t examples, I’m sure there are but I couldn’t find an example in the medieval period that matched that description.
If you know of examples of this please let me know! I would love to look into this happening and how the buildings were changed to fit new ideas of beauty. Personally, I think the architecture of Delpha and Marlas would contain a mix of the two cultures styles. As land that is hotly contested there would be influences from both countries especially in the buildings. It is more likely for there to be a public buildings built in Veretian style with a Akielon temple down the street. The fact that Pacat presents Delpha as a Veretian land, when it was apart of Vere for ninety years before the battle of Marlas, is odd. Elements of its history with Akielos would be visible in buildings. Some commoners, who would be very old, could have been children or born only a few years after Vere took over. Change would have been slow, especially architecturally. Master craftsman who only worked in the Akielon style, cities that were built to be Akielon, and people who would speak both languages. Unfortunately, I didn't see mentions of that in Kings Rising.
But that leads me into my next architectural exploration of Akielos. This will be less what real world styles inspired locations and more how the book’s descriptions of very white buildings doesn't reflect Classical Greece or Rome. (I have more of a background in Roman architecture, feel free to crucify me in the comments)
Sources:
The Castle of Guadamur stands as a testament to late medieval Castilian architecture and history, reflecting its role as a defensive strongh
