Other
fortifications
Post-norman
fortifications
The
castle, a strong point of the defence but also an element for the control of
the economic activities and the management of the territory, in the Norman
period was consolidated and often transformed and enriched with new elements,
which gave it a closed character opposed to the empty one of the
castle-enceinte. The Norman presence had a crucial influence on the history of
the region even during later periods. Several Molisian castles are assumed to
date back to Swabian and Aragonese times, though in many cases they are
actually Norman buildings which were subsequently restructured and can no
longer be recognised as Norman.
The Angevin domination had repercussions on the political and administrative
structures, with negative effects on Molise which hosted a large number of
minor feudal lords who exercised a harsh fiscal policy. The pre-eminence of
the residential function manifested itself in the development of the
residential castle, whose principal element is the circular keep with a
truncated cone base (Riccia, Colletorto, Torella, Venafro). Castle
architecture in the Aragonese period brought new transformations, adding more
emphasis to the palatial role of the castle and featuring square or circular
corner towers (Cerro al Volturno, Ferrazzano, Macchiagodena, S.Elena Sannita).
Existing buildings were adapted to the generalised use of firearms, the towers
were trimmed and reinforced, the crenellated parapets were replaced by lower
merlons with rounded edges, and the curtain walls were reinforced with
escarpments and earth bastions. The new seigniorial palaces were no longer
intended for defensive purposes. Moreover, newly-built palaces were erected in
the centre of towns, though they often preserved the typical characteristics
of feudal residences (S.Martino in Pensilis, Portocannone, Frosolone, Ururi,
Casacalenda), just like the social organisation of the region continued to
display the old feudal connotations for a long time.
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