At Provins stands the ruin of an ancient castle whose erection dates back to the con quest of Gaul. It is known as the Grosse Tour de Cesar. While reputed to be of Roman origin, it has many evidences of origin in the Middle Ages. Its massive tower is square at the base, but as it rises it separates into four turrets, and the base at the height where they begin becomes octagonal. The turrets are con nected by flying buttresses. This donjon, as such it originally was, has two curious rooms or dungeons evidently used for the confinement of military and state prisoners. The structure now serves as the bell tower of the neighboring church of Saint Quiriace, likewise a relic of the Middle Ages. Off the coast of Normandy the Castle of Mont Saint Michel (qv.) is a picturesque example of the medieval strong hold. Situated on a lofty rock and surrounded entirely by water at high tide, it was almost impregnable, except for the fact that it had no fresh water, which itself was responsible for its surrender by its defender, Henry, to his brothers, William the Conqueror and Robert, in the year 1091.
Around the of Paris are many famous castles, some in ruins, but the greater number restored or altered, as residences, museums, or municipal and state buildings. To the east on the Marne is the Chateau Thierry; to the northeast the Chateau de Villers Cotterets, with gabled roof and towers, situated in the beauti ful forest of the same name; the Chateau de Pierrefonds, a perfect example of the feudal stronghold, at one extreme of the Forest of Compiegne, while another is the Chateau de Compiegne, modern, now a museum; the Vieux Chateau de la Ferte, in ruins, with its five towers and gate still standing. Near Nanteuil le-Haudouin is the old ruin Nantouillet sur les Fosses, and in the Forest of Ermenonville is the Chateau of the same name, Ermenon ville, a square and a round tower with part of the wall yet remaining. To the north is the Chateau de Chantilly, a palace, and the Chateau de Mouchy. To the northwest is the ruin of the Chateau de Gisors, a famous castle during the wars between France and Normandy, and near the city of Paris the Chateau or Palace of Saint Germain, residence of the kings of France. To the west, the Chateau d'Anet, the portal of which, due to its chaste design, is preserved in the court of the Ecole des Beaux Arts at Paris; and the °Donjon,' the massive remains of a medieval castle at Houdan, near which, at Boutigny, is La Vieille Porte feodale, the gateway to another castle of the same age. At Montfort is the Porte Bardou, a fragment of medieVal fortification, and in the Forest of Rambouillet, southwest of Paris, is the donjon of the original Chateau de Rambouillet, with later additions, south of which is the Chateau de Maintenon, a palace, and further to the south, near Auneau, a single corner of an old castle known as °Apaule de Gallardon.* Like
wise, to the southwest of Paris is the Chateau de Versailles, now a state museum, the magnifi cent palace of French royalty, and the scene of many of the most notable events in French history, particularly the Revolution. (See article On PARKS). To the south of Versailles is the medieval Chateau de la Madeleine, with donjon and a few other parts intact. South of Paris is the Chateau and Tour de Montlhery, in ruins, and to the southeast, the famous chateau and Forests of Fontainebleau, noted as the country residence of French royalty, and one of the showplaces of France to-day.
In Italy, with the exception of the northern part, the feudal system did not have the hold that it had in western Europe, and such castles as it possessed were rather of the paternal or family type, and the castles to be found differ likewise from those here de scribed. Such seats as were depended on for protection were usually the palaces of former Roman governors, built with a view to guard against the depredations of the Goths, Huns and Vandals from the north.
Spain in many ways is looked upon, particu larly for romantic reasons, as the country of castles. °Castles in Spain* bring to the imag ination feudalism and chivalry. Castile, one of the most important provinces, means °castle,* and throughout its whole extent are numberless ruins of Moorish and Gothic feuds' fortifications. The Spanish castle differs ap preciably from those of the northern countries, in that it was an appendage of the religious wars that were waged for centuries between Moor and Christian, and wherever a castle is found, there also is a cathedral or chapel or mosque. The Arab word for castle — Alcazar or Alcazaba —is found throughout the Iberian Peninsula, often as the denomination of the most important of the Moorish remains. The Alhambra, in part, was a castle, and here the Chalifs of Granada fortified themselves and founded a civilization of which the remains, yet visible, are a credit to Oriental culture. At Cordoba is the Alcazar, a famous sight to-day, and at Gibraltar, in the year 725 A.D., the Moors had a castle, the remains of which are still to be seen. The Alcazar of Alfonso the Learned, at Segovia, is a striking example of the combination of Moorish and Gothic architecture, a structure buttressed and turret ted, with a square donjon in the centre, which was also buttressed and turretted, like a citadel. The city of Burgos, Spain, takes its name from the word °Burg,* it being erected by the °German son-in-law' of Diego Porcilos, in the 9th century.