The Karácsonkő Castle: an Outpost on the Eastern Side of the Carpathians

Sófalvi, András (2021) The Karácsonkő Castle: an Outpost on the Eastern Side of the Carpathians. HUNGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGY, 10 (4). pp. 27-38. ISSN 2416-0296

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Abstract

The concept of an “outpost garrison” is hardly to be found in medieval written sources or among the terms used by medieval historians and archaeologists, but the title – borrowed from a novel by Jenő Rejtő – is not a mere catchphrase but conveys a substantial message, as we will see in this paper. Since their discovery half a century ago, the medieval artefacts, mainly weapons, of the Karácsonkő Castle have not received sufficient attention in Hungarian archaeological research. They are alien to the context, as the fortification is located on the Moldavian side of the Eastern Carpathians, beyond the historical borders of the Kingdom of Hungary, which have become fixed by the early modern and modern period. The main topics of my analysis are the relationship of the fortification with the contemporary Hungarian castle organisation, the evaluation of its role in border defence and politics, and its destruction.

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