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A castellan was the governor
Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the Executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constitutive state....
 or caretaker
Property caretaker

A Property caretaker is a person who cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes in exchange for rent-free living accommodations....
 of a castle
Castle

A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...
 or keep
Keep

A keep is a strong central tower which is used as a dungeon or a fortress. Often, the keep is the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main Human habitat area, or contain important stores such as the Armory , food, and the main water well, which would ensure survival during a siege....
. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum 'castle'.
lly, a castellan combined the duties of both a majordomo
Majordomo (domestic staff)

A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, the term refers to the highest person of a household staff, one who acts on behalf of the owner of a typically large residence....
 (responsible for a castle's domestic staff) and a military administrator (responsible for maintaining defenses and protecting the castle's lands). This was particularly the case if there was no lord resident at the castle, or if the resident lord was frequently absent. Not to be confused with castellations, which are structures atop castle walls that provide cover from missiles to the castle's defenders in a siege.

a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2557685",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2557685")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/France">France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, castellans (known in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 as Châtelain
Châtelain

Ch?telain was originally merely the France equivalent of the English castellan, i.e. the commander of a castle.With the growth of the feudal system, however, the title gained in France a special significance which it never acquired in England, as implying the jurisdiction of which the castle became the centre....
s) who governed castles without resident nobles acquired considerable powers, and the position actually became a hereditary fiefdom
Fiefdom

Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritance lands or revenue-producing property granted by a Allegiance lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon....
.
imes, there was a castellan among the Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

There were six major officers of the kingdom of Jerusalem: the constable, the marshal, the seneschal, the chamberlain , the butler and the chancellor....
.

he Kingdom of Poland
History of Poland

Settled agricultural people have lived in the area that is now Poland for the last 7500 years, the Slavic peoples people have been in this territory for over 1500 years, and the History of Poland as a state spans well over a millennium....
 and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
, the Castellans were in most cases lower in precedence to the Palatine
Palatine

A palatine or palatinus was a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire times. The term palatinus was first used in Ancient Rome for Chamberlain of the Emperor due to their association with the Palatine Hill; the imperial palace guard after the rise of Constantine I were also called the...
s (with the exception of the Lord Castellan of Cracow who had precedence before Lord Palatine
Palatine

A palatine or palatinus was a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire times. The term palatinus was first used in Ancient Rome for Chamberlain of the Emperor due to their association with the Palatine Hill; the imperial palace guard after the rise of Constantine I were also called the...
 of Kraków
Kraków

Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
).






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A castellan was the governor
Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the Executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constitutive state....
 or caretaker
Property caretaker

A Property caretaker is a person who cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes in exchange for rent-free living accommodations....
 of a castle
Castle

A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...
 or keep
Keep

A keep is a strong central tower which is used as a dungeon or a fortress. Often, the keep is the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main Human habitat area, or contain important stores such as the Armory , food, and the main water well, which would ensure survival during a siege....
. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum 'castle'.

Duties

Usually, a castellan combined the duties of both a majordomo
Majordomo (domestic staff)

A majordomo is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, the term refers to the highest person of a household staff, one who acts on behalf of the owner of a typically large residence....
 (responsible for a castle's domestic staff) and a military administrator (responsible for maintaining defenses and protecting the castle's lands). This was particularly the case if there was no lord resident at the castle, or if the resident lord was frequently absent. Not to be confused with castellations, which are structures atop castle walls that provide cover from missiles to the castle's defenders in a siege.

France

In France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, castellans (known in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 as Châtelain
Châtelain

Ch?telain was originally merely the France equivalent of the English castellan, i.e. the commander of a castle.With the growth of the feudal system, however, the title gained in France a special significance which it never acquired in England, as implying the jurisdiction of which the castle became the centre....
s) who governed castles without resident nobles acquired considerable powers, and the position actually became a hereditary fiefdom
Fiefdom

Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritance lands or revenue-producing property granted by a Allegiance lord, generally to a vassal, in return for a form of allegiance, originally to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon....
.

Jerusalem

At times, there was a castellan among the Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Officers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

There were six major officers of the kingdom of Jerusalem: the constable, the marshal, the seneschal, the chamberlain , the butler and the chancellor....
.

Poland

In the Kingdom of Poland
History of Poland

Settled agricultural people have lived in the area that is now Poland for the last 7500 years, the Slavic peoples people have been in this territory for over 1500 years, and the History of Poland as a state spans well over a millennium....
 and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The Polish?Lithuanian Commonwealth was one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th and 17th-century Europe, formed by a Union of Lublin of Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1569....
, the Castellans were in most cases lower in precedence to the Palatine
Palatine

A palatine or palatinus was a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire times. The term palatinus was first used in Ancient Rome for Chamberlain of the Emperor due to their association with the Palatine Hill; the imperial palace guard after the rise of Constantine I were also called the...
s (with the exception of the Lord Castellan of Cracow who had precedence before Lord Palatine
Palatine

A palatine or palatinus was a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire times. The term palatinus was first used in Ancient Rome for Chamberlain of the Emperor due to their association with the Palatine Hill; the imperial palace guard after the rise of Constantine I were also called the...
 of Kraków
Kraków

Krak?w , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow , is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland, with a population of 756,336 in 2007 ....
). Castellans were in charge of a part of a Palatinate
Palatinate

The Palatinate of the Rhine , later the Electoral Palatinate , was a historical territory of the Holy Roman Empire, a Palatinate administered by a count palatine....
 called Castellany
Castellany

A castellany was a district administered by a castellan.Castellanies appeared during the Middle Ages and in most current states are now replaced by a more modern type of country subdivision....
 (Polish
Polish language

Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
: Kasztelania) until the 15th century and from that time on their domain was divided into province
Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state....
s for Greater Castellans and powiat
Powiat

A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries....
s for Minor Castellans.

Japan


See also

  • Medieval warfare
    Medieval warfare

    Medieval Warfare is the warfare of the Middle Ages. In Europe, technological, cultural, and social developments had forced a dramatic transformation in the character of warfare from Classical antiquity, changing military military tactics and the role of cavalry and artillery....
  • Castle
    Castle

    A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...