In the sixteenth century, castles became palaces. Along the Loire river
and its tributaries the French built graceful palaces ever more divorced
from military reality, meanwhile in the south, Spain and Portugal—inspired
in part by the luxury of Moorish palaces and the availability of
skilled Moorish craftsmen—created architecture that gave rise to the
dreamers’ “castles in Spain.” Vestiges of medieval battlements decorated
the buildings, which were now built for comfort and display.
World History
