Call for paper

    From the 11^th century onwards, the castle, an emanation and symbol of seigneurial power, illustrated, among other things, the social and economic domination of the aristocracy over the peasantry (MAZEL, 2010, pp. 447-490). Castellological studies, both archaeological and historical, have mainly emphasised the residential and military characteristics of castles in relation to the development of medieval lordship. In the introduction to his book entitled Le château dans la France médiévale (FOURNIER, 1979), Gabriel Fournier already emphasised in the 1970s that the castle should be considered in relation to the space and population around it, but also to the political, economic and social events of which it is a manifestation. He also stated that the castle forms a whole with closely intertwined military, political, economic, social and religious aspects. He thus demonstrated the territorial role of the castle as a centre for population growth, a crossroads and a local economic hub. His study is echoed in recent work on the medieval economy, notably that of Laurent Feller, for whom ‘the seigneury is an economic organism whose function is to provide income for the lord, but it is also a territory to be governed’ (FELLER, 2017, p. 137-165). 

    The network of castles was accompanied by the increasing territorialisation of seigneurial domination. As Florian Mazel shows, this took place through the justice system, but also through socio-economic processes (MAZEL, 2010, pp. 447-490). This power is illustrated in the taxation system relating to castellanies (FELLER, 2017, pp. 137-165). Taxes in kind, even if their economic value is often confused with a symbolic aspect (CORRIOL, 2012), appear every year in medieval accounts and are sometimes resold according to various logic (CARRIER, 2009). The castle was therefore a local centre of taxation. These levies also make it possible to ‘sketch out’ the agricultural and cereal production systems of the medieval countryside (MANEUVRIER, 2000). While the economic and symbolic function of these fees has been the subject of historical studies, the practical management of these revenues seems to have been overlooked by researchers. Since lords received part of the revenues from their castellanies in kind, they had to be able to collect and store them, for varying lengths of time depending on the type of goods, within the castle walls. The aim here is therefore to examine the material dimension of the castle as the economic centre of a territory, beyond the usual residential or military aspects, and to consider the resources exploited in the seigniory's territory by highlighting the storage areas.

    Archaeological excavations have revealed numerous storage structures in castle contexts, with or without recognition of their contents. Of particular note is the large silage area uncovered on the Blois castle promontory in the late 1990s (AUBOURG V., JOSSET D., 2000; the silos are presented in CRÉPIN-LEBLOND, M.-C. FOREST (ed.), 2000, p. 69 et seq.) or the wooden furniture (chests) used for storage and economic life at the Charavines Colletières site (COLARDELLE M., MOYNE J.-P. and VERDEL E., 2023), of which often only the keys remain, as for example at Andone (BOURGEOIS L., 2009). The spatialisation of storage within the castle grounds, and its place in relation to the occupation of the elite, is not a secondary issue, and it seems that this dimension contributes significantly to the morphology of castle sites. However, unlike urban spaces, this theme has not received as much attention in characterising the morphology of castle spaces (CONTE P., LABORIE Y., 2008). For example, a recent publication on cellars and storerooms focuses on towns and urban houses, with only one article and two boxes addressing this issue in relation to castral spaces (ANTAKI-MASSON P., 2019; MOREAU Q., 2019. Another box discusses cellars used for military purposes: De CROUY-CHANEL E., 2019). 

    Questions relating to these spaces touch on various areas of research concerning castles. The organisation of study days, part of two areas of research within the ARTEHIS joint research unit (Landscape Construction and Elaboration of the Past and Community Construction), provides an opportunity to focus on this subject by drawing on and examining both archaeological and historical sources, as these spaces appear in accounts and descriptions of works. The advantage of a transdisciplinary approach would be to offer comprehensive studies (at the scale of a site, a space or a chronological span) or cases that resonate with the theme according to the questions presented below.

    We will therefore attempt to identify and distinguish the resources stored in the castle (or castle complex) that were used in everyday life or to enhance the prestige of those living within this space. For the time being, we will focus on food resources: 

• Archival sources: what do the texts tell us about the location of these spaces and/or the nature of the fees collected? The aim here is to document the exploited landscape (what kind of peasant economy did they come from?) and even to gauge the quantities and types of production collected via the accounts, but also to examine the vocabulary used to designate the places and structures used for temporary or permanent storage or preservation (granaries, “galetas”, cellars, haylofts, icehouses, cisterns, etc.); how are they used and for how long? (e.g. the duration of storage during periods of insecurity). Medieval and modern iconographic sources can be used to support the description of these spaces or to help locate them within the castle grounds.
• Archaeological sources: what types of archaeological structures have been identified as storage structures (sunken structures, built structures, movable structures, buildings, floors, dedicated rooms)? Where are they located within the castle grounds in relation to the other functions of the buildings (residential, military)? What is their relationship with the rest of the castral complex: integrated or independent, accessible, defended or concealed?  

    Also, if these structures can be identified as storage spaces, what do they contain and for how long (seasonal periodicity, short or long storage, water management)?

   Ecofacts (carpology, phytorests) can document and shed light on the understanding of the environment and resources managed or generated around the castrum.

The papers we wish to receive for these conference days, to be held at the MSH in Dijon on 24 and 25 September 2026, will focus on unpublished work (historical research, archaeological reports, specialised studies, etc.) that sheds light on one or more of the questions raised. Indeed, the proceedings of these conference days are planned to be published.

The call for papers is open until 1st June 2026.

Bibliography : 

ANTAKI-MASSON P., « Pour veiller au grain : les lieux de stockage dans les fortifications croisées de Terre sainte », dans Caves et celliers dans l’Europe médiévale et moderne, Tours, Presses universitaires François Rabelais, 2019, p. 373‑385

AUBOURG V. et JOSSET D., « Le site du promontoire du château de Blois du VIII^e au XI^e s. (Loir-et-Cher). (Première partie : niveaux et structures) », in Revue Archéologique du Centre de la France, 39, 2000, p. 161-197.

BOURGEOIS L., Une résidence des comtes d'Angoulême autour de l'an Mil : le castrum d'Andone (Villejoubert, Charente) : publication des fouilles d'André Debord, 1971-1995, Publications du CRAHAM, Caen, 2009.

CARRIER N., « Le rachat des redevances en nature en Dauphiné et en Savoie à la fin du Moyen Âge, d’après les venditiones des comptes de châtellenie (XIII^e-XV^e siècle) », dans Calculs et rationalités dans la seigneurie médiévale, FELLER Laurent (dir.), Paris, Editions de la Sorbonne, 2009.

COLARDELLE M., MOYNE J.-P. et VERDEL E., L’habitat fortifié de Colletière à Charavines et le pays du lac de Paladru au XI^e siècle, Caen, France, Presses universitaires de Caen, 2023.

CONTE P. et LABORIE Y., « Stocker et conserver dans l’habitat urbain médiéval du sud-ouest de la France (XII^e-XV^e siècles) », dans La maison au Moyen Âge dans le Midi de la France, Actes du colloque de Cahors 6, 7 et 8 juillet 2006, Mémoires de la Société Archéologique du Midi de la France – Hors-série 2008, p. 255 à 283.

CORRIOL V., « Redevances symboliques et résistance paysanne au Moyen Âge », dans Histoire & Sociétés rurales, vol. 37, 2012,, p. 15-42.

CRÉPIN-LEBLOND, M.-C. FOREST (dir.), Blois, un château de l’an mil, T. Paris, 2000, p. 69 et suiv.

De CROUY-CHANEL E. « Les Caves du château de la Guerche », dans Caves et celliers dans l’Europe médiévale et moderne, Tours, Presses universitaires François Rabelais, 2019, p. 403-404.

FELLER L., Paysans et seigneurs au Moyen Âge, Paris, Armand Colin, 2017.

FOURNIER G., Le château dans la France médiévale, essai de sociologie monumentale, Paris, Aubier, 1979.

MANEUVRIER C., « Les rentes en nature : un indicateur des systèmes céréaliers médiévaux ? À travers les campagnes normandes (IX^e-XIV^e siècle), dans Histoire & Sociétés rurales, vol. 13, 2000, p. 9-38.

MAZEL F., Féodalités, Paris, Belin, 2010.

MOREAU Q., « Le Haut-Clairvaux : structures souterraines en contexte castral », dans Caves et celliers dans l’Europe médiévale et moderne, Tours, Presses universitaires François Rabelais, 2019, p. 385-386.