Medieval city tower houses as an indication of conflict and struggle for dominance: A comparison of selected European phenomena with examples from Silesia

Abstrakt

The article is a continuation of the theme addressed in the text Wieża mieszkalna – twierdza rodu czy symbol miejskiej komuny? (The residential house – a family stronghold or a symbol of urban commune?, “Quart” 2021, No. 3). In the first publication, the author focused on little-known examples of medieval Roman tower houses. In the text presented here, the analysis concerns the issue of social and military conditions of residential towers in relatively rarely analysed selected areas of the Apennine Peninsula, medieval tower houses in Dalmatia, the towers of Regensburg and also some examples of residential towers in smaller towns of Lower Silesia. For the Silesian examples, the phenomenon of Vogt Houses sometimes taking the form of towers was also important. The examples of architectural solutions discussed were chosen due to the possibility of determining their precise function, as well as their importance in the urban landscape of the selected cities. The examples selected illustrate well the phenomenon of medieval tower houses combining both representative and defensive functions. These buildings were focuses of some conflict within the urban community, but they were also one of the essential elements of its external defence.