Castles

A Fortified History of the World

By: Dan Jones

Narrated by: Dan Jones

From the bestselling author of The Templars and Powers and Thrones, Dan Jones returns with Castles: a gripping history of the world told through over three thousand years of iconic strongholds.

Castles have been built to defend humanity for millennia – from the walls of Troy and the desert bastion of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria; to Windsor Castle and the Tower of London; to Himeji in Japan and the Maginot Line in the Second World War. They have inspired terror and ambition, foiled conquering forces, and been deployed as the ultimate expression of wealth, status and supremacy.

Jones leads readers on a journey through centuries and across continents as each castle tells a unique story of power, politics and survival, revealing the shifting tides of warfare, the rise and fall of empires, the resilience of people under siege and the flourishing of new ideas.

Blending rich storytelling, cutting-edge research and beautiful original illustrations, Castles is an epic story of how humans first came to build fortifications and how they expanded into powerfully capturing our imagination. With Jones’s trademark scholarship and flair, he shows how defiance, endurance and imagination have been carved into the landscapes we’ve inherited.©2026 Dan Jones (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Epic in scope and lavish in detail, Jones tells the story of human history through the most dramatic ruins we have.

CASTLES is a book Dan Jones was born to write: his childhood infatuation, followed by profound scholarship and garnished with superbly engaging prose has produced a wonderful history of the strongholds that still excite our imagination and command our respect.