【简译】康威城堡 (Conwy Castle)

Conwy Castle (aka Conway Castle), located in North Wales, was built by Edward I of England (r. 1272-1307 CE) from 1283 to 1292 CE to protect and maintain, along with several other castles, his newly acquired dominance in the region. Built on a rock promontory, the castle incorporated the latest defensive design features such as massive round towers, a double courtyard or bailey, and outer barbican defensive walls and towers. Conwy Castle is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

          康威城堡（Conway Castle）位于北威尔士，由英格兰的爱德华一世（公元 1272 年至 1307 年）于公元 1283 年至 1292 年期间建造，旨在与其他几座城堡一起保护和维持他在该地区新获得的统治地位。城堡建在岩石岬角上，采用当时最新颖的防御设计，如巨大的圆塔、双层庭院或城寨堡垒、外栅防御墙与塔楼。康威城堡已被联合国教科文组织列为世界文化遗产。

  爱德华一世城堡建筑

From 1272 CE Edward I, the new king of England, conquered most of Wales and joined it with the county system present in England. Following the death of Llywelyn, the Prince of Wales, in 1282 CE, the only part of Wales which remained free was the wild mountainous north and here the king built several major castles which included Caernarfon Castle, Harlech Castle, and Conwy Castle. Work began on Conwy Castle in March 1283 CE and would continue over that decade, the vast team of labourers, masons, and craftsmen being supervised by Master James of Saint Georges (c. 1235-1308 CE), the experienced architect and engineer who had previously built castles in Europe and who would be involved in many of Edward's other Welsh castles.

          从公元 1272 年起，英格兰新国王爱德华一世征服了威尔士的大部分地区，并将其纳入英格兰现有的郡县制度。公元 1282 年，威尔士亲王卢埃林 (Llywelyn) 去世后，威尔士唯一仍然自由的地区是北部荒凉的山区，国王在这里建造了几座主要城堡，其中包括卡那封城堡 (Caernarfon Castle)、哈莱克城堡 (Harlech Castle)和康威城堡( Conwy Castle )。康威城堡的建造于公元 1283 年 3 月开始，并持续了十年之久，由圣乔治的詹姆斯大师（约公元 1235-1308 年）负责监督庞大的工人、泥瓦匠和工匠团队，詹姆斯大师是一位经验丰富的建筑师和工程师，曾在欧洲建造过城堡，并参与了爱德华的许多其他威尔士城堡的建造。  

King Edward selected as a suitable site for the castle a high rock perched above the estuary of the River Conwy on the east side and the Gyffin stream on the south side. Easily defended, the castle could then be supplied by the river in times of siege. However, as with his other castles, Conwy's position had a significance beyond mere defensive features as it was also the site of the Cistercian Aberconwy Abbey of Saint Mary, founded there a century before. The abbey was also the burial place of Llywelyn ap Iorworth, the prince who ruled North Wales and who is often called Llywelyn the Great (r. 1195-1240 CE). The Cistercian monks were obliged to move elsewhere (although Edward did pay for the move) and, once again, the English king appropriated a culturally significant site for his own message: a new order had begun.

          爱德华国王选择了一块高高的岩石作为城堡的合适地基，这块岩石位于康威河（River Conwy）东侧和吉芬河（Gyffin）南侧的河口之上。城堡易守难攻，在被围困时可以通过河流获得补给。然而，与其他城堡一样，康威城堡的位置意义不仅仅在于防御，因为它还是一个世纪前在此建立的熙笃会阿伯康威圣玛丽修道院的所在地。该修道院也是统治北威尔士的王子卢埃林 (Llywelyn ap Iorworth) 的埋葬地，他通常被称为卢埃林大帝（Llywelyn the Great，公元 1195-1240 年在位）。熙笃会的修道士们不得不迁往别处（尽管爱德华支付了搬迁费用），英格兰国王再一次将一个具有重要文化意义的地方据为己有，以传达自己的信息：新的秩序已经开始。

Local limestone and grey sandstone were used (except for finely carved decorative elements), most of which came from a quarry right next to the town, greatly saving on costs as the transport of heavy materials was by far the most expensive part of building a medieval castle. Still, other materials such as lead, steel, iron, tin, and glass came from across the kingdom so that, altogether, the castle cost some 15,000 pounds (over $30 million today) to finish. It was money well spent, though, because Edward needed the castle for his own personal safety in the winter of 1294-5 CE. The Welsh uprising led by Madog ap Llywelyn resulted in an army besieging Conwy, and the castle could not be reinforced until the spring because of heavy floods. Edward was even obliged to share out his personal wine stock as the siege bit hardest in early 1295 CE. This was to be the only time Edward ever stayed at Conwy; perhaps he had bad memories of the siege and had no wish to ever return. In 1301 CE Edward had his son, the future Edward II of England (r. 1307-1327 CE) declared the Prince of Wales, and he received homage from his subjects in a ceremony at Conwy Castle. The castle then went through a period of neglect but was repaired in the second half of the 14th century CE.

          城堡的建造使用了当地的石灰石和灰砂岩（精雕细刻的装饰元素除外），其中大部分来自城镇旁边的采石场，大大节省了成本，因为运输重型材料是中世纪城堡建设中最昂贵的部分。此外，铅、钢、铁、锡和玻璃等其他材料也来自整个王国，因此，城堡的完工总共花费了大约 15000 英镑（相当于现在的 3000 多万美元）。不过，这笔钱花得很值，因为在公元 1294-5 年的冬天，爱德华需要这座城堡来保证自己的人身安全。马多格·阿普·卢韦林领导的威尔士起义军围攻康威，由于洪水泛滥，城堡直到春天才得以加固。公元 1295 年初，在围困最艰难的时候，爱德华甚至不得不分享他个人的葡萄酒储备。这也是爱德华唯一一次在康威逗留；也许他对那次围城留下了不好的回忆，再也不想回来了。公元 1301 年，爱德华宣布他的儿子，未来的英格兰爱德华二世（公元 1307-1327 年）为威尔士亲王，并在康威城堡举行仪式接受臣民的致敬。后来，这座城堡一度荒废，但在公元 14 世纪下半叶得以修复。  

The castle was famously used as a refuge of last resort by another king, indeed, the next royal person to stay there. This time it was Richard II of England (r. 1377-1399 CE) who, during his fight for the English throne with his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (future King Henry IV of England, r. 1399-1413 CE), used Conwy as his base. Richard was tempted to come out of the castle on 20 August 1399 CE by a traitorous adviser, and the king was promptly imprisoned in the Tower of London and then forced to abdicate by Parliament. The castle would see action again, this time in 1401 CE when it was captured during the Welsh rebellion led by Owain Glyn Dwr (c. 1359 - c. 1415 CE).

          这座城堡曾被另一位国王作为最后的避难所而闻名于世，事实上，他也是下一位留在那里的皇室成员。这一次是英格兰的理查德二世（CV19753203）（公元 1377-1399 年），他在与表弟亨利·博林布鲁克（未来的英格兰国王亨利四世，公元 1399-1413 年在位）争夺英国王位时，以“Conwy”为自己的王位。公元 1399 年 8 月 20 日，理查德在一名叛徒顾问的引诱下走出城堡，国王随即被囚禁在伦敦塔，随后被议会强迫退位。这座城堡在威尔士的欧文·格林·杜尔（Owain Glyn Dwr，约公元 1359 年-约 1415 年）领导的叛乱中被攻陷。  

布局与功能

Conwy Castle was built with a curtain wall punctuated by eight massive circular towers and two fortified gates. The main gate was on the west side of the castle and had a triple arrangement of doors and portcullises, protected on either side by a massive circular tower, built a little further apart than was usual because of the formation of the rock upon which they were built. The gate was further protected by a barbican or semi-independent fortification structure with three towers and an entrance gate at a right angle to the main gate. In addition, the approach to the gate was via a steep stairway and then a drawbridge over a deep ditch. The castle's second gate, on the east side, also had a double tower arrangement and its own barbican, again with three towers. As both barbicans were lower than the curtain wall behind them, defenders could easily fire down upon anyone attacking the outer defences.

          康威城堡的幕墙内有八座巨大的圆形塔楼和两座坚固的城门。主门位于城堡西侧，有三重门和吊闸，两侧有巨大的圆形塔楼拱卫，由于岩石地基的因素，这些塔楼之间的距离比通常的要远一些。城门还受到一个栅栏或半独立防御工事的进一步保护，栅栏上有三个塔楼和一个与城门成直角的入口门。此外，通往城门的通道是一条陡峭的阶梯，然后是一条横跨深沟的吊桥。城堡东侧的第二道门也有双塔结构和自己的栅栏，同样有三个塔楼。由于两个栅栏都比后面的幕墙低，防御者可以很容易地向攻击外围防御的人开火。   

The inner courtyard was divided by a cross-wall into two wards (aka baileys). The smaller inner ward (to the east) contained the royal residence, granary, and private chapel, while the outer ward on the west side of the castle was much larger and had the Great Hall (up to 30 metres / 98 ft. in length), main chapel, kitchens, and other domestic buildings, including barracks for the castle's garrison of 15 crossbowmen. The castle's main well was located in the southeast corner of the outer ward and was originally 21.7 metres (70 ft.) deep. There was an expensively turfed garden, a fashionable feature of castles of the period and distinct from the kitchen garden where herbs, vines, and vegetables were grown. A small gate and drawbridge connected the two wards. The castle has an unusual set of three latrines on a single floor of one of the lower towers. Finally, the castle was originally covered in white plaster, traces of which remain today, and a number of shields would have been hung from the walls, all to give Edward an even more striking castle with which to impress the locals.

          内院被一道横墙分成两个院落（baileys）。较小的内院（在东面）有王室官邸、粮仓和私人小教堂，而城堡西面的外院要大得多，有大厅（长达 30 米/98 英尺）、主教堂、厨房和其他家庭建筑，包括城堡驻军 15 名十字弓兵的营房。城堡的主井位于外城的东南角，最初深 21.7 米（70 英尺）。城堡内有一个铺有昂贵草皮的花园，这是当时城堡的时尚特征，与种植香草、葡萄和蔬菜的菜园截然不同。一座小门和吊桥连接着两个院子。这座城堡在其中一座较低塔楼的一层上有一套不寻常的三个厕所。最后，城堡最初是用白色灰泥覆盖的，至今还留有痕迹，墙壁上还悬挂着许多盾牌，所有这些都是为了让爱德华拥有一座更加引人注目的城堡，给当地人留下深刻的印象。

坚固的城镇

The castle also protected the adjacent walled town of Conwy, which, in turn, protected the castle's weakest side. A deep ditch was dug out between the castle and town as an extra defensive measure The town fortification walls were added between 1283 and 1287 CE and cost almost as much as the castle did to build. These town walls originally measured some 1,300 metres (1,400 yards) in length and included an impressive 21 towers. One section of wall has the unusual feature of a row of 12 toilets which were built sticking out of the outer facade, an arrangement usually only found in a medieval monastery. Arrow loops (narrow windows) were built into the town walls at varying heights and there was a wall walk all around to give a maximum area of fire by archers. Holes in the walls show that wooden beams would once have supported wooden hoardings to protect archers stood at the top of these walls.

          城堡还保护着邻近有城墙的康威镇，而康威镇又保护着城堡最薄弱的一面。在城堡和城镇之间有一条深沟，作为额外的防御措施。这些城墙最初长约 1300 米（1400 码），包括令人印象深刻的 21 座塔楼。其中一段城墙有一个与众不同的特点，即在外墙外侧建有一排 12 个厕所，这种布局通常只有在中世纪的修道院中才能看到。城墙上建有高低不一的射箭口（窄窗），而且四周都有城墙步道，以便为弓箭手提供最大的射击范围。从城墙上的洞可以看出，木梁曾经支撑着木制围墙，以保护站在墙顶的弓箭手。

今日古堡

Since 1986 CE, Conwy Castle has been listed, along with three other Welsh castles of Edward I (Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris Castle), as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO states that these castles

     ...are the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe, as demonstrated through their completeness, pristine state, evidence for organized domestic space, and extraordinary repertory of their medieval architectural form.

          自公元 1986 年起，康威城堡与爱德华一世的其他三座威尔士城堡（卡那封城堡、哈莱克城堡和博马里斯城堡）一起被列为世界文化遗产。联合国教科文组织指出，这些城堡

          ......是欧洲13世纪末和14世纪初军事建筑的最佳典范，其完整性、原始状态、有组织的家庭空间证据以及中世纪建筑形式的非凡再现都证明了这一点。

In addition, "the extensive and detailed contemporary technical, social, and economic documentation of the castles, and the survival of adjacent fortified towns at Caernarfon and Conwy, makes them one of the major references of medieval history" (ibid). Today, Conwy Castle is open to the public and managed by Cadw, the Historic Environment department of the Welsh Assembly Government. The spiral staircases have been restored in the castle's towers, and it is now possible for visitors to walk a circuit of the castle's walls. In addition, the once royal apartments are amongst the best-preserved examples in any medieval castle in England and Wales.

          此外，"“关于城堡的广泛而详细的当代技术、社会和经济文献，以及邻近的卡纳芬（卡那封）和康威防御城镇的幸存，使它们成为中世纪历史的主要参考文献之一”（同上）。如今，康威城堡向公众开放，由威尔士议会政府历史环境部（Cadw）管理。城堡塔楼上的螺旋楼梯已经修复，游客现在可以在城堡的城墙上漫步。此外，城堡内曾经的皇家居室是英格兰和威尔士所有中世纪城堡中保存最完好的例子之一。

参考书目：

Cadw - Conwy CastleAccessed 16 Dec 2019.

Creighton, O.H. Castles and Landscapes. Equinox Publishing Limited, 2004.

Gies, J. Life in a Medieval Castle. Harper Perennial, 2015.

Gravett, C. The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307. Osprey Publishing, 2007.

Jones, D. The Plantagenets. William Collins, 2019.

Phillips, C. The Medieval Castle Manual. Haynes Publishing UK, 2018.

Pounds, N.J.G. The Medieval Castle in England and Wales. Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Taylor, A.J. The Welsh Castles of Edward I. Bloomsbury Academic, 2003.

UNESCO - Conwy CastleAccessed 16 Dec 2019.

原文作者：Mark Cartwright

          驻意大利的历史作家。他的主要兴趣包括陶瓷、建筑、世界神话和发现所有文明的共同思想。他拥有政治哲学硕士学位，是《世界历史百科全书》的出版总监。

原文网址: https://www.worldhistory.org/Conwy_Castle/