Fulk establishes border castles

1132

Newly arrived in the Crusader kingdom, Fulk of Anjou fortified the coastal road with castles at Ibelin, Beth Gibelin, and Blanchegarde, meant to isolate Egyptian-held Ascalon. The castles, built by local stonemasons using Byzantine-influenced techniques, would anchor the Latin defense of the southern kingdom. Their garrison forces, drawn from newly enfeoffed Frankish knights, created a network of lordships that gave the kingdom its characteristic feudal geography.