Editing Fortification (section)

===Medieval Europe===
{{Main|Medieval fortification}}
{{See also|Austrian walled towns}}
[[File:Mury obronne Szprotawa.jpg|thumb|Medieval defensive walls and towers in [[Szprotawa]], Poland, made of field stone and [[bog iron]].]]

[[Castra|Roman forts]] and [[hill fort]]s were the main antecedents of [[castle]]s in [[Europe]], which emerged in the 9th century in the [[Carolingian Empire]]. The [[Early Middle Ages]] saw the creation of some towns built around castles. These cities were only rarely protected by simple stone walls and more usually by a combination of both walls and [[Ditch (fortification)|ditches]]. From the 12th century, hundreds of settlements of all sizes were founded all across Europe, which very often obtained the right of fortification soon afterward.       

[[File:John Smith 1624 map of Bermuda with Forts 01.jpg|thumb|[[John Smith (explorer)|John Smith]]'s 1624 map of [[Bermuda]] with the first stone fortifications built by [[England]] in the [[New World]].]]

The founding of urban centers was an important means of territorial expansion and many cities, especially in [[eastern Europe]], were founded precisely for this purpose during the period of [[Ostsiedlung]]. These cities are easy to recognize due to their regular layout and large market spaces. The fortifications of these settlements were continuously improved to reflect the current level of military development. During the [[Renaissance era]], the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian Republic]] raised great walls around cities, and the finest examples, among others, are in [[Nicosia]] (Cyprus), [[Rocca di Manerba del Garda]] (Lombardy), and [[Palmanova]] (Italy), or [[Dubrovnik]] (Croatia), which proved to be futile against attacks but still stand to this day. Unlike the Venetians, the [[Ottoman architecture|Ottomans]] used to build smaller fortifications but in greater numbers, and only rarely fortified entire settlements such as [[Počitelj]], [[Walled city of Vratnik|Vratnik]], and [[Walled city of Jajce|Jajce]] in [[Ottoman Bosnia|Bosnia]].