Castles: A Fortified History of the World from the Bronze Age to the Nuclear Age

by Dan Jones

From the bestselling author of The Templars and Powers and Thrones, Dan Jones returns with The Castle: a gripping history of the world told through twenty iconic strongholds.

Castles have been built to defend humanity for millennia – from the walls of Troy over three thousand years ago 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, The Castle 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.

Genres: Nonfiction

400 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication November 3, 2026

About the author

Dan Jones is a NYT bestselling author and broadcaster. His books, which include The Templars, Henry V, The Plantagenets and Powers & Thrones, have sold more than 2 million copies and are published in 23 languages. He is the author of the Essex Dogs novel trilogy. Dan writes and hosts the popular weekly Sony Music Entertainment podcast This Is History. He has presented dozens of television documentaries, including the popular Netflix series Secrets of Great British Castles, and has executive produced and consulted on a number of films and television shows including Anne Boleyn (Channel 5/Sony Pictures Television) and Knightfall (A+E/History). His journalism has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post; for a decade he was a columnist for the London Evening Standard. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and in 2025 was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Historic Royal Palaces.