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In the Middle Ages, castles, like the cathedrals and abbey churches, had a symbolic as well as practical function: often their apparent strength was far greater than their real ability to defend.
In the castle at Angers the military function dominates entirely. It was Blanche of Castile who ordered the building of the castle, in order to be able to defend the royal family against ambitious barons. The fortress was originally even more impressive since its towers, which now rise to over 50 meters above the moat, originally stood even higher. The absence of a keep shows that this complex was meant as a fortification to house a garrison, and not as a royal residence.
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