Castle Welute: Difference between revisions

The military value of Castle Welute became apparent to military and Royal figures during the latter half of the 17th century. Though its fortifications remained largely medieval, the Castle sat upon one of the most dominating geographical features of the Upper Urce, making it a vital position to hold in the northern [[The Valley (Urcea)|Valley]] if the [[Northgate]] was breached. Consequently, major reconstruction efforts began in the early 18th century as part of a broader effort to make Urcea more resilient in the face of military conflict. The keep and medieval curtain walls were retained as the center point of the fortress, but a series of sprawling {{wp|star fort|star fortifications}} were constructed radiating out of the medieval castle. As the Castle sat on the west bank of the river and would be vulnerable if an army were to surpass the new outer fortifications by crossing to the east bank, several batteries and fortifications - collectively dubbed Castle Leo - were built along the east bank. Warehouses for siege supply were built as was a major supply depot intended to support operations of the [[Royal and Imperial Army (Urcea)|Royal and Imperial Army]] in the northern section of the Valley. The resulting set of fortifications were impressive, and only came under serious threat once during the century they were operational. During the [[Second Caroline War]], advanced forces of the Imperial Army skirmised with pickets around the castle, and Imperial reconaissance suggested it would be too difficult to take without a prolonged siege. This played a major role in the failure of the Imperial Army to advance on [[Urceopolis (City)|Urceopolis]], setting the stage for later victories over the Imperial Army by [[Ionian Plateau{Ionian]] forces loyal to House de Weluta.