Castellan

A castellan was the governor or captain of a castellany and its castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Sometimes also known as a constable, governor of the castle district or captain, the Constable of the Tower of London is, in fact, a form of castellan. A castellan could be either male or female, as when, in 1194, Beatrice inherited her father's castellany of Bourbourg upon the death of her brother, Roger.

Initial power

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many tribes migrated into western Europe, causing strife and war. The answer to recurrent invasion was to create fortified areas which evolved into castles. Some leaders gained control of several areas, each with a castle. The problem lay in exerting proper control and authority in each area when a leader could only be in one place at a time. To answer this, lords gave their trusted vassals direct control of a castle, reporting to the lord only. In the ninth century, as fortifications improved and kings had difficulty making their subordinates pay their taxes or send the military aid the kings demanded, the castellans grew in power, holding their fief without much concern for their overlord's demands. This changed as kings grew in power and as the Holy Roman emperors replaced recalcitrant vassals with ministerials.