Belvoir through textual sources. Functions of a Frankish castle in the Holy Land

Abstract

Conceived as an introduction to the historical and archaeological study of the castle of Belvoir by a Franco-Israeli mission (2013-2020), this article succinctly presents the chronology of the site through textual sources before asking the question of the functions of a Frankish fortification in the Holy Land. If a military vocation of such a structure remains pertinent, so is the vocation of a center of power administering and managing a defined territory on which royalties were levied.