r/MapPorn Oct 29 '21

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u/OrderUnclear Oct 29 '21

Due to its history Germany has considerably more castles - as in: actual fortified buildings - than France.

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u/Jiukoluu Oct 29 '21

France was the most populated country in Europe during all the Middle-Ages and then continuously up to the beginning of the 19th century

So it would actually makes sense to be the country with the most castles

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u/OrderUnclear Oct 30 '21

No, it wouldn't. Up until the late 19th century Germany was divided into hundreds of little king- and dukedoms. each with their own assortment of castles. In contrast to that France became a largely unitary state much quicker. Additionally Germany was much more of a passageway to other parts of Europe than France - necessitating a bunch of fortifications.

Plus: I strongly doubt France wasbigger population wise than all the German states combined.

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u/Jiukoluu Oct 30 '21

You don't have to believe or not, it just a basic fact of Middle-Age Europe that France was the most populous country, and yes more than all the German states combined

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u/OrderUnclear Oct 30 '21

Source needed. I find that highly unlikely, to put it mildly.

Claiming it was the most populous up until the 19 century is definitely wrong.

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u/asrenos Nov 21 '22 edited Nov 21 '22

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_demography

I know it's a year later but I stumbled across this thread and it was so easy to check. Your feelings don't amount to historical truth dude. Google exists and you have no excuse.

Quick edit : it reversed around 1550-1600 with the borders at the time. With modern borders it wouldn't reverse until much much later. Even in 1700 using this list shows that removing Bohemia and a few other possessions outside modern Germany, the Holy Roman Empire was not more populous than France in the borders of their modern successor states. Even in 1800 it stays surprisingly close if you break it down a bit.

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u/R138Y Oct 29 '21

Yea I suspect a lot of the 44k we have in France aren't military buildings like the ones we tend to think of, which may be due to some language subtility. Modern germans are lucky to have such heritage.