Landesburg

[1] The large castles of the 8th to 10th centuries, east of the Rhine and outside the towns were often described as Landesburgen because they performed important functions in the control of the state.

[3] In the early stages of this development regional lords used their allodial castles as a means of forming and preserving contiguous territories.

[5] In addition to their importance as an instrument of territorial policy the Landesburgen were given a central role in the administration of the land and the dispensation of justice, typically by being home to a chancery and a treasury.

If the sovereign tasked a representative, such as a burgrave or Amtmann, to safeguard regional territorial sovereignty, he would use the castle as a residence and seat of local government.

In such a case, it would be enhanced by appropriate representational buildings such as a great hall or a palas to be able to accommodate the emperor and his retinue for a limited time.