Clan & Castle Rankings
The most powerful clans, ranked.
Bruce, Douglas, O’Neill, Tudor. Every great family scored on sustained political, military and economic power, with the argument for each placing laid out entry by entry. Below them sit the castle leaderboards: the best, the strongest and the prettiest in Europe.
All-time leaderboards
14th century to today
The 10 Most Powerful Scottish Clans of All Time
Top 10, plus a reserve bench.
14th century to today
The 10 Most Powerful Irish Clans of All Time
Top 10, plus a reserve bench.
14th century to today
The 10 Most Powerful Welsh Houses of All Time
Top 10, plus a reserve bench.
12th century to today
The 15 Most Powerful English Houses of All Time
Top 15, plus a reserve bench.
Documented from the 12th century
The 10 Oldest Clans in Scotland
Top 10, plus a reserve bench.
Documented from the 10th century
The 10 Oldest Clans in Ireland
Top 10, plus a reserve bench.
Castle leaderboards
Ranked overall
The 20 best castles in Europe
The twenty most worth knowing, blended from what people actually look up, what the fortress did in war, and how it looks.
Ranked by strength
The 25 strongest castles in Europe
Europe’s mightiest fortresses, ranked by military strength, plus the strongest in each country.
Ranked by beauty
The 20 prettiest castles in Europe
Fairytale silhouettes, island fortresses and cliff-top eyries, ranked by setting and shape.
Strongest by country