what is citadel in history

A citadel is a fortified structure that is often located within a city or town. It is designed to protect or subjugate social groups and often played a significant role in ancient Greek cities. The term "citadel" is a diminutive of city, meaning "little city," because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In a fortification with bastions, the citadel is the strongest part of the system, sometimes well inside the outer walls and bastions, but often forming part of the outer wall for the sake of economy. The functions of the police and the army, as well as the army barracks, were developed in the citadel. Citadels were often used to protect a garrison or political power from the inhabitants of the town where it was located, being designed to ensure loyalty from the town that they defended. Citadels were also built to keep inhabitants subjugated. Some citadels have been destroyed owing to their negative connotation and their association with a given context. The Citadel is also the name of a military college in South Carolina, which was established in the early 1820s with the formation of a militia and state arsenal in response to an alleged slave revolt in 1822.