Tiburzio Spannocchi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1541 |
| Died | 1609 |
| Nationality | Siennese, Spanish |
| Occupation | Military Engineer |
| Known for | Chief engineer to Philip III of Spain |
Tiburzio Spannocchi (1541–1609) (also Spanucchi, Spanochi, Spanoqui, Hispanochi etc.) was "king's engineer" to Philip II of Spain and subsequently to Philip III of Spain. He was named "Chief Engineer" in 1601. [1]
Tiburzio Spannocchi was an engineer from Siena. [2] [a] He was born in 1541. [1] He came from a noble Tuscan family, and served the Papal States in the fleet commanded by Marcantonio Colonna. In 1575 he was sent to Sicily as a Viceroy.[ citation needed ] Spannocchi entered the service of the King of Spain around 1580. [4]
Spannocchi became involved in a project to control the Strait of Magellan. [4] Two forts were to be placed on either side of the start of the first narrows ( Primera Angostura ) on the Punta Anegada and Punta Delgada, creating an impregnable position. [2] A chain could be slung between the two forts to prevent any ships from passing. [5] Experts agreed that the bastions were extremely efficient in their design. [5] However, the project was abandoned when it was realized that many ships would simply bypass the Strait by sailing round Cape Horn. [4]
Spannocchi worked at Havana between 1586 and 1587, and may have worked at San Juan and Cartagena. [4] In 1588 Spannocchi approved plans for the forts of El Morro and La Punta at Havana, Cuba as senior engineer to King Philip II. [6] Philip II had commissioned the engineer Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino to strengthen the Fortifications of Gibraltar. Fratino proposed to destroy the work done on a wall started by his predecessor, Giovanni Battista Calvi, but Spannocchi refused to stop work on the zigzag wall, which was eventually finished in 1599, and is the upper portion of what is now called the Charles V Wall. [7]
Spannocchi undertook various works on the citadel of Aljafería in Zaragoza for which Philip II himself had traced the drawing. [3] Philip II gave him a commission to fortify the palace and transform it into a citadel. He executed the work in 1593, building the fortress of bricks and mortar with cornerstones, and surrounding it by a moat. The two doors were elaborately decorated. After these changes, the Aljafería was used as a military installation until the middle of the 20th century. [8]
Later Spannocchi's main energy went into mapping sites in the Pyrenees along the frontier between Spain and France, during a period of mounting tension between the two countries. [4] The citadel of Jaca was built in the shape of a pentagon under his direction. [9] In 1598 he advocated construction of a small fort to guard the entrance to the port of Pasaia, but planning did not start until 1620. [10] At the start of the 17th century, Spannochi and Jerónimo de Soto were involved in construction of the palace of La Ventosilla in Burgos, including a supply of running water and other features that would contribute to greater comfort. [11]
Spannocchi designed the nine-sided Fortaleza da Lage de São Francisco that defended Recife from the seas, and the Forte do Mar de São Marcelo that defended Salvador da Bahia. The plans for these two forts were sent to Brazil in May 1606. [12] Tibúrcio Spannocchi died in 1609. [1]
In 1582 Spannocchi and Juan de Herrera founded the Department of Mathematical Military Architecture under the patronage of Philip II, an important school for training military engineers and architects. [13] Jerónimo de Soto was one of Spannocchi's disciples. [14] Another of his pupils was Cristóbal de Rojas, known for working as an assistant to Juan de Herrera in the construction of the monastery of El Escorial. Rojas worked as Spannocchi's deputy and became especially interested in military architecture, undertaking major works in Spain and North Africa. Rojas was the author of Teórica y práctica de la fortificación ("Theory and practice of fortification"), published in 1598, the first book on the science of fortification published in Spain. It was essentially a compendium of lessons from the Madrid Academy of Mathematics. The text highlights the influence of the Italian School's polygonal and radio-concentric theories. [15]
The Spanish Golden Age was a period that coincided with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish Habsburgs. This era saw a flourishing of literature and the arts in Spain. The most significant patron of Spanish art and culture during this time was King Philip II (1556–1598). However, the period is more broadly associated with the reigns of Isabella I, Ferdinand II, Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV, when Spain was at the peak of its power and influence in Europe and the world.
Antonio Pérez del Hierro was a Spanish statesman and secretary of king Philip II of Spain.
The Aljafería Palace is a fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in the Taifa of Zaragoza in Al-Andalus, present day Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It was the residence of the Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir. The palace reflects the splendor attained by the Taifa of Zaragoza at its height. It currently houses the Cortes of the autonomous community of Aragon.
Juan José Navarro y Búfalo, 1st Marquess of Victoria, OSJ was a Spanish military officer and nobleman who served as first Captain general of the Navy from 1750 to 1772. A leading proponent of naval reform, he provided much of the practical curriculum for the Academia de Guardias Marinas, established in 1717 to provide professional training for Spanish Navy officers.
Rancho Punta de Laguna was a 26,648-acre (107.84 km2) Mexican land grant in present day northern Santa Barbara County, California, and southern San Luis Obispo County given in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Luis Arellanes and Emigdio Miguel Ortega. The name of this rancho means "point of the lagoon" and refers to the irregular lake lying within its territory. The grant is east of Rancho Guadalupe and encompasses present day Santa Maria and Betteravia.
The Battle of San Juan Bautista was a battle in the Second French intervention in Mexico fought on February 27, 1864. Mexican Republicans were victorious and retook control of the city. The Republican forces consisted only of the Tabasquian militia from the surrounding areas ranging between 300 and 1,100 men, only half of whom were equipped with firearms the others fought with machetes.
The Charles V Wall is a 16th-century defensive curtain wall that forms part of the fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Originally called Muralla de San Benito, it was built in 1540 and strengthened in 1552 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The wall remains largely intact and extends from South Bastion, which was once at the water's edge in the harbour, to the top ridge of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino (1520–1586), known as El Fratin or Il Fratino, was a military engineer who served the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain Emperor Charles V, and then his son Philip II of Spain. He is known for having designed the first Martello tower as well as many other fortifications.
Cristóbal de Rojas was a Spanish military engineer and architect. He is known for working as an assistant to Juan de Herrera in the construction of the monastery of El Escorial.
The Moorish Wall, also known as the Philip II Wall and formerly the Muralla de San Reymondo is a defensive curtain wall built in the 16th century that formed part of the southern fortifications of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It was completed by 1575. The wall ran from the top of a steep cliff above the lower section of the Charles V Wall up the slope of the Rock of Gibraltar to its crest, north of the upper section of the Charles V Wall and is now within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve.
La Ventosilla is a large "country house" near Burgos in Spain that was built at the start of the seventeenth century for Juan Fernandez de Velasco, the Constable of Castille.
Events in the year 1908 in Spain.
Ruth María Rivera Marín was a Mexican architect. Her professional experience centered on teaching, institutional management, theory and practice related to architecture. She was the first woman student of the College of Engineering and Architecture at the National Polytechnic Institute.
Juan Simón's Daughter is a 1935 Spanish musical drama film directed by Nemesio M. Sobrevila and José Luis Sáenz de Heredia. It is based on the musical play La hija de Juan Simón by Sobrevila. A second film version Juan Simón's Daughter was released in 1957.
Segundo Cardona Colom FAIA is a Puerto Rican architect and developer. His work has been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), by the Colegio de Arquitectos y Arquitectos Paisajistas de Puerto Rico as well as by the International Union of Architects. In 2006 Cardona was elected as Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. In 1992, he was awarded the Henry Klumb Award.
The Línea P, officially the Pyrenees Defense Organisation, was a fortified line of defense built in the Pyrenees between 1944 and 1948 to prevent an invasion into Spanish territory.
The Fort of São Filipe de Setúbal, also referred to as the São Filipe Castle or the São Filipe Fortress, is in the city of Setúbal in the Setúbal District, of Portugal. The fort was built on the orders of Philip II of Spain, who personally witnessed the laying of the cornerstone of the new fortification in 1582. It stands in a dominant position on the right bank of the mouth of the Sado River, overlooking the centre of Setúbal to its east and guarding access to the river. Named after the king during the Iberian Union, the fortress was designed by Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino and had the Italian military engineer Filipe Terzi, who worked for the Spanish Royal Court, as its chief engineer. It was completed in 1600 under the guidance of Leonardo Torreano due to the death of Terzi.
The House ofCámara is an aristocratic family with a rich history in Spain, Portugal and Mexico.
The Fuerte de Cabrerizas Altas is an outer fort of the Spanish city of Melilla, a Bien de Interés Cultural that houses the Museum of La Legion.
Notes
Citations
Sources
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
