The Project of Tiburzio Spannocchi for the Fortification of Zaragoza

Abstract

In 1592, King Philip II of Spain commissioned Tiburzio Spannocchi, an Italian engineer, to analyse both the defensive system of the central Pyrenees and the fortification of the city of Zaragoza. Spannocchi developed the commission for five years, and the result of his work is the San Pedro Castle in Jaca and the design of a low-lying fortification with bastion-shaped elements using the preexistence of the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza. The political situation and the revolts that followed the practical abolition of the Aragonese code of laws in 1592 changed the aim of the Zaragoza project. It turned into an element to control of the city itself rather than defend it against a possible French attack, generating a hybrid image between a modern and medieval fortress. We will study this mixed appearance using the drawings that the engineer himself sent to the king as a report of his work. Through the analysis of these drawings, we will display the varied ways in which Spannocchi created them according to the direct practical objective of each one, and the consequent choice of techniques and means used.