Giovanni Battista Calvi
Giovanni Battista Calvi | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | 1564 |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Citizenship | Italian |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Military |
| Practice name | Giovan Battista Calvi Gianbattista Calvi Juan Bautista Calvi |
| Employer(s) | Spanish Monarchy |
Giovanni Battista Calvi(also known asGiovan Battista Calvi,Gianbattista Calviand/orJuan Bautista Calvi) was anItalianmilitary engineerat the service of theSpanish Monarchyduring the 16th century.
Early career
[edit]Despite popular belief that Calvi was born inSardinia,he was actually born inLombardyin the early 16th century.[1]
Prior to working for the Spanish Monarchy he worked as acivil engineerinRome,under the direction ofAntonio da Sangallo the Younger,on thefaçadeofPalazzo Farnese.[1]He later worked inSiena,at the time also under Spanishsovereignty,withDiego Hurtado de Mendozaas governor of the garrison.[2]In 1552, he was sought out byPhilip II(then only a Prince) to fortify the Spanish coasts and the frontier withFrancein theRoussillon.[3]
Reputation
[edit]
Calvi was the first engineer to provide comprehensive reports on the status of the defensive projects of Spain and theSpanish North-African possessions.[1]Besides his works in the Franco-Spanish frontier, he worked in theBalearic Islands,where he designedSt. Philip's CastleinPort Mahon(since 1554, finished in 1558; it was one of the first forts to incorporatebastionsin Spain),[3]and the walls ofIbiza(since 1555);Barcelona(where he built the bastions of theRoyal Shipyard);[4]Roses,Cádiz(where he refurbished the walls) "[5]orGibraltar(where he was responsible for buildingCharles V Wall,protecting the town from southern attacks).[6]During his inspection trips, he visitedMers El Kébir,Oran,Melilla,Valencia,Burgos,Medina del Campo,ValladolidorGranada.[1] Calvi's relevance in the history of the military architecture inSpainhas been remarked. It has been said that his work "is the basis of all what was subsequently accomplished in the fortifications of the Peninsular kingdoms"[7]and that he was "one of the best engineers of the 16th century, the first to devise a global plan for the defense of the [Iberian] Peninsula".[8]
He died inPerpignanin 1564.[3]
Notes
[edit]- ^abcdDamià Martínez Latorre."El testament de l'enginyer militar Giovan Battista Calvi (1556)"(PDF).Locvs Amoenvs(in Catalan).5(2000–2001): 195–203.
- ^Cámara,p. 43
- ^abcJoan Enric Vilardell Santacana (2003). "S'Arrabal: origen, desarrollo y propuestas de traslado".La Fundación de Georgetown 1771. Patrick Mackellar y el Urbanísmo Militar Británico(PDF)(in Spanish). p. 199.ISBN84-689-2545-4.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-07-20.Retrieved2009-12-19.
- ^Miscel·lània en homenatge a Joan Ainaud de Lasarte. Vol. 2(in Catalan). 1999. p. 12.ISBN9788478269709.
- ^Cámara,p. 186
- ^Clive Finlayson(2006).The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068-1945.Osprey Publishing.p. 19.ISBN978-1-84603-016-1.
- ^Cámara,p. 44:
cuyo trabajo es la base de todo lo realizado con posterioridad en las fortificaciones de los reinos peninsulares
- ^Cámara,p. xix:
.. uno de los mejores ingenieros del siglo XVI, el primero que planteó un plan global de defensa para la Península.
References
[edit]- Alicia Cámara Muñoz (1998).Fortificación y ciudad en los reinos de Felipe II(in Spanish).ISBN978-84-89569-26-3.