Teórica y práctica del arte militar: los libros e instrumentos de medición del Duque de Maqueda

Abstract

Bernardino de Cárdenas, III Duke of Maqueda (1553 – 1601) held such important offices as Viceroy of Catalonia and Sicily at the behest of the Spanish Monarchy. Although his Sicilian government was brief, it has been written that while in Palermo the Duke “si applicò a nobilitare questa città” [he strove to ennoble the city] and the way he dignified the city was by means of promoting important architectural projects and building fortifications to defend a Kingdom always under the Turk’s threat. This paper aims to analyze a little-studied aspect of the cultural profile of this nobleman: the measurement instruments and the treatises related to geometry and scientific disciplines gathered by the Duke. On the one hand, many scientific instruments listed in his post mortem inventory (astrolabes, astronomical rings, compasses) allow understanding better Maqueda’s practical knowledge on the art of warfare. On the other hand, the Duke’s theoretical knowledge on this subject was represented in the inventory by the books related to the disciplines these instruments served: geometry, architecture, military art or fortification. Summing up, this analysis of Maqueda’s both theoretical and practical expertise in architecture and military art, will lead to better appreciate the urban and defensive projects he promoted.