Venetian Renaissance Fortifications in the Mediterranean
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About the Book
The Renaissance was a revolution of ideas, arts and sciences alike, with Italy at its center. Venice was among the first states to embrace new concepts in fortification, which would dominate military architecture for centuries. In the age of large galley fleets and an expanding Ottoman Empire, the mighty defenses of the Republic of Venice protected faraway territories in the Mediterranean, and some of the largest and best preserved Renaissance fortifications are found on the former Venetian islands. foThis book illustrates in detail the impressive defenses of Cyprus, Crete and Corfu, their design and their war record. Walled towns and fortresses were constructed to the latest standards of military technology, with walls capable of withstanding the largest armies and the longest sieges, including the longest in history—22 years.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Dragoş Cosmescu
Foreword by Elisabetta Molteni
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 244
Bibliographic Info: 92 photos, 20 maps, chronology, glossary notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9750-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2018-3
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii
List of Figures ix
Foreword by Elisabetta Molteni 1
Introduction 5
Part I. The Republic of Venice 11
1—Venice and the Sea 11
2—The Venetian Strategy of Defense 20
3—The Art of Fortification in the Renaissance 25
Part II. The Island of Cyprus 39
4—Nicosia 43
5—Famagosta 53
6—Cerines 71
Part III. The Island of Crete 74
7—Candia 85
8—Canea 109
9—Retimo 128
Part IV. The Island of Corfu 139
10—Corfu 143
Part V. The Defenses Under Attack 170
11—The War of Cyprus, 1570–1574 173
12—The War of Candia, 1645–1669 180
13—The War of Morea, 1684–1699 189
14—The War of 1714–1718 192
Conclusion 199
Appendix I: Chronology 203
Appendix II: Glossary 206
Appendix III: Table of Architectural Features 208
Chapter Notes 209
Bibliography 217
Index 225
