Ingenieros y cartografía al compás de la guerra de la Cuádruple Alianza

Abstract

The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1717-1720) favoured the explosion of a new cartographic culture that will interest the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. This paper analyses the graphic and documentary testimonies that contribute to enriching the production of the military manuscript mapping of the South of the Italian peninsula. Emphasis will be placed on the exchange of technical and scientific information between the two islands and the Court of Madrid. The collections of maps preserved in Madrid and Valladolid institutions will be analysed. In addition, from these drawings, the study focuses on the authors of the cartographic products: the military engineers. These technicians dedicated themselves to carrying out new cartographic surveys of Sardinia and, above all, of Sicily, which express an extraordinary ability to make images of great visual impact.