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Drawings, despatches, correspondence, and other evidence attest to the role of
captain engineer as it developed from Andrea Nigrisuoli's appointment to
the nomination of Raffaele Monanni in 1633 to engineer of the Kingdom of
Candia .
During his command Giulio Savorgnan alluded to the importance of
Governor of the Ordinances Lunardo Ronconi, declaring that he knew much
more about fortifications than an engineer. In 1594 Marcantonio Martinengo
praised this class of military engineer, comparing them to civil technicians:
'to fortify a square does not derive just from drawing... nor from the practice
of building and moving earth like a mole with its eyes closed ... but from
certain experience in proceeding from offence and defense'1. In 1599 Angelo
Valdi was promoted captain of the infantrymen of Candia, having demonstrated 'intelligence in the matter of
fortification'2. Yet again in 1610
Tommaso da Spilimbergo, a soldier with 17 years experience in Flanders and
France, who had worked as an engineer in Bergamo, Cattaro and Palma, was sent
to Candia to serve the Provveditore Generale as Engineer of the Fortress .
Footnotes:
1 'fortificare una piazza non deriva dal solo disegnare..., né dalla
pratica della materia del fabbricare e movere terreno in guisa di talpa con gli
occhi chiusi... ma dalla sicura esperienza nel procedere all'offesa e alla
difesa'
2 'intelligentia in materia di fortificazione'
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