Territorio y artefacto. La dimensión geográfica del proyecto de Juan Bautista Antonelli para la sierra de Bernia en el antiguo reino de Valencia a la luz de su Relatione della Montagna, o, serra di Bernia (1561)

Abstract

In 1561 the Italian military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli was commissioned by the Hispanic Monarchy for survey of the coast in the kingdom of Valencia. On that trip he made an extensive report on the mountain Bernia considered the soft underbelly against an expected invasion of the Turkish Army coordinated with the population of the Valencian Moorish. Therefore it identified the need to build a fortress on Bernia. In April 1562, its construction began. They emerged unfavorable opinions both for its location as the excessive cost of maintenance in relation to its little effect on the defense of the Valencian coast. Nevertheless Philip II always maintained the need for its existence. With the expulsion of the Valencian Moorish in 1609 the fortress lost its function and in 1612 its demolition was ordered. In the speech J.B. Antonelli for Bernia lies a thorough analysis of this mountain and its environment, which rationalizes the different physical, human and historical parameters for a comprehensive understanding of the territory and determine the optimal solution to their defense. It starts thus also from the military art, the modern conception of territorial planning.