Progettare la difesa di porti e approdi del Mediterraneo occidentale in età moderna: cartografie e documenti d’archivio

In the period between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the modern age, the constant shifts in the balance of power between the competing powers vying for control of the Mediterranean prompted the various states to invest significant resources, including financial capital, human capital, and intellectual capital, in the defence of their domains. These operations resulted in the production of a multitude of maps at varying scales, prepared by specialised land survey organisations and frequently accompanied by detailed explanatory texts. Some of these texts are still preserved in archives today. In this section, we will focus on materials pertaining to the coastal regions of the western Mediterranean, with a particular emphasis on territories under the dominion of the Spanish Crown, and more specifically, the Regnum Sardiniae. The island's territory, comprising coastlines, ports and harbours, is of particular interest to rulers and to those powers seeking to conquer the island. While the former commissioned the drawing up of maps and plans for its defence over time, the latter organised secret expeditions with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the characteristics of its coastline and the most vulnerable landing points. This paper will attempt to reconstruct the main stages of these processes through an analysis of written and cartographic documentation, and will also pause in the analysis of some case studies.