Tibúrcio Spannocchi
| Tiburzio Spannocchi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1541 Siena |
| Died | 1609 Madrid |
| Nationality | Siennese, Spanish |
| Occupation | Military Engineer |
| Known for | Chief engineer to Philip III of Spain |
Tiburzio Spannocchi (1541–1609) (also Spanucchi, Spanochi, Spanoqui, Hispanochi etc.) was "king's engineer" to Philip II of Spain and subsequently to Philip III of Spain. He was named "Chief Engineer" in 1601.
Tiburzio Spannocchi was an engineer from Siena. He was born in 1541. He came from a noble Tuscan family, and served the Papal States in the fleet commanded by Marcantonio Colonna. In 1575 he was sent to Sicily as a Viceroy. Spannocchi entered the service of the King of Spain around 1580.
Spannocchi became involved in a project to control the Strait of Magellan. Two forts were to be placed on either side of the start of the first narrows (Primera Angostura) on the Punta Anegada and Punta Delgada, creating an impregnable position. A chain could be slung between the two forts to prevent any ships from passing. Experts agreed that the bastions were extremely efficient in their design. However, the project was abandoned when it was realized that many ships would simply bypass the Strait by sailing round Cape Horn.
Spannocchi worked at Havana between 1586 and 1587, and may have worked at San Juan and Cartagena. In 1588 Spannocchi approved plans for the forts of El Morro and La Punta at Havana, Cuba as senior engineer to King Philip II. Philip II had commissioned the engineer Giovan Giacomo Paleari Fratino to strengthen the Fortifications of Gibraltar. Fratino proposed to destroy the work done on a wall started by his predecessor, Giovanni Battista Calvi, but Spannocchi refused to stop work on the zigzag wall, which was eventually finished in 1599, and is the upper portion of what is now called the Charles V Wall.
Spannocchi undertook various works on the citadel of Aljafería in Zaragoza for which Philip II himself had traced the drawing. Philip II gave him a commission to fortify the palace and transform it into a citadel. He executed the work in 1593, building the fortress of bricks and mortar with cornerstones, and surrounding it by a moat. The two doors were elaborately decorated. After these changes, the Aljafería was used as a military installation until the middle of the 20th century.
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