«Con questo candido, et ordinario stile dà soldato». Il Diario dell’Assedio di Valenza dell’ingegnere Gaspare Beretta

Abstract

Gaspare Beretta (1620-1703) was one of the most important engineers in the Seventeenth century Lombardy. He was involved in many sieges and improved fortresses in the Spanish domains and in other Italian States. After a long career he left a remarkable quantity of maps, works and projects. Beretta was also the author of a journal written in 1656 during the siege laid by Francis Duke of Modena and Louis de Bourbon-Vendôme againts the stronghold of Valenza. This source is kept in the Lombard Historical Society’s Archive (Milan) and nowadays remains unknown. In this essay I will examine the journal focusing on the customs of Early Modern Age siege warfare, before the marquis de Vauban’s revolution. In addition, I will compare this report with Italian and French ones, also using the despatches between Milan and the Spanish court. The main purpose is to highlight the uniqueness of the source, which can be considered the voice of a society forced to withstand the siege efforts.