European University Institute Library

Les artilleurs et la Monarchie Catholique, fondements technologiques et scientifiques d'un empire transocéanique, Brice Cossart

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This dissertation studies the gunners, a socio-professional group who played a key role in the political and military expansion of early modern states. During the sixteenth century, new designs of fortresses and warships resulted in the proliferation of heavy guns. This transformation has been well described by the historiography of the "Military Revolution", but its impact in terms of skills and knowledge has been largely neglected. Cannons were quite complex technical objects which could only be handled by specialists called "gunners". Before the end of the seventeenth century, all main military powers needed to resort to hundreds or even thousands of them. The dissertation shows the quantitative and qualitative aspects of this change by focusing on the Catholic Monarchy and its vast network of strongholds and war fleets spread between the western Mediterranean (mainly in Spain and Italy), Flanders and America. Thus, it aims to make a valuable contribution to military history as well as to the history of the Spanish empire. Furthermore, this study also tackles many issues at the core of the historiography of science and technology. As a result of this massive increase in the need for artillery specialists, new systems of technical learning emerged. In contrast with the traditional system of apprenticeship involving a small-scale transfer of skills from master to disciple, schools of gunners were created under the patronage of the Monarchy where one master taught to a large audience of apprentices. This new system of technical learning articulated theory and practice, training gunners in the use of cannons on a practice ground but also providing them with theoretical lessons validated by an oral examination. At the dawn of seventeenth century scientific transformations, these schools stimulated the publication of mathematical treatises, thus establishing the scientific and technological grounds of early modern seaborne empires

Includes bibliographical references (p. 481-507)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--European University Institute (HEC), 2016.

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Les artilleurs et la Monarchie Catholique

theses

1088471755

Defence date: 4 November 2016

Brice Cossart

EUI PhD thesesEUI theses

fondements technologiques et scientifiques d'un empire transocéanique