urbanismo - History Lab

Project to fortify Pamplona in 1756

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

Pamplona was a key place on the Spanish-French border from the beginning of the 16th century, being fortified on several occasions as artillery was introduced as a military warfare technique. The bastions were key to this task, simulating the great works of the citadel of Antwerp in 1567 and making Pamplona the first pentagonal citadel on the Peninsula.
During the 17th century, the difficulties in financing undertakings such as these meant that little work was done on the cities in the north of the peninsula. With the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War, the pressing need to fortify large fortifications in this area led Juan Martín Zermeño to be commissioned to draw up a series of projects in strategic locations such as Pamplona. The importance of this enclave led to a revision and modernisation of the previous works of Rez and especially Verboom in 1726, maintaining part of their objectives and working on the basis that the works were already well advanced. Zermeño’s modernisation came from proposals such as raising the bastions and varying the structure of the fort proposed by Verboom to give the defence a staggered form.

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Plan of Benavente and its urban structure in the 16th century

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

The Spanish aristocracy devoted part of its efforts to establishing an urban structure that would identify it as a nobiliary space and would be another part of its propaganda strategy. The ties that bound these power elites obliged them, to a certain extent, to behave in a supportive manner towards the community as part of their social legitimisation. Within this vision, the nobiliary city can be analysed as a material cultural product and as a structuring element of aristocratic power.
During the 16th century, several nobiliary parties tried to exercise power at Court, and their rivalry can be seen in the different cultural features they applied in the cities under their influence: politics, religion and urban structure. Each side systematically applied common architectural criteria in the cities, but these resulted in very different forms of administration and ideologies.
In towns such as Cuéllar, Benavente or Alba de Tormes, the aristocracy established guidelines linked to medieval traditions, such as the dominance of the castle over the rest of the town. Efforts, therefore, were made to modernise the castle on the inside, even reforming it towards more luxurious standards, but maintaining the sober and powerful image on the outside.

The post Plan of Benavente and its urban structure in the 16th century first appeared on History Lab.

Location of the 18th century noble houses in Salamanca

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:32:25 +0000

The nobility in the Modern Age was one of the most important groups in Spanish societies. This is why it can be studied from different historical approaches. This article deals with the reflection left by this social group through the mansions they inhabited, marking part of the evolution of the city of Salamanca during the Modern Age.
In the 18th century, the houses of those Salamancan families that made up the Salamancan nobility who settled in the city during the 16th century stand out, and who in this more recent chronology enjoyed a higher social and economic position than their previous generations. As can be seen in the resource, the vast majority of the Salamancan noble houses in 1784 were located in the centre of the enclosure, with only a few families established in the outer rings.

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Plan of the city of Almeria in 1709

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:41 +0000

The Provincial Archive of Almería contains an excellent collection of maps and cartographic documentation. In this case, we are looking at a map of the city of Almería drawn by the Marquis of Canales (1709). In it we can perfectly appreciate elements such as the city wall, the Alcazaba, the network of narrow streets and, curiously, a fortress is drawn, with artillery, which must have disappeared at the end of the War of the Spanish Succession.

The post Plan of the city of Almeria in 1709 first appeared on History Lab.

Plan of the medieval Christian city of Valencia

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:31:14 +0000

The city of Valencia was incorporated into the Crown of Aragon in 1238, becoming the capital of its namesake kingdom. Christian development endowed the city with important economic functions that had a progressive impact: by 1450, Valencia would be one of the main commercial, financial and artisan centres of the western Mediterranean. Its socio-economic growth was accompanied by its urban expansion; the various factions of local power stamped the space with their hierarchy as well as the uses and value of the land. As a result, the plan of Valencia took the form of the one presented here. We can highlight the main elements: the Christian marketplace, where the economic activity took place; the churches that radiate the urban centre, which were established during the process of “parochialisation” of the city after its conquest; and the city walls, which were extended according to the needs of the city. All of this was supervised by the Municipal Council which, among other functions, was concerned with the beautification of the public space, its functionality and the transformation of the territory with the demolition of houses and the creation of new urban roads.

The post Plan of the medieval Christian city of Valencia first appeared on History Lab.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

Age of Empires II features historical campaigns based on a novel storyline that spans a vast period between the 5th and 16th centuries. This definitive edition was released in 2019 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original video game released in 1999, making some corrections and technologically improving an already excellent base.
Historically the game features the campaigns of 18 civilisations, starting in the Middle Ages after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and running through to the European Renaissance of the 16th century. The goal is therefore to strategically manage resources to build a vast empire and overcome other enemy factions.
The campaigns take a historical look at the lives and triumphs of different key figures from our past, such as William Wallace, Joan of Arc, Saladin and Genghis Khan, among others. As for the factions, this year’s factions are divided into Western European, Central European, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern factions, each with their own unique units and historically known warriors.

The post Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition first appeared on History Lab.

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

This instalment of the Age of Empires saga focuses on 14 of the most powerful civilisations in Europe, the Americas and Asia, spanning a historical period from the 16th to the 19th centuries. In this definitive edition, the graphics and music have been remastered, including all the expansions released to date and other never-before-seen content. The civilisations available include Spain, England, France, Portugal, Russia, Germany and many others.
The game’s setting focuses on the era of European colonisation of the Americas, with the Old World nations facing off against the newly developing powers. New in comparison to the previous game, each civilisation has a detailed 3D metropolis, and troop progression is added through role-playing elements. In addition, with the new content already added, it allows the option of playing independence revolutions to rise up against the colonising civilisation.

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Age of Empires IV

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:27 +0000

Age of Empires returns 16 years later to demonstrate why it is one of the most recognised sagas in historical strategy. On this occasion it combines the management that brought it so much success in its time with other innovative tools that facilitate the entry of both the new player to the strategy genre, thanks to the complete integrated tutorials, and the veteran who is looking for a challenge to match and who can handle more complex game mechanics and combat techniques.
Historically, this time it seeks to recreate the great battles that led to the building of our world as we know it. Through 8 civilisations, passing through England, China, France or the Sultanate of Delhi, we will face four great campaigns: the Norman conquest of England, the Hundred Years’ War, the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the history of the Mongol Empire. All these elements centre the game from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance of the 16th century.

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DomiNations

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:22 +0000

DomiNations is a strategy video game available on both Android and iOS in which you start chronologically from a small village in ancient times to managing a thriving metropolis in the near future. During the evolution of the game it is possible to trade and fight with nations further back in time or advanced in time, generating evident differences in resources and allowing to observe what it means for each player.
Through this videogame it is possible to study the military and technological strategy that has made possible the great discoveries of history, introducing great virtual personalities to explain it, such as Leonardo Da Vinci or Catherine the Great. In addition, the commanders of the armies are real historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Joan of Arc or Alexander the Great, through which you can appreciate their biography and most important events. History can also be learnt through the construction of the Wonders of the World, such as the Pyramids of Egypt or the Roman Coliseum, full of descriptions and anecdotes.

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Patron

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:22 +0000

In Patron, during the game you must produce and accumulate resources in order to expand from the initial village to run a thriving city. The key is to strike the right balance between having enough resources to sustain the population or spending them on new technical and scientific advances that will allow the city to evolve and grow.
Like other city-building games, the resources provided by the land must be used to the maximum, building houses for the citizens, farms to feed them, manufacturing workshops to provide them with work and cover their needs, and so on. In addition, it will be essential to keep pace with history in terms of constant research, so that your society can cope with historical processes such as famines, severe weather or the characteristics of each of the seasons of the year.
So-called “happiness” is one of the characteristic indicators of the game, which must be regulated at all times by the player in the face of various social complexities and challenges that will arise without warning. Each citizen has his or her own interests and needs, ranging from immigration to high taxation, employment, religion, family, and so on. Every decision that the player (Patron) makes will be represented in the various social groups and will manifest itself even years later.

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