Antoine de Ville (builder)

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Antoine de Ville (* 1596 in Toulouse ; † 1656 ) was a French fortress builder.

Life

Antoine de Ville's ancestors came from the Dauphiné , were very respected there and settled in Languedoc at the end of the 15th century . After de Ville had obtained a good education, he devoted himself to the study of mathematics and war architecture, taking Jean Errard in particular as a model. He first attended the siege of Montauban as Chevauleger and then entered the service of the Duke of Savoy , as he hoped that this would help him get promoted more quickly. In this position he distinguished himself in such a way that he came into great favor at the Savoyard court and was appointed Knight of the Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus .

When de Ville had just returned to France, the Spaniards invaded Picardy . In 1636 he was instrumental in the siege of Corbie , and then in the presence of King Louis XIII. and Cardinal Richelieus at the siege of Saint-Omer , Hesdin , Arras and other cities of Artois . After the Peace of Westphalia (1648) he was commissioned to fortify the cities that had been ceded to France. Its fortification system still had the flanks perpendicular to the courtines. From him comes the saying: “Quand on fortifie une place, il faut fermer les yeux et ouvrir la bourse.” (“If you want to build fortresses, you have to close your eyes and open your bag.”) De Ville and his competitor Blaise François Pagan were the forerunners of Vauban .

Works

  • Les fortifications du chevalier Antoine de Ville , Lyon 1629; Paris 1636; Lyon 1640; Paris 1666; Amsterdam 1672; German Amsterdam 1676, and under the title The Perfect Engineer , Frankfurt 1760; the 55 accompanying drawings were drawn and engraved by de Ville himself
  • Pyctomachia Veneta seu de pugna Venetorum in ponte quotannis autumnali tempore inter Nicolaotos et Castellanos frequentari solita , Venice 1633
  • Descriptio portus et urbis Polae antiquitatum , Venice 1633 (with a description of the tuna fishing on the Istrian coast)
  • Obsidio Corbeiensis , Paris 1637 (description of the siege of Corbie)
  • Le Siège de Landrecy , Paris 1637
  • Le Siège de Hesdin , Lyon 1639
  • De la charge des gouverneurs des places , Lyon and Paris 1639 (with the author's half-length portrait engraved in 1627); further editions Paris 1655 and 1656 (the work contains a collection of practical rules for the defense of fortresses)

literature

personal data
SURNAME Ville, Antoine de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Deville, Antoine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French fortress builder
DATE OF BIRTH 1596
PLACE OF BIRTH Toulouse
DATE OF DEATH 1656