Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
ernment we can only speculate, but the variety of maps and plans accumulated by the War
Office suggests that it maintained an interest in the defensive strengths and weaknesses of
places throughout the world.
Military strategists during the 18th and 19th centuries must surely have found the distinct-
ive urban layout of Mantua stimulating. The city has a beautiful lakeside setting on the fertile
plains of Lombardy, in the north of Italy. Unlike Venice, which was founded with its canals,
Mantua acquired its surrounding waterways partway through its history. It was already an
important city when the River Mincio was diverted at the end of the 12th century to engineer
a defensive ring of four artificial lakes. The smallest of these, Lake Paiolo (meaning 'pot'
or 'cauldron'), dried up in the late 18th century, leaving the walled city and the neighbour-
ing island of Teieto permanently attached to the mainland. The other three lakes - Superiore,
Mezzo and Inferiore ('upper', 'middle' and 'lower') - remain part of Mantua's unique topo-
graphy to this day.
The city as depicted on this map superficially resembles an elegant castle encircled by a
wide moat. The delicately stylised trees and very selective detail aid the false impression of
a large fortress rather than a compact urban centre. In fact, a dense network of streets and
buildings filled the space inside the city walls. The map is not drawn to scale; only the church
buildings belonging to settlements surrounding Mantua indicate its true scope. Long cause-
ways connect the main city to the outposts of San Giorgio (to the east, at top) and Porto
Mantovano (to the north, at left), while shorter bridges allow access to the south and west.
The defensive lakes did not always protect Mantua from attack, notably in 1630 when it
was sacked by the Holy Roman Emperor's troops, and in 1796-1797 when it was besieged
by Napoleon. This map, however, is believed to date from a relatively stable period in the re-
gion's history. Like many places in northern Italy, Mantua long enjoyed independence, firstly
as a city state and later as a duchy. After its Duke Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga died in 1708,
the territory came under the control of Austria. Apart from two brief periods of French rule, it
remained part of the Austrian Empire until 1866, when it joined the newly-founded Kingdom
of Italy.
