Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The geometry of power: pentagonal citadels and the emergence of military urbanism; 2. Military culture and the dissemination of urban knowledge; 3. Siege views: the war of military images; 4. The forms of military urbanism: streets, defensive fortification, and public spaces; 5. Celebrating peace: triumphs, war games, and the transformation of urban space; Epilogue: fireworks and illuminated architecture.

Promotional Information

Martha Pollak offers a pan-European, richly illustrated study of early modern military urbanism, an international style of urban design.

About the Author

Martha Pollak is Professor of Architectural History at the University of Illinois in Chicago. A recipient of fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, the Kress Foundation, and the American Academy in Rome, she is the author and editor of several books, including Turin, 1564–1680: Urban Design, Military Culture and the Creation of the Absolutist Capital.

Reviews

'Martha Pollak has produced a deeply researched study, with a cascade of details for the experts. Its ambitious coverage will rightly turn it, I suspect, into a major reference work.' Lauro Martines, The Times Literary Supplement

'The level of erudition is superb, as Pollak condenses roughly three hundred years of pan-European history into a manageable 350-page work. It is full of interesting detail and wonderful examples.' Robert Tiegs, H-War