Cartography as a source for the medieval fortifications of Šibenik

Abstract

Unlike the well-documented and almost fully researched Šibenik fortifications constructed in 16th and 17th century (St. Nicholas' Fortress, St. John's Fortress, Barone Fortress), the evolution, direction and spatial extent of earlier Šibenik fortifications have not been fully unraveled. St. Michael’s fortress (castello) above the city, which has been occupied since pre-Roman era, was extensively rebuilt by the Venetians in early 15th century. The city walls, descending from the fortress to the sea, were only completed in the second half of 15th century - we have no information about any early versions of the walls, although they surely existed. Two forts on the inner, eastern side of the channel linking the Šibenik harbour to the open sea were also considered a part of the medieval fortification system. Considering the limited number of written historical sources, the existence of several cartographic representations of Šibenik from the late 15th and early 16th century (Konrad von Grünenberg's 1486 veduta, and Venetian map of central Dalmatia from c.a. 1510, among others) is of particular value. Despite their different provenance and character, a detailed analysis of these graphic sources can offer some (but not all) answers to many open questions regarding the pre-bastion defence of Šibenik.