Fort Yol.27 1999

An early sixteenth-centurydrawing of two bulwarks at ArrasPieter Martens

rom the end of the fifteenth century onwards, all frontier cities in the border region

between the southem Low Countries and France were almost continuously reinforced

with highly impressive and often very innovative defensive structures. The almost

permanent state of war between both countries and the lack of natural geographical limitstransformed this border region into a true laboratory in the art of fortification. This process was

even more intensified, if not completely dictated, by the rapid improvement of firearms and the

increasing impactof siege artillery. This led to various experiments in military architecture, whichwere by no means inferior to those in Italy at the time. The latter, however, remain much more

largelydocumentednowadays andare still attractingthemain attentionof scholars andhistorians.

Recently though, an unique drawing, testifying of this prolific period of fortification in the

southern Low Countries, has been discovered. This document, nearly five hundred years old,

shows the design of two bulwarks or boulevards of the defence works of the city of Arras(Atrecht), capital of Artois. Such source material is extremely rare. So farit can be considered as

the oldest known drawing of military architecture in the Low Countries. Furthermore, this

extraordinary document dates from the very core of the transition period between mediaeval and

modern fortification and illustrates in fact a decisive step in the early development of modern,

bastioned fortifrcation.67

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PIETER MARTENS

Frg. 1. "boulwerc de la porte saint nicolas a atas", Ground plan of the bulwark at the Porte Saint-Nicolas at Aruas. Pen and

brownink onpaper (391x275 mm). Anonymous, not dated [15] j?]. Verso side. (Archives Ddpartementales du Pas-de-Calais)

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH.CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

Fig.2."bollwercdelapoftemeolistirantverslileaaras", Bird's-eyeviewofthebulwarkatthePorteMdaulensatArras.Penand brown ink on paper (391x275 mm). Anonymous, not dated [1513?]. Recto side. (Archives Ddpartementales du Pas-de-Calais)

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The historical context

The drawing presents two Arras city gates, the Porte M6aulens and the Porte Saint-Nicolas, one

on each side of the sheet. [1] To be more precise, only their outer defence structures are

represented : two bulwarks, constructed in the early sixteenth century. The perspective view on

the front reads "boulwerc de la porte meolens tirant vers lile a aras". (frg. 2) The reverse side

provides a ground plan of the "boulwerc de la porte saint nicolas e aras". (fig. 1) Both sketches,

not dated and anonymous, are carried out in pen and brown ink on 3 9l x27 5 mm size paper. Some

light traces of graphite are noticeable. The folio, folded in the centre, has been preserved in a

remarkably good condition. The edges are slightly damaged and some rather insignificant patch-

up work has been done with fragments of glued paper. Two ear-like incisions on one side lead to

the assumption that the sheet was originally bound together with a number of complementary

documents, like builder's specifications, and possibly even with other projects for contemporary

defence works.

Fig.3.Cityplanof Arras (Atrebatum), GeorgBraunandFranzHogenberg, CivitatesOrbisTerrarum, Cologne 1581.(After

facsimile, K. U.Leuven)

l. Porte Mdaulens; 2. Porte Saint-Nicolas; 3. Porte Ronville; 4. Porte Haguerue; 5. Bastion de Roeulx; 6. Bastion Saint-Michel.

1. The drawing, of unknown origin, came to light at an antique dealer' s in Brussels, Devroe & Stubbe,

The Romantic Agony, andhas recently been acquired by the Archives Ddpartementales du Pas-de-Calais

at Arras.

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

The frontier city of Arras was a stronghold of primary importance and, as a result, has oftenbeen besieged, captured and recaptured. Ever since the middle ages, Arras was divided into twoseparate townships, both being protected by their own enceinte. (fig. 3) [2] The eldest part, the

so called Citd, dates back to an ancient Roman civitas and traditionally belonged to the bishop ofArras. The city or Ville itself , had gradually clustered itself around the renowned abbey of Saint-

Vaast, and was fortified around 1100. Its mainly earthen ramparts were replaced by stone wallswith round towers around 1340, during the reign of Philips VI of Valois, after the outbreak of the

Hundred Years' War. A few years later, the Cit6, stilhelying on its deteriorated antique ramparts,

also received a new enceinte. Dudng the fifteenth century, the rapid development of firearms

demanded a radical modernisation of the city fortifications. (fig. 4) Towers saw their arrow slitsadapted to gunports and additional defence works were erected before the city gates. These were

the so called bulwarks or boulevards, at first constructed only in earth and wood. [3] Both Porte

M6aulens and Porte Saint-Nicolas received such a bulwark already in the early fifteenth century,

defending theirgates against the new fangled artillery. Afterthe death of Charles the Boldin 1477,

the French king Louis XI captured Arras and ordered the construction of two chdtelets, to keep

the rebellious citizens under control. During the following years repairs were made to the citywalls and their provisional bulwarks. [4]

ln 1492 the inhabitants opened their gates to Maximilian of Austria and Arras fell into his

hands. Subsequently, a far-reaching, costly and lengthy fortification campaign was initiated. Atfirst, the reminders of Louis XI's oppression were demolished and only some emergency

measures were taken. For safety reasons, the gateways of the Porte Saint-Nicolas and the Porte

For the urban development of Arras see: F. Vercauteren, 'Etude sur les civitates de la BelgiqueSeconde', itAcadimie Royale de Belgique, Classe des Lettres, Mdmoires, Chapter V, Arras, 2o serie,XXXII (1934), pp. l8l-204. J. Lestocquoy, 'Les 6tapes du d6veloppement urbain d'Arras', in Mdmoiresde la Commission Dipartementale des monuments historiques du Pas-de-Calais, )CI, 1966, 2,pp. 123-137. Carlrichard Briihl, 'Arras: Nemetacum, civitas Atrabatum',in Palatium und civitas (vol I. Gallien),Keulen-Wenen 1975,pp.91-99. Pierre Bougard, Yves-Marie Hilaire, A1ain Nolibos, Histoire d'Arras,Dunkerque 1988, pp. 11-52.For the Arras fortifications see: Adolphe de Cardevacque, 'Arras fortifi6. Histoire des fortifications decette ville depuis les temps les plus recul6s jusqu'au d6mantdlement de la place', in Mimoires deI'Acaddmie des Sciences, Lettres et Arts d'Arras,22,1891, pp.123-202. Ghislaine Bellart and Frangoise

Maison, Les fortifications d'Arras du XIIe au XIXe siicle. Etude des oeuvres et documents prdsentds en

1976 d l'exposition "Arras, villeforte", Arras 1979. Honor6 Bernard, Arras, villefortifide, Arras 1993.Alain Salamagne, A la ddcouverte des anciennes fortifications d'Arras, Cambrai 1999.These early bulwarks ot boulevards (boulwerc) were probably constructed right after the siege of Arrasby Charles VI in 1414. The word 'boulevard' appears in the city records aheady in 1418, in its originalmeaning of wooden palisade protecting a gate. A. Guesnon, La surprise d'Arras tentde par Henri IVen mars 1597 et le tableau de Hans Conincxloo (Extrait de la Statistique Monumentale publi6e parla Commission des Monuments historiques du Pas-de-Calais),7907, p. 48. The bulwarks in front of theArras gates were described by the chronicler Monstrelet (I4OO-IM4) as "constituis de gros chesnes

planteT en terre par grant mattise" [constituted of large oaks, placed in the ground with great

mastershipl. Alain Salamagne, 'Les ann6es 1400: la gendse de l'architecture militaire bourguignonne oula d6frnition d'un nouvel espace urbain' , in Revue belge d'histoire militaire, XXVI, 1986, nr. 5, pp. 325-344 and nr. 6, pp. 405-433, see p. 408.

In 1486 the wooden gunports of the M6aulens bulwark were being mended; they were described as

'canonniires' urd'raydres pour tirer de I'albalestre et culuvrinnes' and at the Porte Saint-Nicolas fourgunports were constructed: "1'une au pan de mur au ddriere de la maison du curd de Saint-Nicollay pourbattre au long du fossd du bolverch et les autres d le tour de grez au piez de ladite porte Saint-Nicollasvers Ronville". Alain Salamagne, 'A propos de 1'adaptation de la fortification d l'artillerie vers lesann6es 1400 : quelques remarques sur les problbmes de vocabulaire, de typologie et de m6thode',rn Revue d u Nord, LXXV, n. 303, 1993, p. 822 and 842.

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4.

Fig. 4. The city of Arras under attack in the mid-fifteenth century. The assailants are using long-bows, crossbows andhand cannon. (Chroniques de Monstrelet, Bibliothique Nationale Paris, ms- fr. 2680, fol. 184. From L. Devos, Veldslagenin de Lage Landen, Leuven 1995, p.25.)

Haguerue were sealed off by a masonry wall. The existing separation wall between Citd andVillewas completely rebuilt in 1494.[5] In the same year, the French army of Charles VIII invaded Italyand demonstrated the devastating power of their artillery. Logically, the awareness grew that in

order to withstand an eventual French assault, new defence works were indispensable. So in 1496,

Arras reinforced various pafts of the walls, lacking, however, the necessary financial means for

a more thorough modernisation of its defence. Moreover, the two previously secured gates both

had to be reopened on behalf of the citizens in 1499 and the old wooden bulwark in front of the

Porte Saint-Nicolas was now demolished, because it had become completely useless. [6]The reopening of this gate and the destruction of the old bulwark obviously called for a new

defence work. But it was only in the first years of the sixteenth century, after both Maximilian of

5. A. de Cardevacqre, Op. Cit.,fn.2l, pp. 153-154, Salamagne, Op. Cit., [n. 2], p. 13.

6. Le Gentil, Op. Cit., [n. 15], p. 13. The old bulwark was literally described as worthless: "que les portes

de Saint-Nicollay et de Haiserue fussent ouvertes, lesquelLes depuis Le surprise de La dite Ville en

I'obdissance de Monseigneur I'Archiduc avoient estd fermdes et esmuries" and "Er sy a estd conclu(l de

abattre le boLvert de bos de ladite porte de Saint-Nicollay parce qu'il ne vaulx rien,s".

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

Austria and Philip the Handsome had arranged for special funds for fortification, that large newbulwarks in stone couldbe constructed, and even then apparently only one at atime. Between 1505

and 1509 the Porte Ronville and the Porte Haguerue received a new bulwark and only some

renovation work was done at the Porte Saint-Nicolas, [7]During the following years, both bulwarks represented on our drawing were constructed. In

December 1508, master masons Mathieu Martin and Piefie Barr6, together with three carpenters

Philippe du Chastel, Nodl Philaft and Antoine Willemaire, were paid for having made "visitationet devise du bollvert de Mdaulens" . [8] On 5 March 1509 the excavation work for its foundations

began. The first stone was laid on 14 May. [9] In July foundation piles were driven into the ground,

then a stone substructure was constructed and already in September the first embrasures and

casemate vaults were being executed. Further construction of the bulwark lasted for about three

years, since the embrasures were only given their finishing touches in l5l2-13, the same years

in which the building was sumptuously decorated by the painter Vincent Corroyer and the sculptor

Simon Leureux. [10]Inl5l2 the company of cannoneers was reorganized, guns were prepared to be installed on

the walls and the city-guard was intensified. In addition, the cities of Lille and Douai were asked

to send over a master mason and a military engineer (pionnier) to give their advice on the

construction of new fortifications, and on the ramparting and restoration of the existing ones. [11]Construction work at the Saint-Nicolas bulwarkbegan soon afterwards and interestingly enough,

its design differs significantly from its three predecessors. Apparently its construction could not

start before the M6aulens bulwark was more or less finished. Our drawing proves indeed that itsground plan was only made at a time when the M6aulens bulwark was already being decorated.

On 1l March 1513 Mathieu Martin and Willemaire Willepin, together with carpenter Antoine

Willemaire and his son, were paid for having made the plan of the bulwark, "la platte forme et

pattron d'ung bolluer pour la porte St. Nicolay", in collaboration with the city's fortificationcommittee. [12] The excavation work had already started and in May 1514 the foundations were

7. For the Pofte Ronville see: Constant Le Gentil, kt Porte Ronville, porta rotundae villae, Arras 1881.

Also Bernard, Op. Cit., [n. 2], pp. 54-58. For the Porte Hagerue see: H. Pirenne, 'La porte d'Hagerue d

Arras' , in Messager des sciences historiques de Belgique,68, 1893. Also Salamagne, 'Aux origines. . .',Op. Cit., [n. 14], pp. 49-50. In 1507 one ofthe towers at the Porte Saint-Nicolas receives new gunportsand a year later artillery utensils are being stored there: *xvij" de may 1508: de faire repparer une tour dla porte de St Nicollas seans devant le puichs pour icelle mettre poures, salpestre, souffres et autreschoses seryant a I'artillerie", Archives Municipales d'Arras, Fiches Guesnon, fs.1900-01.

8. Mathieu Martin had already been involved in revising the city walls and in the construction of the cityhall. Pierre Barr6 must be a relative of Jean Barr6 or Baire, who had worked on the fortifications about1485 and was send to B6thune in 1517 to design a bulwark. Guesnon, Op. Cit., [n. 3], p. 49.PieneH61iot, 'El6ments d'un rEpertoire des maitres-magons art6siens et picards (XI-XU siEcles)', in Revue du

Nord,33 (1951), p. 145 en p.269.Salamagne, 'Aux origines...', Op. Cit., [n. 14], pp.50-51.9. "Du lundi xiij" de mny 1509, Aux machons de la ville pour la premibre pierue qui fut mise et assise du

bollvert de Myaulens" , Archives Municipales d'Anas, Fiches Guesnon, Porte M6aulens, comptes

ouvraSes, 1508-1509.

70. "Aud. Pierue Wyot pour avoir tailld et crocquetd les pierres, seulles, carreaulx et tout ce qu'il appartientaux huyt cannoniires aud. bollver de Mdaulens" (Archives Municipales d'Arras, Fiches Guesnon, Porte

M6aulens, l5l2-13). Vincent Corroyer was paid "pour avoirfaict et paint la devise", made a design forthe roof construction, together with master ca4renter Antoine Willemaire, and decorated the gate-house.

Guesnon, Op. Cit., [n. 3], p. 49. Salamagne, 'Aux origines ...', Op. Cit.,ln. l4l,p.5l.In 1512-14 SimonLeureux repeatedly received payments for his sculpting. Archives Municipales d'Arras, Fiches Guesnon.

11. A. de Cardevacque, Op. Cit., [n. 2], pp. 157-158.12. "pour despence faicte le mardi xij' jour de mars (1513) en faisant la platte forme et pattron d'ung

bolluer pour la porte St. Nicolay tant par les quattre commis aux ouyrages comme par Mathieu Martinet Will[emair]e Willepin machon, avec iceulx Anthoine Willemaire et Jehan Willemaire dit cadet".Archives Municipales d'Aras, Fiches Guesnon, Porte Saint-Nicolas.

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PIETER MARTENS

as good as ready, leaving the rest of the building to be completed in the following years. [13]In conclusion, according to these records, the drawing of the two boulevards was made in 1513,

or thereabouts, possibly by one of the already mentioned master masons themselves.

The development of Bulwarks or Bouleyards

Ever since the introduction of siege artillery, bulwarks played a fundamental role in the defence

of a city. [14] From about 1400 onwards, they became widespread in the Burgundian LowCountries. Originally, their purpose was rather straightforward and strictly defensive, i.e. toprotect vulnerable parts in the city walls. In order to prevent enemy cannon fire from blowing awooden city gate into smithereens, an elevated eafthen wall, reinforced with wood, would be

erected in front ofthe gate. Soon, however, the defenders realised that the assailant could be keptat a greater and more secure distance by installing firearms on this outwork. Furthermore, fromthis advanced gun position, supplementary flanking fire could be directed alongside the city wallitself, should the attacker attempt an assault. As a result, bulwarks or boulevards turned frompassive barricades into active works, displaying an increasingly offensive character. Constructed

of eafth, however, these defence works were either ephemeral, or in constant need of repair.

Moreover, the solid installation of an adequate amount'of firearms was all but obvious.

Henceforward, since the middle of the fifteenth century, bulwarks were erected in stone and brickever more frequently. And so, for the very first time, the history of fortification witnessed the birthof a military building type, fully designed in view of modem gunpowder artillery. Until then, the

adaptation of military architecture to firearms had remained limited to modifications of already

existing mediaeval structures.

Bulwarks began emerging in countless variants, which differed from each other not only inbuilding material (earth, wood, natural stone, brick) or in strategic position (usually in front of acity gate, occasionally preceding a bridge or a curtain wall), but also in plan (semicircular,

horseshoe-shaped, triangular, rectangular, pentagonal, polygonal, ...). Yet the general outline isalways the same, i.e. a solid defence structure of several storeys, meant to resist cannon fire and

to carry firearms itself, organised around an inner open courtyard, usually situated in front of acity gate. The entrance to such a bulwark should obviously not be located on the same line of fireas the shielded gate, and was consequently orientated sideways. This configuration offered the

extra advantage that the outer gate could be swept from the adjacent curtain wall, which wouldnot be possible if it were located at the front. This redoubling of the city gate forced the enemy

- on his way to the main gate - to venture himself inside the bulwark, where he was evidently an

"neuf machons pour avoir ouvre a faire les fondations du Bolluer de la porte St Nicolay" (14 May 15 14),and "Jeh. Willemaire et Pierroten de Louy (Loys) [. . .l ouvrages des chintres du bolluers" (26 Jtne1514). Archives Municipales d'Arras, Fiches Guesnon, Porte Saint-Nicolas.For various definitions of the term bulwark or boulevard (and the existing confusion with a barbacane),see: Salamagne, Op. Cit., [n. 3], pp. 405-433. For some examples of bulwarks in France and the southemLow Countries see: Alain Salamagne, 'Aux origines de la fortification bastionn6e : le boulevardd'Antoing et la famille monumentale des boulevards de plan polygonal' , it Revue des archdologues eihistoriensd'artdeLouvain,XxY,1992,pp.3l-62.JeanMesqui, ChAteauxetenceintesdelaFrancem€didvale, De la ddfense d la rdsidence (part 1: 'Les organes de la d6fense'), Paris 1991-93, pp. 355-361. Alain Salamagne, 'Le ch6teau de Montcomet dans les Ardennes et sa place dans l'architecturemilitaire de la seconde moiti6 du XVe sidcle', in Reyue Historique Ardennaise,XXYI| 1992,pp. 137-202, and. pp. l7 4-176. Philippe Bragard, Les ingdnieurs des fortifications dnns les Pays-Bas espagnols etdans la principautd de Liige (1504-171-r), PhD Thesis, Universit6 Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve1998, p. 382,478.

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AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

easy target to the surrounding marksmen. Originally, the bulwark was a more or less independent

defence work, detached from the actual city wall and often even located on the other side of the

ditch. In circumstances of extreme hazard, defenders could retreat from their advanced position

and the bulwark had to be surrendered. These bulwarks, however, kept increasing in size, so later

on, in the early sixteenth century, they were increasingly being attached to the main wall in order

to facilitate a faster transfer of troops and of heavy arms. This attachment to the wall often

discredited the main city gate in favour of the outer doorway, which as a result put on prestige,

stressingthebulwark's significanceevenmore. Afteracentury of experimentation, bulwarkshad

developed from provisional outposts into indispensable and constitutive elements of the city

fortifications and thus can be seen as immediate predecessors of the modern bastion.

Saint-Nicolas bulwark

The drawing of the "boulwerc de la porte saint nicolas" shows a ground plan of a polygonal

bulwark protecting a mediaeval city gate, of which the outline is indicated on the right hand side.

(fig. 1) This old gate, flanked by two impressive round towers, had been built after the illustrious

battle of Bouvines in 1214 and was reinforced by a second gate in the middle of the fourteenth

century. [15] The nearby church of Saint-Nicolas-sur-les-Fossds, Saint-Nicolas-on-the-Ditches,

which gave the city gate its name, was apparently standing perilously close to the main gate, since

building conflicts are mentioned repeatedly. [16] The rectangular annexe, drawn on the right, is

possibly apart of this churchcomplex, orit couldbe a guardhouse with an echaugette atits corner.

The ground plan of the Saint-Nicolas bulwark has been drawn quite accurately. The outlines

have been meticulously carried out with ruler and compass, after which the filling-in - two

staircases and nine embrasures - has been drawn free hand. Two brief inscriptions indicate the

main measurements of the building. According to the one at the bottom of the page, the inner

perimeter of the bulwark along all four sides amounts to 500 feet : "v c p pqr de dens oeLwre".

On the left the width of the walls is inscribed : "lespis en bas de xxxi p et en hault xxii p" (3 1 feet

at the bottom and22 feet at the top). [17] At once one realizes the enormous size of the building

: nowadays, it would practically enclose an entire football field.The bulwark describes an irregular quadrangle, each side measuring about 35 to 45 metres,

protecting the city wall over a length of nearly one hundred metres. The inner courtyard is large

enough to serve as a place d'armes.In case of an emergency, troops could be assembled there to

orchestrate a sortie. The outer gate is orientated in such a way that, should it collapse under enemy

fire, the actual city gate and its annexe, possibly the guardhouse, would still remain out of shot.

Moreover, the polygonal ground plan guarantees less dead ground than a circular plan.

Constant Le Gentil, 'La porte Saint-Nicolas h Arras', in Statistique monumentale du ddpartement du

Pas-de-Calais, III, 1885, 6,pp. l-26, see pp. 3-5. Also A. de Cardevacque, Op. Cit., [n. 2], pp. 136-137

and Bellart-Maison, Op. Cit., ln.2l, p. 58.

7n 1424 the city council gave permission to make a door in a wall of the gate-fortress, giving access tothe church's bell-tower: "Eschevins, ont esfi d'accord que ceux de I'dglise Saint-Nicolay puissentfaireune huissine vaussde au mur de laforteresse de la Ville tenant au clocquier de l'dglise Saint-Nicolay d

entrer dedens le clocquier par terre". In 1498 the construction of a chapel necessitated the planning ofa new slope for transporting artillery onto the walls. Le Genlil, Op. Cit.,ln. l5l, p. 12.These measurements make it possible to deduce the scale on which the ground plan is drawn, about

ll275.The inner perimeter along all four sides is about 140-m. The thickness of the wall decreases

upwards from 9-m to 6.5-m.

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Curved walls would of course offer more resistance to incoming projectiles, but their radiallypositioned embrasures would result in diverging lines of fire. Straight walls like these can display

more gun positions and their parallel embrasures allow cannon to cross their lines of fire. Nine

large embrasures are distributed quite regularly along the bulwark's perimeter. Six of them are

directed forwards, the other three are located in the flanks to defend the adjacent curtain walls.

At the bottom left, a corner of the bulwark has been cut off on pu{pose, in order to enable one

embrasure to sweep this zone of the battlefield. Apparently the positioning and aiming ofdefensive fire was taken into consideration, but on the whole there still remains some dead ground

in the field of fire. The embrasures are all alike and are clearly conceived exclusively for cannon.

Their design is well-thought out. Its outward widening and the splayed neck allow a more accurate

aiming of the gun barrel and provide a wider traversing angle. [18] On the other hand, this

embrasure type was also more vulnerable : it risks swallowing too many enemy projectiles

through its funnel-shape. [19] This is why these kind of embrasures were often sealed off by a

shutter or, like in this case, the opening was given a serrated or stair-like bottom to avoid the

inward ricocheting of an incoming projectile. It is rather noteworthy that there are no casemates

in these massive walls, perhaps to assure their solidity, which results in very deep embrasures.

Apparently, the cannon stood in the inner courtyard itself, in open air, which automatically solved

all the annoying problems concerning the venting of gunpowder smoke. The elaboration of the

embrasures and the lack of casemates suggest the use of muzzle-loading guns of large calibre,

mounted on movable gun-carriages absorbing the piece's recoil. [20] The ground floor probably

received the heaviest guns. On the upper floors portable firearms of reduced calibre were

operated. They could be transported via the two staircases, drawn in the flanks, each about two

metres wide. The staircase at the bottom not only accessed the first floor, but ran further up. Tworound towers, each about eleven metres across, protected the outer gate, which is rather unusual

for a bouleva;rd. [21] A guardroom, provided with a smaller embrasure for portable firearms,

ensured supplementary defence of the outer gateway.

The circular opening at the neck ofthe embrasures possibly facilitated manoeuvring (pivoting?) and

aiming of the gun barrel. For the early development of different types of embrasures, see: Jean Mesqui,

Chdteaux et enceintes de la France mddidvale, De la ddfense d la rdsidence,Part2 :'La r6sidence

et les 6l6ments d'architecture', Paris 1991-93,pp.301-321. Nicolas Faucherre, Places Fortes, Bastion du

pouvoir, Paris 1996, p. 14.

According to this ground plan, the outward opening of the embrasures is no less than some 2.5-m across,

comparable to the breadth of the main doorway. The outer opening of older types of embrasures,

narrowing outward, was often hardly larger than the diameter of the gun barrel.Inside a casemate, firearms were usually installed on a fixed carriage. They peeped through the loop-holeand were loaded at the rear of the barrel.The pre-existence of a fourteenth century outer gate with a pair of round towers, of which no trace is left,is insufficient to explain the presence of these enoflnous new towers. ln 1527 , when a portcullis was

installed, they are referred to as 'la porte noeufie', Le Gentil, Op. Cit., [n. 15], p. 14. Even thoughcontemporary sources continuously describe it as 'boulwerc', 'bollvert', etc. - the question may right-fully be asked whether the bulwark Saint-Nicolas can actually be qualified as a bulwark. Its vast

perimeter and the rather unusual presence of two impressive towers make it look like a proper extension

of the city wall, enclosing an existing church and resulting in a displacement of the actual city gate.

At least, this is how it is represented on the city plan ofBraun and Hogenberg.

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AN EARLY SXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

M6aulens bulwark

The drawing of the M6aulens bulwark shows a bird's-eye view of a defensive work which iscomparabletothe one atthePorte Saint-Nicolas. Apolygonal, multistoreyhigh gun emplacement

protected the existing gate. The legend on the left describes it as a "baterie sur les foses de troisestage", battery on the ditches in three storeys. (ftg.2) Contrary to the plan of the Saint-Nicolasbulwark, this sketch is not so much a working tool as a modest presentation drawing, offering areliable overall picture of the building and illustrating some ornamental details, like the twopinnacles drawn in a darker tone. It is carefully executed but less accurate, completely caried out

in a free hand and does not indicate any measurements. The use of perspective is scarcely correct,

but the general composition of the building - both exterior and interior - is grasped at once,

demonstrating the draughtsman's familiarity with three-dimensional representation. The illusoryeffect is even accentuated by some hatched shading: in the doorway, in both sluices and underthe

bridge. Both perspective and shading, two characteristics of a presentation drawing, are used

rather spontaneously.

The bulwark describes an irregular polygon in three levels, erected in front of the existinggate. This gate has not been represented, but in fact closes the open side on the left. In reality the

bulwark was attached to the wall. As usual, the outer gate is located sideways, preceded by adrawbridge. Above the doorway one sees a sculptured niche and.two trellis-windows of the

guardhouse, which probably also accommodated the operating systems of both drawbridge and

portcullis. Two graceful pinnacles, possibly echaugettes, are suppofted by slightly outwardprojecting mouldings of carved stone. Next to the gate, two sluices could be used to adjust the

water level of the moat. Two cordons visually separate the three different levels of the bulwark.In the lower part, a substructure in natural stone, only one embrasure is drawn, just above water

level, providing flanking fire along the adjacent curtain wall. The middle floor, somewhat above

ground level, has semicircular embrasures, allowing for guns to sweep the surrounding area. The

inner courtyard shows three casemates, each of them appears to shelter a cannon. The upper level

of the bulwark shows horizontal rectangular embrasures, probably designed for portable weap-

ons. This floor, sheltered by a roof construction, is opened up on the inside, forming a gallery witha wooden balustrade. From here the enemy could be harassed once he had gained access to the

bulwark, and in times of peace, incoming and outgoing traffic could be supervised. This open

gallery was reached via an external staircase, covered by three gables which, just like the

gatehouse, were decorated in the gothic manner.

Comparison

Combiningbothgroundplan andperspectiveview, this documentseems to offeraclear-cutimageof an exemplary early sixteenth century bulwark. Nonetheless, some important differences

between these two bulwarks need to be pointed out. (fig. 5) The Saint-Nicolas bulwark was about

twice the size of the one at M6aulens, possibly because it also had to enclose the neighbouringchurch building. Furthermore, this bulwark possessed two enormous towers and its walls were

much thicker than those of the M6aulens bulwark. In this respect, it has to be noted that on the

M6aulens side of the city lay a wet moat, fed by the river Crinchon. Constructing heavy towers

or even massive walls on a marshy subsoil was all but wise. Besides, this moat itself already

provided substantial protection against sapping or assault, so that modest walls without towers

probably provided sufficient defence. The gates on the Saint-Nicolas side ofthe city, surrounded

77

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PIETER MARTENS

Fig. 5. Miaulens (tnd Saint-Nicolas bulwarks at Arras. Reconstruction on same scale and comparison withbulwarks at Antoing and Rhodes. (Drawings by the author, after Salamagne and O'Neil)

by a dry ditch, all possessed important towers. The M6aulens bulwark was also a lot smaller,

soits outergate couldbe easily defendedfromthemainwall. AtthePorte Saint-Nicolas, however,

the outer gate was practically out of range of marksmen on the main wall and had to look after

its own defence, from the two towers. In the end, these towers not only played a defensive role,butalsohadto emphasize the importance of the Porte Saint-Nicolas as aprimary access to the city.After all, the emblematic value of the main gate as the actual city entrance had gradually been

taken over by the outer doorway of the bulwarks. This symbolic function of the outer gate also

justified the more abundant decoration at the Porte M6aulens and makes clear that the twoornamental pinnacles had to compensate the lack of genuine entrance towers. Two other Arras

1

2345

Boulevard at AntoingBoulevard d'Auvergne (Rhodes)Boulevard Koskinou (Rhodes)Boulevard M6aulens at ArrasBoulevard Saint-Nicolas at Arras

This comparative scheme illustrates the evolution from relatively small, pentagonal boulevards of thefirst generation (1460-1480) - examples 1 to 3 - towards significantly larger and more massiveboulevards ofthe second generation (1500-1520) - examples 2 to 5.

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

bulwarks were constructed in the same period. The chArclet of the Porte Ronville received a vast

round bulwark with two impressive towers. The bulwark in front of the Porte Haguerue on the

other hand was a lot smaller and had a polygonal plan without towers. It hardly needs furtherpointing out that not only military demands but also local topographical conditions and the display

ofprestige andpowerhad adecisive influence onthe design of abulwarkinparticular andmilitaryarchitecture in general.

Despite the enormous diversity of all kinds of bulwarks, a certain pattern in their evolution

can be traced. More precisely, there appear to be some characteristic differences with the firstgeneration of stone bulwarks (1450-1480), like for instance the surviving bulwark of Antoing.(figs. 6 and 7) [22] These usually had walls of some three to four metres thick, pierced with visionslits and loopholes for both mechanic weapons and small firearms. Around 15 10, bulwarks tended

to be significantly larger in size and were principally being attached to the main curtain wall. The

thickness of their walls had increased radically and they were equipped with different types ofembrasures, possibly even without casemates, no longer taking into account the use of mechanic

weapons. This development was basically due to some substantial technical improvements off,rrearms at the end of the fifteenth century, maturing them from experimental novelties into high-performance weapons with a devastating destructive power, impossible to ignore. [23]Gunpowder was now being produced in grains, instead of loose powder. This resulted in better

composition, dosage and combustion and was also more commonly used to undermine defensive

structures. The use ofcannon in castbronze and ofcast-iron projectiles, instead ofwrought-irongun barrels firing balls of cut stone, made these firearms less ponderous and much more efficient.

The drastically augmented destructive power of siege artillery led to the thickening of defence

walls and imposed an entirely new strategy, that of keeping the enemy at a distance.

New embrasures andcasemates had tobe designedforthis new generation of firearms. Atthe turn

of the century,mtzzle-loaders, mounted onmovable gun-carriages, hadtakentheplace of breech-

loading guns, mounted chiefly on fixed carriages, and mechanic weapons like bows and

crossbows had virtually disappeared in favour of modern hand guns. Heavy calibres were now

usedfor defensivepurposes too. Thebulwarkwas no longer aminoroutworkdefendedwith small

frearms or mechanic weapons, but had become an integrated part of the enceinte, armed withheavy guns.

It is extremely interesting to note that even as far away as the Mediteranean island ofRhodes, very similar bulwarks were being erected in the same period (1460-1520), and that these

works underwent a perfectly analogous evolution, (fig. 5) [24] This analogy is clearly illustrated

by the surviving defence works at the Koskinou Gate and the bulwark of Auvergne, where

bulwarks of the first generation were encapsulated by larger and more massive ones of the second

See: Salamagne, 'Aux origines ...' , Op. Cit.,ln. l4l, comparative scheme on Plate Y.ln 1472 Arras stillordered two dozen crossbows from an artilleur in Brussels. Alain Salamagne, 'Des armes m6caniques

aux arrnes d feu, quelques r6flexions compl6mentaires sur l'6volution de I'architecture militaire dans les

anciens Pays-Bas bourguignons' , in Revue Belge d'Histoire Militaire XXXI-5/6, 1996, pp. 109-158,p.111.M. P. Henrard, 'L'artillerie en Belgique depuis son origine jusqu'au rbgne d'Albert et d'Isabelle', inAnnales de I'Acaddmie d'Archdologie de Belgique, XXI, 1865, pp. 134-328. At the beginning of the

sixteenth century, the speedy technical progress of gunpowder artillery had slowed down, permittingstandardization to begin and leaving artiUery pieces practically unaltered until well into the nineteenthcentury.B. H. St. J. O'Neil, 'Rhodes and the origin of the bastion', inThe Antiquaries Journal XXXN, 1954,

pp.44-54. Quentin Hughes, Athanassios Migos, 'Rhodes : The Turkish sieges', in Fort 21,1993,pp. 3-18. Anna-Maria Kasdagli, Katerina Manoussou-Della, 'The Defences of Rhodes and the

Tower of St John', in Fort 24, L996, pp. 15-35.

79

22.

23

24

PIETER MARTENS

Fig. 6. Interior of the bulwark of Antoing, constructed around 1175. View from the main gate. On the left, the outer gate.

(Photograph: author)

Fi g. 7. Interior of the bulwark of Antoing. View from the salient angle towards the main gate. (Photograph: author)

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

generation. In this respect, it is noteworthy that the Italian military engineer Basilio della Scuola,

who was working on the bulwarks of Rhodes in 1520, had also worked for Maximilian of Austriaand had been active in the southern Low Countries. [25] This not only demonstrates the

international character of military architecture at the time, but also stresses the prominent position

held by the Low Countries. The fortifications of Rhodes have always been renowned for theirinnovative nature, and even the origin of the bastion was once attributed to them. [26]

As far as the inevitable discussion about the origin of the bastion is concerned, the kind ofbulwark represented on the Arras drawing can be seen as a polygonal extension of the city wall,offering both long-distance fire and flanking fire - all being fundamental characteristics of abastion. But even if these were undeniably important steps in the early development of the bastion,

some significant shortcomings have to be taken into account. First of all, these bulwarks were not

massive gun platforms, there still was an inner courtyard, and they were still serving as cityentrances. Therewas notyetaclearfunctional distinctionbetweenfaces andflanks. Furthermore,

these bulwarks were still thought of as independent edifices ensuring their own defence, withoutmutually covering each other. Contrary to the bastioned front, an overall design, interconnecting

these bulwarks into a large-scale defensive system, was still lacking, so their outline was chieflybeing determined by topographical conditions. Because of the bulwark's short-range flankingfire, which left the neighbouring bulwarks uncovered, and due to the persistence of areas of dead

ground, traditional vertical defence and short-range self-defence wgre still necessary.

From Bulwarks to Bastions

Yet it can hardly be surprising that these bulwarks were later transformed into genuine bastions:

by merely filling these bulwarks with earth, a suitable gun platform was created. From the 1540s

onwards, the defence works of Arras were being adjusted to meet with the demands of modem

bastioned fortification. Under the direction of Adrian of Croy, who was governor of Artois and

thus directly responsible forits defence, new additional bastions were constructed andthe existing

bulwarks saw themselves transformed into massive artillery platforms. [27] So in 1541 the inside

of the M6aulens bulwark was ramparted, the embrasures were shut and the decision was made to

tear down its wooden roof construction, in order to place guns on top of the terreplein, in the open

ur. [28] In this mass of packed earth, a passageway connecting inner and outer gate was kept free.

After all, the main function of these bulwarks was still entry to the city. During the Joyous Entry

Rodolfo Santoro, 'Architetti italiani operanti alle difese dello Stato dei Cavalieri di Rodi, (Ordine di San

Giovanni Gerosolimitano, ovvero Ospitalieri)', in Marino Yiganil, Architetti e ingegneri militari italianiall'estero dal XV al XWil secolo,Rome 1994, pp.33-38. Alain Salamagne, 'Inter se disputando?, MaitreJehan Lart6sien, le FrEre de Moddne et f invention du bastion', irt Crdation artistique et conflitshistoriques dans l'Europe duNord(Revue duNord, hors sdrie, nr.7),Lille 2000, pp. 24-41,p.38.Further research will have to be done to determine the precise role of Basilio della Scuola and the

possible correlation between Rhodes and the Low Countries.The hasty conclusion of O'Neil, claiming the bulwark of Auvergne as the very first bastion: "Ii there-fore, one asks the question, 'Who invented the bastion?', the present writer suggests that the answer

should be 'Pierre d'Aubusson at Rhodes in 1496' .", p. 52, was already rejected in 1965 by John Hale,Op. Cit.,[n.5]),p.29.Adrian of Croy (1500-1553), count of Roeulx, and since 1524 governor of Artois, was superintendent ofall the defence works of Flanders and Artois. He was also captain of the citadel of Ghent, initiated in1540 by the emperor Charles V. The surviving bastion de Roeulx at Arras is named after him.Salamagne, 'Aux origines. ..', Op. Cit.,[n. l4],p.52.

BI

25

26.

27.

28

82

PIETER MARTENS

Fig. 8. The Porte Mdaulens (left) and the Porte Saint-Nicolas (right) at Arras. Georg Braun and FranzHogenberg, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Cologne 1581 (details). (Afterfacsimile, K.U.Leuven)

of 1546, for instance, Mary of Hungary entered Arras through the Porte Saint-Nicolas. [29]In1549 the Emperor Charles V personally came to inspect the Arras fortifications, accompanied

by governor Adrian of Croy. Apparently both the M6aulens and the Saint-Nicolas bulwarks were

more or less in accordance with the needs of modern military architecture, since neither of them

received any harsh imperial criticism, excepting the remark that the roof construction of the

M6aulens bulwark had, after ten years, still not been tom down. The Ronville bulwark, on the

other hand, still had to be filled with earth to form a convenient gun platform, on the emperor's

orders. [30] Three years later the parapet of the M6aulens bastion was heightened and its moat

deepened. [31] During the summer of 1553, the Italian engineer Giovanni Maria Olgiati made an

inspection tour along the southern border of the Low Countries, together with Sebastiaan van

Noyen, and made up a plan for the modernization of the Anas fortifications. [32]The city plan published by Braun and Hogenberg in 15 8 1 , must have been drawn after a map

representing this state of affairs. (figs. 3 and 8) t33l It represents the situation shortly after the

29. Le Gentil, Op. Cit.,lr.. 151 p. 18. From 1546 urtt\ll 1624, all Joyous Entries accessed Arras through the

Porte Saint-Nicolas, this apparently being the city's most important gate.

30. On the 13th of August 1549, Charles V was in Arras and inspected the city fortifrcations, together withAdrian of Croy. His critical remarks were recorded : " sa Majestd dit qu'il falloit mestre jus le comble de

la dicte tour, pour d'icelle en faire une platte forme plus haulte qu'elle n'estoit et venant vers le bolvairede Myolens, dit le semblable qu'il falloit pareillement mectre jus le comble et lors Monseigneur de le

comt€ de Roeux dit au maieur que passd dix ans il lui avoit dit et n'estoit encoires fact." And: "Passe

oultre le bollvaire Saint-Nicolas et quand sadite Majestd aperchut le pond du bollvaire de la porte de

Ronville, s'en monstra mal content, disant avoir ordonnd unefois remplir de terue Ie dit bollvaire etfairele dit pond dehors le dit bollevaire vers la porte de Haizerue." A. de Cardevacqte, Op. Cit.,ln.2l,pp.162-163.

31. A. de Cardevacque, Op. Cit., [n. 2], p. 165.

32. Madrid, Palacio Real, Map 416 ('Planos originales de ltalia, Franciay Almaniay Paises Bayos'),m.38(recto and verso). Charles van den Heuvel, Bemhard Roosens, 'Las Fortificaciones en los Paises Bajos y

la coronaci6n de la defensa del imperio de Carlos Y' , in l^as fortificaciones de Carlos V, Madrid, inprint, pp. 524-543.

33. Theengravedcityplanhasoftenbeenredrawnenre-edited.Itwaspublishedforthefirsttimeinl58lasAtrebatum in the third volume of Braun and Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Teruarum,Cologne 1581. Thesame plan appeared at the same time in the second edition of Lodovico Guicciardini's Descittione ditutti i Paesi Bassi, Antwerp 1581. It is, however, a copy after the unpublished city plan drawn by Jacob

van Deventer, who composed his atlas of city plans probably between 1558 and 1571. Antoine De Smet,

'De plaats van Jacob van Deventer in de cartografre van de 16de eeuw', in Liber Amicorum Leon Voet,

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

Fig. 9. The Porte Mdaulens (left) and the Porte Saint-Nicolas (right) at Arras. Joan Blaeu, Toonneel der

Steden, Ams t e rdam I 6 4 9 ( de t ail s ). ( Aft e r fac s imil e, K. U. Le uv en )

middle of the century. Two modem bastions can be seen: the bastion Saint-Michel and the bastion

de Roeulx. The somewhat schematic rendering of the fortifications nevertheless provides a rather

reliable overall picture, but does not offer any conclusive details on the defence structures

themselves. The M6aulens bulwark still appeared in its original state, depicted in a somewhat

simplified way as a circular building. [34] The Saint-Nicolas bulwark, on the contrary, looked

more like an extension of the city wall, surrounding the church of Saint-Nicolas-sur-les-Foss6s.

In 1557 the decision was made to demolish this church building, as advised by Sebastiaan van

Noyen, engineer of the emperor, with the intention of further elaborating the bastion. [35]A lower gun platform with orillon was attached to the right side of the bulwark, and in the left flank

a rectangular gun emplacement was dug out. (fig. 1a)

On 29 March l59l , the French king Henry IV unsuccessfully tried to conquer Arras by

means of a night surprise attack. 136) Ville and Citd were assaulted simultaneously. The attack on

the Ville was concenkated on the Porte M6aulens. The assailants blew up the outer gate and

penetrated into the bulwark. In the open passageway to the main gate, however, they were halted

Antwerp 1985, pp. 474 e.v. Ch. Ruelens, E. Ouverleaux, J. van den Gheyn, Atlas des villes de la

Belgique au WIe siDcle. Cent plans du gdographe Jacques de Deventer (Jacsimile),1884-1924 (Aras by

F. Lennel and A. Lavoine). Deventer's plan is the oldest known city plan of Arras. A plan of Arras made

by Adrien Bazelaire, even before 1530, is lost. Guesnon, Op. Cit., [n. 3], p. 43. Guicciardini commented

on the Arras defence works : "La Citd estfort petite, mais belle, bonne etforte, et deffendud de ses

boulevards et remparts l. . .), Mais venons d la Ville, laquelle pour vray est si grand et si forte, tout pourI'assiette que les murs, bouleuers, et tres larges et tres profondesfossel, bienque soyent sans eau, qu'on

la tient pour imprenable".The Porte M6aulens can also be seen on the panoramic view of Arras, Atrebatum, episcopalis et

metropolitica Artesiae civitas, published by Braun and Hogenberg already in 1512 in the first volume ofthei Civitates. The schematic representation, however, offers no further detail.As engineer of the emperor, Sebastiaan van Noyen was responsible for all defence works of the southern

Low Countries. The decision was made to "ddmolir l'dglise parochiale de Saint-Nicolas sur les fossds,assile partie dedans le boulvaire de la porte et sur le rempart, oi n'y avoit rempars ni flans, ny moien

d'enfaire, pour les €dffices et rues quiy estoient, ne soit en dimolissant icelle",in order to create a

firing platform as "plusieurs fois I'Empereur I'avait ordonn€' . The church was rebuilt a bit further away,

between 1571 and 1584. Guesnon, Op. Cit., [n. 3], p. 52. A. de Cardevacque, Op. Cit., [n.2), p. 166.

Le Gentil, Op. Cit., [n. l5], p. 15.

A. Guesnon, La surprise d'Arras tentde par Henri N en mars 1597 et le tableau de Hans Conincxloo,

1907, Op. Cit., [n. 3].

B3

34

35

36

B4

PIETER MARTENS

hy the aJerted citizens, who took tlrem under ['ire fr-om above and averted the cupturc of their city

in the nick of tirnc. [37] To comnremorate this glorious resistance. Hans Conincrloo paintecl ir

Portrtrit de luVille et CifiA (l'Arrus'in 1601 to adorn the council hal l. The painting shows the city

and its surroundings, assaulted by the army ol'Henli IV. AlthoLrgh one cAn barcly expect a highly

accurate representation of thc city tbrtifications, the Porte M6alrlens corrcsponcls relrarkably wcll

to our drawing, even though by then the initial bulwark had already becn changetl rathcr

clrastica111,. (fig. l0) [3t3] The roof constn-rction had disappeared. Conrageous citl clefenders are

standing behind the pariLpet on the terreplein firing liand guns. The gLrardhotLse above the -qateway

can unrnistakably be rccognized by its trefoil gablc and two turrets. The doorway itself is hiddcn

behind a horseman holcling a banner'. [39 ] The Porte Saint-Nicolas is onlv vagLrcly distingr-rishable

on the left eclge ol the panel.

..,'lI'.&.r, !

,is"i'

Fig 10. Tlte buLvrttrk ,\'4iauLttts ar .t\rra.s Detuil lt'ont fluts ()ottittr tlott',s

par Henri lV en I 597)", pailtred in I 60 1. ( MLtsia cles lleatu-A rts tl' Arra,s

'Portrait de la villc et citt6 d'Arras (L'attaclue d'ArrasPhotutgraplt: aLrthrtr)

31 No less than thr-ee contemporarv cornmentades report on the attack. Adriaan Hu1'brechts used Bt'attu atrcl

Hogenberg's city plan to illustrate the assault: V/aerat:htig VerhrrcL endc 3hestltiederti.sse t,untlen ltosert

aerttlctclt ..opdesto(lf vottAtretltl, Anlrverp l59T.CiLtesnon.Op Cit.ln 3].pp. 15--l2andplatolVGrrcsnon. Op. Cit., [n. 3], p .18.

A drawn copv of this particular par( of thc painting exists. dcpicting the Porte Miar-rlcns in lull: 'PLrr

d'rtne portie cl'Arrcts ct de ltr Citti tirie tl'Luttutltleau repos(utt darts la clrtLn'tbru des tlrratre,s cctnutti.s cLux

ourrctge.\ tle lculIite] t'ille.. rcprdsentont ledIitl tablatru la s'urprisc de lud[itel tille et citti pcrr Hcnn'IIllle27nrur,s 1579'. ArchivesMuniciprLlesd'Aras.Cuesrron, Op.Cit..ln.3l,p. l0(1.).BcllarrMaison,Op. Cit..In. 2], cat. nr'. 7. This sketch. horvever. ofTers no firrther clctail

3rl

39

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

Another document provides a much more detailed image of this gate in that period. In 1619

engineer Pierre Camp drew up a plan and complementary builder's specifications for a new

drawbridge at the Porte Saint-Nicolas. (fig. 11) t40l This plan too corresponds very well to our

drawing: the outline of the original bulwark can clearly be identified. Entering the city one firstpassed by a guatdhouse, c orps de garde; after which a stone bridge, pont de massonnerie faict surs

40. "espallement du coust d'ung nouveau pont-levis proposC dfaire en la planche d'une argure du pont de

massonnerie de la porte Saint-Nicolas", fully cited by Le Gentil, Op. Cit., [n. 15], pp. l0-12. Theoriginal plan, edited by tr Gentil, was lost during a fue of the city's archives in 1915.

B5

Fig. 11. PierreCamp, Design of adrawbidgefor the

Porte Saint-Nicolasat Arras, 1618.

(From C. Le Gentil1885, o.c. [n. 15],

the original planis lost)

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isJ

dll$/

iE E'r

/#r{

-+-c

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f G,A1ovl-"rtY9(

B6

PIETER MARTENS

arcures,led over the ditch to the drawbridge of the outer gate. Then one arrived in the entreporte,

spread out in the earthen bastion mass, and reached the main gate, between the old thirteenth-

century towers, grosse.r tours aulxmunitions.Any trace of the old church has disappeared. On the

right Camp indicated the contour of the dug out gun platform. This plan also shows that the city

wall had recently been doubled by a new curtain , nouvelle gourdinne. [41] This new situation can

Fig. 12. Plan du bastion et de la porte de M6aulens i Arras, 1756. (SHAT Vincennes, Archives du Gdnie, ArL B, Sect. 1, carton 2/20)

41. The left curtain, towards PorteRonville, was constructed in 1596, the right curtain, towards the Saint-

Michel bastion, was elevated between 1586 and 1592. Salamagne, Op. Cit., [n' 2], p' 18'

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

be seen on the city plan printed by Joan Blaeu in 1649, although this plan, based on the earlierversion by Braun and Hogenberg, still reproduced the already demolished church building.(fie. 8) ta2l

Arras was captured by the French army under Louis XIII in 1640, after abreach in the Saint-

Nicolas bastion was made. The doorway of this gate was closed off afterwards, and this time forgood. The Porte M6aulens on the other hand always remained an important entrance way into the

city. In 1654 the Spaniards tried to recapture Arras in vain. Finally, in 1659, the Treaty of the

Pyrenees stipulated that the whole of Artois belonged to the French crown. Consequently, the

Arras defence works were thoroughly revised and expanded by Vauban, who even constructed

a citadel in 1668. The Porte Saint-Nicolas and the Porte M6aulens, however, were not vitallyaltered. On contemporary source material, the original sixteenth century situation can still easily

be made out. [43] On a very precise plan of the M6aulens bastion from 1756 for instance, the

position of the outer gate, the open air passageway and the general outline of the originalboulevard were all clearly visible. (tie.lD taal

The accurate model, plan-relief, of Arras, made in 1716, presented a meticulous and very

reliable scale model of the town fortifications. (figs. 13 and 14) t45l The Saint-Nicolas bastion,

no longer a city entrance, was now completely filled with earth and even planted with trees. The

inner towers have disappeared completely inside the earthen mass, only to be revealed during the

dismantling of the bastion. From the two outer towers, the one on the left was most striking, stillbearing its wooden roof construction. On the left one saw the attached demi-bastion with orillonand on the right, the lowered gun emplacement. The M6aulens bastion, on the other hand, was stillserving as an access to the city and looked to be no more than a slightly revised version of the

original bulwark. Even the guardhouse above the gateway appeared to be only moderately altered.

Joan Blaeu, Toonneel der Steden, Amsterdam 1649. Pierre Camp made another plan in 1618: 'Plandes fortifications d'Arras' , The original was lost but is known to us through a copy by Arrachart made

in1784, Archives D6partementales du Pas-de-Calais, plan 1079. Two other eighteenth century plans are

equally based on Camp's plan and thus represent the situation around 1618, despite their confusing title,'Carte des environs d'Arras, 1570' , Archles Municipales d'Arras and,'Plan de la ville et des environsd'Arras, 1590' by the architect Posteau, Archives Ddpartementales du Pas-de-Calais, coll. Barbier 306.

Bellart-Maison, Op. Cit.,ln.2), cat. nr. 8. Guesnon, Op. Cit., [n. 3], p. 45, note 3. Bougard, Op. Cit.,

llr..2l, fi9. p. 96. A. De Loisne, 'Catalogue raisonn6 des cartes et plans de l'ancienne province d'Artois,

|574-1780)', in Bulletin de Gdographie historique et desciptive, n"l, 1905, pp. 45-160, Ville d'Arras:ms. 135-234.Vincennes, SHAT (Service Historique de 1'Arm6e de Terre), Archives du G6nie, Art. 8 Arras, Sect. I(19 cartons). Bibliothdque du G6nie, Atlas 78, Frangois Larcher, 1775,planYl:'Bastions de Porte de

Mdaulens et de potemes' and plan YII:'Bastion Saint-Michel, bastion Saint-Nicolas'. Nelly Lacrocq,Atlas des Places Fortes de France (1774-1788), Vincennes 1981. A rather accurate portrait ofthe city,c.l67o, by Adam-Frans Van der Meulen (1632-1690) shows the Porte Saint-Nicolas. Bellart-Maison,Op. Cit., [n.2], cat. nr.9. Bernard,Op. Cit., [n.2], pp. 17-18, pp.74-77,frgs.35 and40.'Plan du bastion et de la porte de Mdaulens h Arras, 1756' (SHAT Vincennes, Archives du G6nie, Art.8, Sect. 1, carton 2120). Above the outer gate, there still is a guardhouse,'batiment au dessus de la portea l'usage de I'artillerie' . A second guardhouse is situated above the passageway, 'passage de la porte aciel ouvert' . At the outer gate, the two projecting strips supporting the two pinnacles can still be seen.

The model, plan-relief, made for military purposes in 1716, has repeatedly been altered, was severely

damaged during the First World War and is no longer complete. The Musde des Beaux-Arts d'Arras,bought it in 1904 from the Collection des Invalides in Paris and had it restored. Honor6 Bernard,'La restauration du plan en relief d'Arras' , in Bulletin Archdologique du Comitd des Travaux Historiqueset Scientifiques,12-13, 1976-'17, pp.79-ll2 and Bemard, Op. Cil., [n. 2]. See also: Plans en Relief,Villes Fortes des Anciens Pays-Bas Frangais au XVIIIe siDcle , Mus1e des Beaux-Arts de Lille 1989,

pp. 149-153.

B7

42

45

PIETER MARTENS

Fig. 13. Model o.f tl.re Portc MdcttLlens at Arrcrs. Detctil.front rhe PIan-relief de ta Ville et de la Cjt6 d'Arras, 1716- (Musde des

B eotr r- A rt s cl' Arrct t, ph.Oto g raph: atiho r )

fig l4.Mottel 6.fthePorle s;ztint-NicsltLt^utArra,s.DetcLil .fromthcPlan-reliefdelaVilleetdelaCit6cl'Arras, 1716.(MLtsietlet

B e utt r- A rt s tl' Arrtts, phot o g rt Lp h : o ul ho r )

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

In 1889 the city of Arras ceased serving as a national stronghold. Three years later the

dismantling of her fortifications began, a huge operation which took about five years. [46]Only the citadel and the so called bastion de Roeulx survived. Until then the Saint-Nicolas and

M6aulens bulwarks had kept their defensive function. Through the past four centuries they had

indeed repeatedly been altered, but, on the whole, their initial concept was still preserved at the

moment of their demolition - once more a proof that their original design was truly modem and

already comprised the essence of future fortification. The two bulwarks, as they appear in our

drawing, were still recognizable on photographs and sketches made during the time of their

demolition. (figs. 15-17) [47]

B9

Fig. 15. The Porte Mdaulens at Arras before its demolition. One recogniles the substructure in stone and the upper levels in brick,

bearing the traces of the original embrasures as they appear on the drawing (semi-circular on the groundfloor and rectangular

on the upper level). The guard-house above the doorway has disappeared, leaving only the remnants of the outvvard projecting

strips of carved stone, which originally supported the two pinnacles. (Photograph: Joseph Quentin, 1891. Musde des Beaux-Arts

d'Arras)

The bastion Saint-Nicolas was demolished in 1892, the Porte Miaulens a year later. Salamagne,

Op. Cit., [n. 2], pp. 29-34.Dwng the demolition ancient structures often emerged intact from the

earthen masses, like the twelfth-century Porte Hagerue, but were also destroyed.

Photographer Joseph Quentin devoted an entire album to the vanishing fortifications. Xavier Souilliart(1815-1904) documented the demolition through a series of sketches: Archives D6partementales du

Pas-de-Calais. For illustrations see: Salamagne, Op. Cit., [n. 2]. Charles Desavary (1837-1885) painted

several views of the city, including a series of twelve city gates: 1883, Mus6e des Beaux-Arts d'Arras.

46

47

90

PIETER MARTENS

Conclusion

The drawing of these two bulwarks was probably made in 1513, which makes it, forthe time being,

the oldest known 'modern' fortification drawing in the Low Countries; modern in the sense that

it is fully designed in view of the use of gunpowder artillery. [48] Some quite similar drawings

by the hand of Rombout II Keldermans from about 1525 are known, [49] but it is only after the

introduction of the bastioned system around 1540 that comparable drawings became more

frequent. [50] These were, however, predominantly plans of an entire defensive system and not,

like in this case, ofindividual edifices. Theperspective view is withoutdoubtunique forthe entire

period. The drawing visualizes the boulevard as the crucial link between a mediaeval city gate

Fig. 16. The PorteMdaulens at Arrasin its present state.

The substructure ofthe dismantledbulwark has partlybeen preserved.(Photograph:

author)

48

49

The oldest preserved drawing of a castle in the southern Low Countries is in all likelihood the remark-able plan of the New Castle at Courtrai, drawn on an animal's skin around 1394. (Algemeen

Rijksarchief, Afdeling kaarten en plannen, Handschriftelijke Inventaris, nr. 8070) J. Lavalleye,'Le ChAteau de Courtrai, contribution d l'histoire de l'architecture militaire en Belgique', in Annales de

la Soci4td Royale d'Archiologie de Bruxelles, 35 (1930), pp. 157-168. P. G. Pauwels, 'Het nieuw kasteel

van Kortrijk (1394-1684), een ikonografische studie', in Gentse bijdragen tot de kunstqeschiedenis,

XXilI, t97 3 -1 5, pp. 7 9 - 1 14, (fig. 2).

A ground floor plan of the castle at Schoonhoven from 1524, signed by Rombout II Keldermans, has

been referred to as the oldest architectural drawing, preserved from the northern Low Countries. RuudMeischke, De gothi,sche bouwtraditie, studies over opdrachtgevers en bouwmeesters in de Nederlanden,The Hague 1988, p. 105. Besides that one, some drawings by Keldermans exist of the Vredenburg castle

at Utrecht, of Ter Eem castle near Eembrugge and of a castle at Wijk near Duurstede, all made around

1530. These drawings all show castle fortifications, not cities. Jolanda Leys, 'De invloed van Anthonis Ien Rombout II Keldermans op de kasteelfortificaties', in H. Janse (ed.), Keldermans, een architectonischnetwerk in de Nederlanden, 's Gravenhage I 987, pp. 155- 1 7 1.

Charles van den Heuvel, Papiere BoLwercken, de introductie van de ltaLiaanse stede- en vestingbouw

in de Nederlanden ( 1540- l 609) en het gebruik van tekeningen, Alphen aan den Rijn 1991.

50

AN EARLY SIXTEENTH-CENTURY DRAWING OF TWO BULWARKS AT ARRAS

and its direct opposite, a modern bastion, and thereby illustrates the prominent position of the

LowCountries in the evolution of military architecture. Already atthe end of the fifteenthcentury,the use of both round gun-platforms, rondeel, and polygonal outworks, boulevard, was wide-

spread - two basic improvements which later on would melt together, forming the bastion.

The rapid evolution of firearms and the permanent threat of the internationally dreaded French

cannon forced military architecture along the southern border of the Low Countries into a process

of permanent innovation. Needless to say, the continuously menaced city fortifications could not

afford to await the influx of Italian engineers in the 1540s. The arrival of these experts meant

the end, rather than the beginning, of an era of experimentation and innovation: some hundred

years of trial and error had established fairly adequate defence works and important steps towards

a bastioned system had already been taken. One might even consider the late fifteenth and early

sixteenth century defence works in the southern Low Countries to have been more adequate than

their Italian contemporaries, which after all had proven to be no match for French artillery during

the disastrous invasion of 1494. [51]The innumerable keystones in the front line of militaryarchitecture from this prolific period, however, have nearly all disappeared, which leaves us

this precious drawing as one of very few valuable relics.

9I

Acknowledgements

The author is greatly indebtedto KristaDe Jonge, Alain Salamagne andJoris Snaet fortheir expert

advice. This article is a result of the research project 'Architecture from the Habsburg - Valois

conflict zone : tradition and innovation in military building practice in the Low Countries and the

Rhineland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries', initiated at the University of Leuven

in Belgium and funded by the FWO (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen).

51. JohnR.Hale,'Theearlydevelopmentof theBastion:AnItalianChronologyc.l450-c.1534',inRenais-sance War Studles, London 1983, pp. l-29.

Pieter Martens was born in 1976 and graduated as Architectural Engineer at theUniversity of Leuven in Belgium. For his thesis on the early-baroque pilgrimage churchof Scherpenheuvel, he stayed at the Academia Belgica in Rome. At present, he isworking on the Architecture from the Habsburg-Valois conflict zone: tradition and

innovation in military building practice in the Low Countries and the Rhineland(sixteenth and seventeenth centuries), an international research project initiated by the

History ofArchitecture group at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven under Prof.Krista De Jonge, and funded by the FWO (Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-

Vlaanderen). Research for his current doctoral thesis focuses on fortification techniquesin the transitional period between 1450-1550.

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PIETER MARTENS

Fig. U. The Porte Saint-Nicolas at Arras during its demolition in I891. The original doorway, betvveen the impressive pair of towers,

was sealed off with briclcwork. The embrasures are distributed on five dffirent floors - the masonry revetment of the towers even

indicates seven levels. (Photograph: Joseph Quentin, 1891. Musde des Beata-Arts d'Aruas)