# Gennaro Maria D'Afflitto

Gennaro Maria D'Afflitto OP (1618 – 1673) was an Italian Dominican friar and military engineer who worked under Philip IV and Charles II of Spain.

## Biography

Gennaro Maria D'Afflitto was born into a noble family in Naples in 1618. On 16 September 1633, he entered the Dominican convent of Santa Maria della Sanità, Naples. He received a good scientific and humanistic education, and developed a keen interest in mathematics. In 1647 he met Don John Joseph of Austria, who had been sent to Naples to quell the rebellion of Masaniello. He followed him in the campaign to recapture Orbetello and Porto Longone (1650) and later served as military engineer in the Spanish Army in Catalonia, Portugal and the Southern Netherlands. In 1663 the Supreme Council of War appointed him as professor of mathematics in the Real Academia de Matemáticas, Artillería y Fortificación of Madrid. He was in charge of the chair until 1665. In the following years, he came under the service of Ferdinando II of Tuscany again as a teacher of mathematics and military engineer. At the end of 1667 he became an advisor to the Republic of Genoa on engineering matters, and worked on the fortifications of Savona and Vado Ligure. D'Afflitto is also credited with fortification works in Cuneo and Nizza Marittima on behalf of the House of Savoy. He died at Naples in 1673.

## Career

Around 1647 D'Afflitto entered the service as military engineer to Philip IV of Spain natural son John Joseph of Austria, who was in Naples between 1647 and 1648 to suppress Masaniello revolt. Don John wanted him with him during his many military campaigns. D'Afflitto participated in the campaign to recapture Orbetello and Porto Azzurro and followed Don Giovanni to the Netherlands and Catalonia, where he took part in the siege and bombardment of Tortosa. He also worked at the fort of Peñíscola in Valencia, the fort of Santa Caterina in Cadiz, and the fort of Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Guadalquivir. D'Afflitto was then called to Madrid to teach mathematics at the Royal Palace. From Madrid he moved on to Zaragoza around 1661, still in the service of the Spanish court, so much so that he earned the title of mathematician of His Catholic Majesty. Following the fall from grace of Don Juan Joseph, D'Afflitto entered the service of Ferdinando II de' Medici. He did not remain in Florence for long: in 1667 he was in Rome (as deduced from a letter to Antonio Magliabechi), and then moved on to Genoa where he remained until 1671. On behalf of the Republic of Genoa D'Afflitto inspected the walls of Savona and concurred with Guerrini in fortifying Vado Ligure. He passed into the service of Savoy, working on the fortifications of Cuneo and Nice. Finally returning to Naples, he died in the Sanità convent in 1673.

## Works

D'Afflitto published at Madrid a treatise on fortifications in two volumes, De Munitione et Fortificatione, Libri duo. The first volume is dedicated to Don John Joseph of Austria. Abstracts of this work were published at Florence in 1665, by Captain Giovanni Battista Sergiuliani, and in 1667 by Filippo Domenico Mazzenghi. Likewise, he is the author of Compendio de modernas fortificaciones (Compendium of Modern Fortifications), translated into Spanish in 1657 by Baltasar Siscara. D'Afflitto wrote also a treatise on fire and explosive weapons, De igne et ignivomis (Zaragoza, 1661). The work is divided into two parts: the first deals with the nature of fire and the different kinds of fuels; the second describes various types of explosives. He left in manuscript Terra seu quadripartites orbis, Compendio della Sfera universale, and a number of poems and miscellaneous tracts on philosophical and theological topics. Jonas Moore considered D'Afflitto, together with Francesco Tensini and Pietro Sardi, one of Italy's foremost experts on fortification.

## Published works

* De igne et ignivomis. Zaragoza: Diego Dormer. 1661.
* De munitione et fortificatione (Matriti s. d.)
* Breve trattato delle moderne fortificazioni. Florence: all'insegna della Stella. 1665.
* Introduzione alla moderna fortificazione. Florence: nella stamp. di s.a.s. per il Vangelisti, e Matini. 1667.