Editing Fortification (section)

===Development after introduction of firearms===
{{See also|Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar}}

Medieval-style fortifications were largely made obsolete by the arrival of [[cannon]]s on the 14th century [[battle]]field. Fortifications in the age of [[black powder]] evolved into much lower structures with greater use of [[Ditch (fortification)|ditches]] and [[earthworks (engineering)|earth]] [[Rampart (fortification)|ramparts]] that would absorb and disperse the energy of cannon fire. Walls exposed to direct cannon fire were very vulnerable, so were sunk into ditches fronted by earth slopes.

This placed a heavy emphasis on the [[geometry]] of the fortification to allow defensive cannonry interlocking fields of fire to cover all approaches to the lower and thus more vulnerable walls.

[[File:Table of Fortification, Cyclopaedia, Volume 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Table of a typical [[bastion fort]], 1728. The development of bastion forts resulted from the increased use of cannons and firearms in the 14th century.]]

The evolution of this new style of fortification can be seen in transitional forts such as Sarzanello<ref>Harris, J., [http://www.fsgfort.com/FortArt/Fort37Art1.htm "Sarzana and Sarzanello – Transitional Design and Renaissance Designers"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726181015/http://www.fsgfort.com/FortArt/Fort37Art1.htm |date=2011-07-26 }}, ''Fort'' ([[Fortress Study Group]]), No. 37, 2009, pp. 50–78</ref> in North West Italy which was built between 1492 and 1502. Sarzanello consists of both crenellated walls with towers typical of the medieval period but also has a [[ravelin]] like angular gun platform screening one of the curtain walls which is protected from flanking fire from the towers of the main part of the fort. Another example is the [[fortifications of Rhodes]] which were ''frozen'' in 1522 so that Rhodes is the only European walled town that still shows the transition between the classical medieval fortification and the modern ones.<ref name="restoration">{{Cite book | title = Medieval Town of Rhodes – Restoration Works (1985–2000) – Part One | publisher = Ministry of Culture – Works supervision committee for the monuments of the medieval town of Rhodes | year = 2001 | place = Rhodes}}</ref> A manual about the construction of fortification was published by [[Giovanni Battista Zanchi]] in 1554.

Fortifications also extended in depth, with protected batteries for defensive cannonry, to allow them to engage attacking cannons to keep them at a distance and prevent them from bearing directly on the vulnerable walls.

[[File:Suomenlinna.jpg|thumb|[[Suomenlinna]], a [[sea fortress]] from 18th century in [[Helsinki]], Finland]]

The result was [[Star fort|star shaped fortifications]] with tier upon tier of hornworks and [[bastion]]s, of which [[Fort Bourtange]] is an excellent example. There are also extensive fortifications from this era in the [[Northern Europe|Nordic]] states and in [[Great Britain|Britain]], the fortifications of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]] and the harbor [[archipelago]] of [[Suomenlinna]] at [[Helsinki]] being fine examples.