Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels

File:Geographic Map of a New Description of the Great River and Empire of the American Amazons by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano (1700).jpg are outlined by Joseph de Mendoza y Sandoval, a disciple of the author. The dedication reads: "Dedicated to His Excellency the Count of Fuensalida, by Battle General Don Sebastián Fernández de Medrano, Director of the Royal Military Academy of the Low Countries." (Image courtesy of Gallica)]]

The Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels is widely recognized as the first modern military academy in Europe. Its establishment marked a turning point in the professionalization of military education within the Spanish Empire and beyond. Under the leadership of Sebastián Fernández de Medrano, who served as the academy’s sole director, Spanish military engineering advanced to levels comparable with the most prestigious scientific and military institutions of the era. His innovations in curriculum design and his synthesis of mathematical, architectural, and strategic theory set a precedent for future military academies across Europe.

Reflecting on this legacy, Serafín María de Sotto, 3rd Count of Clonard, wrote:

The Spanish can rightly claim the glory of having advanced in the science of war more than the rest of cultured Europe.{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/es/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.do?path=75036 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230715200939/https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/es/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.do?path=75036 |archive-date=2023-07-15 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es}}

The academy gained fame for its diverse corps of officer cadets, drawn from across the Spanish monarchy and trained in both theoretical and practical dimensions of warfare. Count Clonard referred to these graduates as the "Great Masters of War," a testament to the distinguished positions many would later hold in military campaigns and colonial administration. Originally founded to address a critical need for professional officers in the Spanish Netherlands, the academy soon evolved into the empire's central institution for general military training. It is regarded as the institutional precursor of later academies in Barcelona, Ceuta, Oran, and the Academia General Militar.

Although it remained the most important military school within the Spanish fortification system, the academy’s influence began to wane after the capture of Brussels by French forces in 1697, leading to its formal dissolution following the Battle of Ramillies in 1706.{{Cite web |title=Architectura - Les livres d'Architecture |url=https://architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr/Traite/Notice/Medrano1687.asp?param=en?param=en |access-date=2023-11-28 |website=architectura.cesr.univ-tours.fr}}

After the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, which transferred the Southern Netherlands from the Spanish to the Austrian Habsburgs, the institution was reconstituted as the Military Engineering Academy. With French as its new language of instruction, the school gradually lost its original purpose and prestige, ultimately being reduced to an equestrian school before its closure in 1783.Chapitre I, « Établissement d'un enseignement militaire aux Pays-Bas », pp. 13 à 18

Sebastián Fernández de Medrano was the founding director and architect of the Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels. Appointed during the reign of Charles II of Spain and continuing under Philip V, Medrano held numerous roles: Royal Master of Mathematics in the States of Flanders, General Prefect, Geographer, Maestre de campo of the Spanish Tercio, Chief Engineer of Artillery, inventor, author, and architectural theorist and innovator.{{cite web | url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/9406/sebastian-fernandez-de-medrano | title=Sebastián Fernández de Medrano | Real Academia de la Historia }}{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2544269 | jstor=2544269 | title="Doctors of the Military Discipline": Technical Expertise and the Paradigm of the Spanish Soldier in the Early Modern Period | last1=De Leon | first1=Fernando Gonzalez | journal=The Sixteenth Century Journal | date=1996 | volume=27 | issue=1 | pages=61–85 | doi=10.2307/2544269 }}

In his military treatises and dedications, he framed his service not only as a patriotic duty but as a scientific vocation. One illustration in his dedication to Maximilian II Emmanuel, Elector of Bavaria, symbolically depicts Mars and Pallas Athena offering Medrano's teachings—"the deeds of your fatherland"—as the martial legacy to be inherited and continued.

File:El Perfecto Artifcial Bombardero y Artillero by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano 1687.png

The Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels, founded in 1675, was established as a comprehensive institution for the training of military engineers. Its curriculum encompassed a broad spectrum of disciplines essential to early modern warfare, including arithmetic, geometry, artillery, fortification, algebra, cosmography, astronomy, and navigation.{{Cite book |last=Geográfica (Spain) |first=Real Sociedad |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=FBI2AQAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.PA41&hl=en_GB |title=Boletín |date=1906 |language=es}} Among these, particular emphasis was placed on arithmetic, geometry, and fortification, as these fields were closely interrelated and fundamental to military science. Graduates of the Academy were not only deployed throughout Europe but also sent to colonial cities in the Americas, where they contributed to the construction and defense of imperial strongholds.{{cite conference |first=Akihiro |last=Kashima |title=City Planning and Architectural Education in the Establishment of the Academies in 18th-Century Spain |url=https://acdht.com/download/2017/04kashima.pdf |location=Tsuda University, Tokyo |conference=The Second Asian Conference of Design History and Theory – Design Education beyond Boundaries – ACDHT 2017 |page=46 }}

According to Sebastián Fernández de Medrano, the Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels aimed to combine theoretical and practical education in order to advance the art of modern war. Regarding the purpose of his military institution, Medrano writes in 1699:

...I had partially fulfilled the honors owed to the Royal Clemency of His Majesty by establishing this Military Academy, as it was intended to nurture capable individuals in the Martial Art, just as similar seminaries in other Princedoms produced engineers, thus avoiding the reliance on foreign engineers, in whom confidence was risked, and recognizing the favor bestowed upon me in this regard, it quickly became evident how significant this Academy was when several capable individuals in Military Architecture emerged from it, not only for the domains of His Majesty but also for those of the Princes of the League, who have requested them on various occasions. Moreover, to facilitate the understanding of this doctrine for the dedicated, it was decided to publish various books on all aspects of the Mathematical Disciplines relevant to this profession, such as Geography or World Description, Geometry, Fortification, Squadron Formation, Artifices of Fire, and the usage and practice of Artillery and Mortars, all of which were lacking in our language. Having achieved all of this with recognized success and efficacy, I resolved to cease writing further, as the aforementioned works were sufficient and the multitude of plates required for these subjects caused considerable expense [more than eight thousand escudos].{{Cite book |last=Medrano |first=Sebastián Fernández de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1R4PAAAAQAAJ |title=El perfecto artificial, bombardero y artillero |date=1699 |publisher=En casa de L. Marchant |language=es}}

The Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels earned widespread acclaim across Europe, as demonstrated by the steady influx of students sent by princes of the League, noble houses, and high-ranking officials. These prominent figures consistently entrusted the Academy—and its sole director, Sebastián Fernández de Medrano—with the education and training of their most promising officers. Medrano personally instructed numerous engineers, many of whom he later dispatched in service of His Catholic Majesty and, subsequently, the Holy Roman Emperor. The princes of the League also relied on Medrano’s expertise to strengthen the fortifications along their territorial borders, a testament to his reputation and the distinguished standing of the Academy.{{Cite book |last=Antonio Rodríguez Villa |url=http://archive.org/details/noticiabiogrfic00villgoog |title=Noticia biográfica de Don Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano |date=1882 |publisher=M.G. Hernandez |others=Harvard University |language=Spanish}}

File:Dedication to the Marquess of Gastanaga by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano.png to the 1st Marquess of Gastañaga by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano (March 1, 1687)]]

Francisco Antonio de Agurto Salcedo Medrano, 1st Marquess of Gastañaga, served as Captain General and Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands and became one of the Academy’s most dedicated patrons. Recognizing the exceptional abilities of Sebastián Fernández de Medrano, the Marquess consistently brought him along on military campaigns and civic visits, affirming the Academy’s value through his public support. In recognition of this enduring relationship, Medrano formally named the Marquess as the official patron and protector of the Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels. He honored him with a dedication in his major academic work, The Engineer, Part One, of Modern Military Architecture, dated 1 March 1687.{{Cite book |last=Medrano |first=Sebastián Fernández de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tc4cUlGoQbkC&q=mecanas%20y%20protector |title=El ingeniero: primera parte, de la moderna architectura militar ... |date=1687 |publisher=en casa de Lamberto Marchant, mercader de libros, al Buen Pastor |language=es}}

By 1691, Sebastián Fernández de Medrano had authored and published eight technical treatises for the Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels, covering subjects ranging from fortification and artillery to advanced mathematics and military theory. These works were foundational to the academy’s curriculum and instrumental in shaping Spain’s approach to modern warfare. On 31 October 1691, from Brussels, the 1st Marquess of Gastañaga wrote to King Charles II of Spain, praising Medrano’s prolific output and the Academy’s growing prestige:

"[Sebastián] has published at his own expense eight books, all related to these military arts, with great clarity for the shortest teaching and understanding of the disciples, which has given him so much credit among foreigners that many princes desire his disciples and send subjects to his Academy to learn from him."

Soldiers and officers from across Europe sought admission to the Royal Military and Mathematics Academy of Brussels, with a significant number drawn from the famed Army of Flanders. The Academy served as a strategic training ground for the Habsburg military elite during a period of sustained conflict. Under the command of the Marquess of Gastañaga, the Army of Flanders reached its peak strength during the Nine Years’ War—numbering 25,539 officers and men in 1688, and expanding to 31,743 by 1689. This surge reflected not only the escalating demands of war but also the growing reputation of the Academy as a hub for advanced military education and leadership formation.{{Cite book |last=Stapleton |first=John Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVIGkAEACAAJ |title=Forging a Coalition Army: William III, the Grand Alliance, and the Confederate Army in the Spanish Netherlands, 1688-1697 |date=2003 |publisher=Ohio State University |language=en}}

File:Emblem of the Spanish Military Engineers.svg]]

A considerable number of engineers and artillerymen for the Spanish armies in the Netherlands were trained at the Academy. Among its most prominent alumni was Reysenberg, who went on to become General Engineer to the Holy Roman Emperor in Hungary. Others served in the armies of King James II of England, as well as under the sovereign Dukes of Lorraine and Savoy. A number of Medrano's students later came to Spain in 1711, when his disciple Jorge Próspero Verboom, Marquis of Verboom, formally organized the Corps of Engineers. Medrano not only directed the instruction of these officers but also authored many of the texts used in their education.

Joseph de Mendoza y Sandoval was among the known disciples of Sebastián Fernández de Medrano.{{Cite web |last1=Mendoza Sandoval |first1=Joseph de (16-17 ; cart) Fonction indéterminée |last2=Fernandez de Medrano |first2=Sebastian (16-17 ) Fonction indéterminée |last3=Harrewyn |first3=Jacques (1660-1727) Fonction indéterminée |date=1700 |title=Carta Geographica de una nueva Descripción del Gran Rio y Imperio de las Amazonas Americanas. Leguas Españolas 80 [=Om. 040 ; 1 : 13 700 000 environ] / Delineado por Dn. Joseph de Mendoza Sandoval, Discipulo del Author. Dedicado al Exmo. Señor Conde de Fuensaleda ; por el General de Batalla Dn. Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano, Director de la Academia Real y Militar de los Payses Baxos ; Harrewyn sculpsit omnia aqua forti |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b84906901 |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=Gallica |language=EN}} Another notable alumnus was Alejandro de Retz, born in Paris in the 17th century and later deceased in Cartagena, Murcia in 1732. Retz initially served as a military engineer for the French monarchy between 1681 and 1703 before entering service under the Spanish Crown in Brussels, where he collaborated with the general engineer Jorge Próspero Verboom.{{Cite web |title=Alejandro de Retz {{!}} Real Academia de la Historia |url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/75278/alejandro-de-retz |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=dbe.rah.es}}

Established in 1675, the academy had already produced over 700 officers by 1677, according to Medrano's Geometric and Military Rudiments (Rudimentos Geométricos y Militares):

...in order to introduce into the military the teaching of that part of mathematics that belongs to a soldier... and seeing my intention achieved so successfully that in addition to the 700 officers who have graduated from this Academy, many have gained some understanding of my works (as is well known)...{{Cite journal |last=Fernández de Medrano |first=Sebastián |date=1677 |title=Rudimentos geometricos y militares... / Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano... |url=https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra/rudimentos-geometricos-y-militares--sebastian-fernandez-de-medrano/ |journal=Fernández de Medrano, Sebastián (1677) |language=es}}

File:The Perfect Architect in Military Art by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano.png for "The Perfect Architect in the Art of War" Published in 1700, dedicated to the Duke of Medinaceli by Sebastián Fernández de Medrano. A translation from Latin on the front cover reads: "You are the blood of ancestors, whom sacred deeds make divine, and valor in Mars, thunderbolts; thus deservedly comes to you, from Medrano, the labor of Mars, the craftsman."]]

The Academy's enrollment was annually refreshed with the induction of thirty students, including officers and cadets from infantry units. Officers underwent an intensive one-year training program covering geometry, fortification, artillery, geography, and squadron formation. Those who distinguished themselves were selected for a second year of advanced instruction, which included enhanced studies in technical drawing, fortification design, speculative geometry, and treatises on spherical astronomy and navigation.

File:Marquis de verboom.jpg, a notable alumni of the Academy, became the assistant of the Academy's director, Sebastián Fernández de Medrano]]

This comprehensive training qualified graduates for engineering positions within the army and entitled them to official diplomas. From among the most capable students, Director Sebastián Fernández de Medrano occasionally selected assistants—most notably Jorge Próspero Verboom, later Marquess of Verboom—to support instruction and institutional development.

Academic activities at the Academy followed a structured regimen: mornings were dedicated to individual study within the institution, which was deemed more effective than studying at home, while afternoons were reserved for formal theoretical instruction. This arrangement enabled students to reinforce their learning, clarify doubts, explore subjects in greater depth, and engage in practical exercises. A failure to meet academic expectations was met with disciplinary measures, including expulsion from the Academy.

File:Medrano's dedication to the Elector of Bavaria (El Ingeniero práctico 1696).jpg offers, and Pallas presents to you the teachings of Medrano. These are the deeds of your fatherland; may they be your martial offspring."]]

From 1694 onwards, Sebastián Fernández de Medrano instituted three annual prizes for outstanding students of the Academy. These awards, inferred to have been highly coveted, took the form of gold medals bearing the effigy of Charles II of Spain, encircled by the inscription:

Carolus Dei gratia Hispaniarum Rex (Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Spain) on the obverse, and on the reverse, that of Palladis et Martis studio haec proemia miles Medraenea tibi docta palaestra dicat (This opening verse, taught by the training ground of Medrano, is dedicated to you, Palladian and Martian soldier) over a plan representing a fortified pentagon supported by Mars and Pallas.Juan Barrios Gutierrez, Coronel de Artillería https://bibliotecavirtual.defensa.gob.es/BVMDefensa/es/catalogo_imagenes/grupo.do?path=75036

File:Rudimentos geométricos y militares 1677 by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano.jpg]]

All of the academy books were written by Sebastian Fernandez de Medrano and dedicated to prominent figures. According to the "Bibliography" by Almirante and in chronological order of publication, his works were as follows:

• 1677 - "Rudimentos geométricos y militares, que propone al estudio y aplicación de los Profesores de la milicia" (Geometric and military rudiments, proposed for the study and application of military professors) Published under the protection of the Duke of Villahermosa in Brussels.
• 1680 - "El práctico Artillero" (The practical artilleryman) This work was published in Brussels and was reprinted several times.
• 1691 - "El Perfecto bombardero y práctico artificial" (The perfect bombardier and practical artificial) Published as a continuation or evolution of "El práctico Artillero" in Brussels.
• 1696 - "El Ingeniero práctico" (The practical engineer) Published in Brussels.
• 1699 - "Account of a country that has recently been discovered in North America, larger than Europe, and which is brought to light in Spanish by the Sergeant General of Battle..." Published in Brussels.
• 1700 - "The Perfect Architect in Military Art" A corrected reprint of "The Engineer" from 1687, published in Brussels.
• 1700 - "Brief treatise on Geography divided into three parts..." Published in Brussels.
• 1709 - "Geography or modern description of the world and its parts." Published after his death in Antwerp.

Additionally, Medrano wrote:

• Elements of Euclid Amplified

• Foundation and rules of the Academy called La Peregrina

the publication dates are unspecified but contributing to his body of work primarily centered around military and geographical education. Manuscript 3,889 (Poesías varias) of the Biblioteca Nacional de España (BNM) contains what appears to be a foundational charter for a Peregrina Academy which, however, never became active.Suárez Álvarez, Jaime. RABM, 1947, cited in Jauralde Pou, 1979.

The educational structure of the Academy in Brussels, which served as a model, featured a two-year curriculum: the first year focused on basic principles, and the second on specialized training for engineers and artillerymen.https://acdht.com/download/2017/04kashima.pdf

In the final years of the 17th century, plans were initiated to relocate the Royal and Military Academy of Mathematics from Madrid to Barcelona. Sebastián Fernández de Medrano was appointed general director of the new institution.{{cite web | url=http://www.ub.edu/visitavirtual/visitavirtualEH/index.php/en/get-to-know-the-university-of-barcelona/a-history-of-the-university-of-barcelona/from-the-building-in-the-rambla-to-the-university-of-cervera/343-barcelona-royal-and-military-academy-of-mathematics | title=Barcelona Royal and Military Academy of Mathematics }}

As preparations progressed, the Council of War consulted Medrano to replicate the instructional structure of his successful academy in Brussels. Prior to his death in 1705, Medrano submitted a detailed outline for the future Royal Military Academy of Mathematics in Barcelona, which was subsequently approved by royal decree from Charles II on 22 January 1700.

This decree, published alongside a formal document titled “Formula with which the Sergeant General of Battle, Don Sebastián Fernández de Medrano, established by order of His Majesty the new and Royal Military Academy of which he is the Director,” authorized both the foundation of the Barcelona Academy and the recruitment of instructors through notices posted at the War Secretariat. The implementation of Medrano’s guidelines was officially enacted on 12 August 1701.

Due to Medrano’s leadership and expertise, his model became foundational for the Barcelona academy’s design and academic philosophy.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238045803_%27Mixed%27_mathematics_in_engineering_education_in_Spain_Pedro_Lucuce%27s_course_at_the_Barcelona_Royal_Military_Academy_of_Mathematics_in_the_eighteenth_century He expanded its curriculum into a rigorous three-year program, divided into four nine-month courses. The first two focused on the essential knowledge required of an officer, while the latter two concentrated on advanced instruction for engineers and artillery officers.

This curriculum, based directly on the Brussels model, offered a comprehensive framework in pure and applied mathematics, general education, and practical military engineering. Medrano structured the program into eight subject areas, each targeting critical domains in theoretical and technical military instruction:

• Arithmetic: Fundamental mathematical operations, linear algorithms, fractions, ratios, principle of proportions, powers, roots, and progression.

• Elementary Geometry: Study of Euclidean geometry, the division of figures using diagonals, properties of circles and straight lines and diagonals, rectangular prisms and parallelepipeds, pyramids, prisms, cylinders, spheres, conical curves.

• Trigonometry: Techniques for drawing and measuring plane figures, inscribing and circumscribing circles and other figures, deformation of plane figures, use of tools, area measurements, volume measurement and level measurement.

• Fortification Studies: Design of polygonal and irregular fortresses, effective fortification planning according to terrain, and reinforcement strategies.

• Canon Studies: Examination of gunpowder, cannons, mortars, artillery mounts, artillery batteries, landmines, artificial fire, and the cataloging of fortress and artillery equipment.

• Space Geography: Celestial spheres, geographical studies, waterway, navigation technique, and weather patterns.

• Mechanics: Physics of movement with weight, the operation of mechanical devices, principles of irrigation, general overview on optics and projection drawing techniques.

• Civil Architecture: Aesthetic design of architecture, ensuring their beautiful appearance, and the structural integrity and safety of construction.

The pedagogical model established by the Medrano Military Academy in Brussels had a lasting impact on subsequent military institutions across the Spanish Empire. Its legacy directly influenced the creation of the Royal Military Academies of Barcelona, Oran, and Ceuta, which were explicitly stated to have "their origin in the one that had existed in Brussels in the previous century."

When Lieutenant General Jorge Próspero de Verboom was appointed Chief Engineer on 13 January 1710 and entrusted with organizing the Corps of Engineers, he advocated for academies modeled after the instructional system of his mentor, Sebastián Fernández de Medrano. This proposal led to the foundation of the academies in Oran (1732) and Ceuta (1739), continuing the Brussels tradition of combining theoretical and practical military education.

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Category:Military academies

Category:Universities and colleges in Brussels

Category:Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage