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military cartographers who worked at the service of different monarchies, drawing up plans of Spanish and Portuguese towns with a view to their defence, protection or conquest. There are numerous plans of towns that recreate their defensive perimeters, castles and citadels and occasionally also their urban layout, often containing projects aimed at improving their defences. They even include views of famous battles and sieges that were commissioned for what were clearly propagandistic purposes.

- The Spanish-French conflict in the context of the Thirty Years War

When war broke out between Spain and France (1635), this was really the start of a battle for supremacy in Europe. The hostilities finally had a negative effect on the Spanish Monarchy both in and out of the peninsula itself. The Spanish plan of defence against France comprises a broad arc from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, including the Balearic Islands. In view of their situation, the cities of San Sebastian and Fuenterrabía were considered strongholds for the defence of the Atlantic coast. The plans found in Stockholm show France’s interest in learning details about the two cities’ fortifications and Spain’s concern for enhancing their defences. There is one manuscript plan of San Sebastian by a French author (225), whereas Fuenterrabía is better represented, with several Spanish and foreign examples (63, 64 or 226). A German engraving also recreated the French attack on Fuenterrabía in July, 1638, commemorating one of the Spanish monarchy’s great victories over Cardinal Richelieu’s France. Besides these Cantabrian towns, other Spanish cities played an essential role in the defence of the northern border.