Drawings, despatches, correspondence, and other evidence attest to the role of captain engineer  as it developed from Andrea Nigrisuoli's appointment to the nomination of Raffaele Monanni in 1633 to engineer of the Kingdom of Candia . During his command Giulio Savorgnan alluded to the importance of Governor of the Ordinances  Lunardo Ronconi, declaring that he knew much more about fortifications than an engineer. In 1594 Marcantonio Martinengo praised this class of military engineer, comparing them to civil technicians: 'to fortify a square does not derive just from drawing... nor from the practice of building and moving earth like a mole with its eyes closed ... but from certain experience in proceeding from offence and defense'¹. In 1599 Angelo Valdi was promoted captain of the infantrymen  of Candia, having demonstrated 'intelligence in the matter of fortification'². Yet again in 1610 Tommaso da Spilimbergo, a soldier with 17 years experience in Flanders and France, who had worked as an engineer in Bergamo, Cattaro and Palma, was sent to Candia to serve the Provveditore Generale  as Engineer of the Fortress .

Footnotes:
1 'fortificare una piazza non deriva dal solo disegnare..., né dalla pratica della materia del fabbricare e movere terreno in guisa di talpa con gli occhi chiusi... ma dalla sicura esperienza nel procedere all'offesa e alla difesa'
2 'intelligentia in materia di fortificazione'