256 Murgia
enormous task imposed on it by its adhesion to the Mediterranean politics
of the Crown. Given its position in the struggle between the Christian and
Islamic world, Sardinia’s involvement necessitated the restructuring and reor-
ganization of the defensive system inherited from Catalan-Aragonese rule and
based on the maritime strongholds of Cagliari, Alghero, and Castellaragonese,
which were now enclosed by solid walls that were better equipped to resist
new weapons.
Afterwards, coastal watchtowers were erected, somewhat later than in the
case of other kingdoms of the Crown, which was an obvious sign of Sardinia’s
economic insignificance. This solution was less expensive than organizing a
squad of galleys, a measure that was postponed for decades. The surveillance
of Sardinian waters was, in fact, entrusted to the Genoese fleet of the Doria,
as well as the Spanish fleet in Naples, both of which operated sporadically.
The defensive coastal grid was formed within a 20-year span—quite quickly
considering that between 1590 and 1610, approximately 80, albeit structurally
simple, new towers were built and even more restored for the purpose of sig-
naling, spreading, and circulating an alarm in case of imminent danger. Their
territorial distribution reflected the features of the island’s coastal landscape,
and responded to the priority granted to defensive needs, such as the protec-
tion of cities, agricultural activity, navigation, and fishing. Danger was signaled
by fires at night or massive smoke alarms during the day. Easily visible to one
another along the coast of the large gulf of Cagliari, no less than 23 towers
were constructed in commanding positions to protect the capital of the king-
dom and its institutions. Financial resources for their construction were raised
through the imposition of a fiscal tax on the export of livestock products (the
so called il diritto reale), which exacted a silver reale for every hundredweight
of cheese, wool, and leather; six denars for every goat skin; and three denars
for every sheep skin. Such goods could only be brought onboard at a few desig-
nated loading docks. Naturally, this nurtured a thriving market of contraband,
especially livestock, which involved members of the petty nobility and even
the clergy, who, protected by market privileges, orchestrated local bandits.9
Within this context, the watchtowers were assigned a sort of fiscal autonomy,
as far as the cost of fortifying the cities and the coasts was concerned.10
Under the rule of Philip II, parliamentary institutions tended to stabilize.
General parliaments, or the Cortes, were formed by the reunification of three
9 Bruno Anatra, Banditi e ribelli nella Sardegna di fine Seicento (Cagliari, 2002); Francesco
Manconi, ed., Banditismi mediterranei. Secoli XVI–XVII (Rome, 2003).
10 Giuseppe Mele, Torri e cannoni. La difesa costiera in Sardegna nell’età moderna (Sassari,
2000).