Fortifications of the Moscow Kremlin and Architectural Theory in 15th Century Italy

The article analyzes the fortifications of the Moscow Kremlin, built by Italian masters during the reign of Grand Duke Ivan III, in the context of the architectural theory of 15th-century Italy. It explains why it is not entirely correct to consider them in the context of the ideas of Francesco di Giorgio Martini and compare them with the monuments of the ‘transitional period’ in the history of European fortification art (1470–1520s), and why it is more correct to consider the Kremlin defensive structures in the context of earlier monuments and architectural theory, presented, in particular, by the treatises of Leon Battista Alberti and Filarete. An analysis of the fortifications of the Moscow Kremlin in light of the ideas expressed by Alberti and Filarete shows that, while working on a specific order – the rebuilding of the dilapidated medieval city fortifications – Italian architects continued to think in their characteristic categories of creativity within the framework of the architectural theory that existed in Italy in the 15th century.