Abstract

From the beginning of the Bourbon dynasty in the first half of the eighteenth century, the governments that alternated on the throne of the Kingdom of Naples recognized the importance of enhancing the teaching of scientific subjects for military academy cadets – in particular mathematics, physics, chemistry and mineralogy. Unlike its predecessors, this cultural project was not determined by short-termism / chance circumstances or ad hoc decision-making but comprised ambitious plans designed to overhaul the teaching of the sciences in Italy’s Mezzogiorno. Focusing principally on the Nunziatella Military School of Naples, the paper analyzes the proposed teaching reforms and the important role assigned to the sciences in military academies in southern Italy.