SCCS Research Group, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Hernares, Spain.
tGIS Research Group, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
PLoS One. 2022 Jun 15;17(6):e0269419. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269419. eCollection 2022.
The suitability of Madrid as the capital of Spain is analyzed from different perspectives, questioning the belief that this choice was eminently personal or political but lacked economic rationality. The paper analyzes Madrid's advantages over other possible capitals from the point of view of both intrinsic characteristics and those that depend on the transport network, such as the problem of supplies or the impact on the development of the surrounding territory. To deal with these questions it is necessary to consider logistical aspects that require an adjusted view of the existing transport network at that time. Using little-known primary sources and a novel methodology based on Delaunay triangulation, the 16th century Spanish transport network is reconstructed with a much higher level of accuracy than ever before. With this information, two maps are prepared that could be used for logistical analysis from a complex network perspective. The first map evaluates the real effects of the choice using an adjusted representation of the territory whilst the second map aims at avoiding the common fallacy of judging decisions made in the past applying current geographical know-how. This map, constructed with the planimetry of the 16th century, indicates how the somewhat deficient knowledge of Philip II with respect to the geographical reality of the day may have favored the choice of Madrid over Toledo, converting some Mediterranean coastal cities into more attractive options. The choice of Madrid as capital appears to be very reasonable in view of the different criteria used. Regarding supply difficulties, our results depart from traditional inclinations by deliberating the fact that the absence of a port in Madrid does not pose an insuperable problem. The latter is the case given that the advantages of maritime transport are far fewer than those usually considered, with Madrid's geographical position offering significant advantages in terms of road transport.
马德里作为西班牙首都的适宜性从不同角度进行分析，质疑了这样一种观点，即这种选择主要是个人或政治因素所致，缺乏经济合理性。本文从内在特征和依赖交通网络的特征两个方面分析了马德里相对于其他可能的首都的优势，如供应问题或对周边地区发展的影响。要解决这些问题，有必要考虑物流方面的问题，这需要对当时的现有交通网络进行调整。利用鲜为人知的原始资料和基于 Delaunay 三角剖分的新方法，以比以往更高的精度重建了 16 世纪西班牙的交通网络。有了这些信息，就可以准备两张地图，从复杂网络的角度进行物流分析。第一张地图使用调整后的领土表示法来评估选择的实际效果，而第二张地图旨在避免从当前地理知识角度判断过去决策的常见错误。这张地图是用 16 世纪的平面图绘制的，表明菲利普二世对当时地理现实的了解有些不足，这可能有利于选择马德里而不是托莱多，将一些地中海沿海城市变成更具吸引力的选择。考虑到使用的不同标准，马德里作为首都的选择似乎是非常合理的。关于供应困难的问题，我们的研究结果与传统倾向不同，因为马德里没有港口并不是不可克服的问题。考虑到海上运输的优势远少于通常认为的那样，马德里的地理位置在公路运输方面具有显著优势，这种情况就是如此。
