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Daniel Speckle or Specklin was born and lived in Alsace.

Sone of the wood carver Veit Rudolf Speckle, Daniel was apprenticed to become a silk embroiderer.  In 1554, he traveled to Koramon, Hungary, where he worked as a journeyman with Italian Pietro Ferrabosco during the conversion of an old castle into a fortress.  

Over the next few years, he  developed an expertise in fortress construction, with the assistance of Viennese Hermes Schallautzer.  He travelled thereafter to Transylvania, Denmark, Sweden, Poland and Russia in furtherance of his skills.

In 1567, he was involved in buidling fortifications in Dusseldorf and Regensburg. Thereafter, under the patronage of Imperial General Lazarus von Schwendi, he planned the fortresses at Varazdin, Kashau and Tokai in Hungary.

In these years, he also acquired mapmaking skills.  In 1573, he was commissioned by Archduke Ferdinand to produce a map of Alace, which he completed in 1576.

Over the rest of his lifetime, he became one of the most important engineers in Europe.  His Architectura von Vestungen was considered the most important work of the period on this topic.


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