A map of Germany devided into its cercles

Title

A map of Germany devided into its cercles

Description

Map shows the whole of Germany with Austria, Pomerania, Silesia, the Czech Republic and the Benelux countries.

ca. 1775

Artist

Kitchin (Kitchen) (1718-1784)

Thomas Kitchin (or Thomas Kitchen (1718–1784) was an English engraver and cartographer, who became hydrographer to the king. He was also an author, who wrote about the history of the West Indies. He produced John Elphinstone's map of Scotland (1746), Geographia Scotiae (1749), and The Small English Atlas (1749) with Thomas Jefferys. The Large English Atlas (with Bowen 1749–60) was a serious attempt to cover England at large scale. In 1755 Kitchin engraved the Mitchell Map map of North AmericaHe worked for London Magazine. He produced 170 maps for London Magazine (1747–83). Kitchin was the head hydrographer for the King of England. Kitchin frequently stole the works of other cartographers, which is one reason why he created so much work as a cartographer. His book, The Present State of the West-Indies: Containing an Accurate Description of What Parts Are Possessed by the Several Powers in Europe was published in 1778 by R. Baldwin in London.

Historical Description

The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France), which he had conquered. In the High Middle Ages, the regional dukes, princes and bishops gained power at the expense of the emperors. Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformationagainst the Catholic Church after 1517, as the northern states became Protestant, while the southern states remained Catholic. The two parts of the Holy Roman Empire clashed in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). 1648 marked the effective end of the Holy Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern nation-state system, with Germany divided into numerous independent states, such as Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony.