Germaniae Francicae, sive Austrasiae, Tabula,..

Title

Germaniae Francicae, sive Austrasiae, Tabula,..

Description

Handpainted manuscript map depicts Germany with Prussia, partly France, Austria, Czech and Hungary with all borders of the counties. Drawn with black and red ink.

ca. 1800

Artist

Anonymus

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.