Carte de l’Empire d’Alemagne par. P. Duval

Title

Carte de l’Empire d’Alemagne par. P. Duval

Description

Map shows the whole of Germany with Bohemia, Silesia, Austria and many coats of arms in the country. There are also two cartouches, a mileage scale and an index.

dated 1678

Artist

Duval (1619-1682)

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.