Von der Stadt Burges

Title

Von der Stadt Burges

Map shows the city of Bourges

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

Auvergne is one of the historical provinces of France. The name of the region is derived from the Arvernians, a Gaulish tribe that settled in the area at the time of the Roman conquest. In late antiquity, Auvergne was conquered by the Visigoths under Eurich in the 70s of the 5th century and was absorbed into the Frankish Empire at the beginning of the 6th century. During the Middle Ages, four dominions emerged in Auvergne. In 1651, the county passed to Frédéric-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, who received Auvergne and Albret in exchange for the strategically much more important Sedan and Raucourt. His descendants were deposed during the French Revolution. In 1790, the historic province was divided into the current departments. The departments of Haute-Loire and Allier also include parts of the historical provinces of Bourbonnais, Lyonnais and Languedoc.