Principaute Citerieure

Title

Principaute Citerieure

Map shows Potenza in Campania with Naples, Salerno, Torre, Policastro Bussentino, Marsico Nuovo, Campagna, Muro Lucano and many more. Furthermore, two magnificent cartouches with coats of arms and mileage indicator, a compass rose and two sailing ships.

ca. 1660

Artist

Mortier/ Blaeu, W. (1661-1711)

Pieter Mortier (1661–1711) was an 18th-century mapmaker and engraver from the Northern Netherlands. Mortier had a partnership with Johannes Covens I (1697-1774) and founded the map publishing company Covens & Mortier (1721-1866). Mortier, being French himself, had easy access to French cartographers such as De L'Isle, Sanson, Jaillot, de Fer and De Wit. Consequently, much of Mortier's business was built upon leveraging the sophisticated Dutch printing establishment to issue embellished high quality editions of previously contemporary French maps. In the greater context of global cartography, this was a significant advantage as most Dutch map publishes had, at this point, fallen into the miasma of reprinting their own outdated works. By contrast, the cartographers of France were producing the most accurate and up to date charts anywhere. Mortier's cartographic work culminated in the magnificent nautical atlas, Le Neptune Francois. Upon Pierre's death in 1711 this business was inherited by his widow. In 1721 his son Cornelius Mortier took over the day to day operation of the firm. Cornelius partnered with his brother-in-law Jean Covens to form one of history's great cartographic partnerships - Covens and Mortier - which continued to publish maps and atlases until about 1866.

Historical Description

The original Greek settlement was called Neapolis ("New City"). It later came under Roman rule. From the Late Middle Ages until the 18th century, Naples was one of the largest cities in Europe. Originally founded by the Greeks in the 6th century BC, Neapolis became a cultural center with strong Greek influence, and during Roman times it was a popular retreat for wealthy Romans. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Naples became part of the Byzantine Empire and later developed into a relatively independent Duchy of Naples. In the 12th century, it was conquered by the Normans and became part of the Kingdom of Sicily, which later split into the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily. From the 16th century, Naples was a key city under Spanish rule. It was later governed by the Bourbons and became the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In 1861, Naples became part of the newly unified Kingdom of Italy during the process of Italian unification (Risorgimento). Before that, it was one of Europe's most important and culturally rich cities.