Hassia landtgraviatus.

Title

Hassia landtgraviatus.

Description

Map shows northern Hesse with the towns of Kassel, Göttingen, Kaltenburg-Lindau, Northeim, Waldeck, Wartburg, Fulda and many more. Furthermore a scrollwork title cartouche with mileage indicator.

ca. 1625

Artist

Mercator (1512-1594)

Gerardus Mercator (1512 - 1594). He was a cartographer, philosopher and mathematician. He is best known for his work in cartography, in particular the world map of 1569 based on a new projection which represented sailing courses of constant bearing as straight lines. He is renowned to the present day as the cartographer who created a world map based on a new projection which represented sailing courses of constant bearing as straight lines. In his own day he was the world's most famous geographer but in addition he had interests in theology, philosophy, history, mathematics and magnetism as well as being an accomplished engraver, calligrapher and maker of globes and scientific instruments. He wrote few books but much of his knowledge is to be found in the copious legends on his wall maps and the prefaces that he composed for his atlas ,the first in which the term "atlas" appears and the sections within it.

Historical Description

The history of Hesse in the 16th to 19th centuries was shaped by significant political, religious, and social changes. This period was marked by the Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, the Napoleonic Wars, and changes within the German Confederation. In the 16th century, Hesse was a state in the Holy Roman Empire. The Reformation began in Hesse in 1527, when Landgrave Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse became one of the first German princes to adopt the Lutheran faith. As a result, Hesse became a center of the Reformation, which brought profound religious and political changes to the region. In the 17th century, Hesse was affected by the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The war, which plunged Europe into a devastating conflict, also had catastrophic consequences for Hesse. In particular, the mid-century saw economic decline and social hardships. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended the war, but its economic and political repercussions were felt for a long time. In the 18th century, Hesse began to stabilize. The state was an important part of the Holy Roman Empire and was governed by the Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel. Hesse-Kassel was a prosperous region, particularly benefiting from tax revenues generated through trade in iron and salt. The early 19th century was shaped by the Napoleonic Wars and the resulting upheavals. In 1806, Hesse-Kassel joined the Confederation of the Rhine and came under French influence. After the end of the Napoleonic era and the decisions of the Congress of Vienna (1815), Hesse-Kassel came under the control of the House of Hesse again but became part of the German Confederation, a loose union of German states. In 1866, Hesse took part in the Austro-Prussian War and, after the conflict, was annexed by Prussia and integrated into the Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. By the end of the 19th century, Hesse had become part of the newly unified German Empire, established in 1871 under Prussian leadership, and the region experienced a phase of industrialization and modernization.