I. Corfu Pl. 49.

Title

I. Corfu Pl. 49.

Map shows the island of Corfu with the opposite coast of Greece with the cities of Igoumenitsa and Bastia. Also includes depth information and anchorages in the strait between Corfu and Greece. Plate 49.

ca. 1754

Artist

Roux (1725-1793)

Joseph Roux (1725–1793), from Marseille, came from a family of hydrographers and marine cartographers. He ran a workshop-boutique at the Vieux-Port of Marseille, which he had taken over from his father. His main focus was the creation of nautical charts and plans of harbors, bays, and coastlines — particularly in the Mediterranean region.bIn 1764, for example, he published a series of twelve large sheets under the title Carte de la Mer Méditerranée en douze feuilles ("Map of the Mediterranean Sea in twelve sheets"). He produced chart sheets with depth soundings (for navigation), anchorages, coastlines, and more — for example: maps like “Isle de Sicile. Mer Méditerranée” from around 1760. Around that time, nautical cartography was entering a phase in which detailed harbor and coastal plans were becoming increasingly important for trade, naval operations, and navigation. Although Roux’s maps were rooted in Marseille, they gained broader significance due to his status as Hydrographe du Roi (Hydrographer to the King) and the widespread distribution of his works.

Historical Description

Greek settlers from Eretria founded in the 8th century BC. A first colony. From 395 onwards, Corfu belonged to the Eastern Roman Empire. The island was conquered by the Saracens and in the 11th century by the Norman Duke Robert Guiscard. As a result of the 4th crusade, Corfu came under the rule of the despot of Epiros after 1204. As the dowry of Helena of Epirus, the island had been in Manfred's possession in Sicily in 1258. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Corfu's history was marked by conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over mainland Greece and repeatedly tried to conquer and hold the Ionian Islands. The Venetians (Republic of Venice) ordered the removal of the vineyards and the planting of olive trees. In 1716, the Ottoman siege of the island's capital was lifted by the Venetian army under Johann Matthias von der Schulenburg and the last attempt to conquer the island was finally repelled. After the end of the Republic of Venice in 1797, France (under Napoleon) took possession of the Ionian Islands and Corfu as the Corcyre department. For a short time, from 1798 to 1807, Corfu was a Russian protectorate. This was followed by another French period until 1814. In 1815 (Congress of Vienna), Corfu became part of the Republic of the Ionian Islands under British protectorate. After a vote in parliament, the Ionian Islands joined the Greek state in 1864, which had been independent since 1830 and to which they have belonged since.