Lacus Lamanus

Title

Lacus Lamanus

Description

Map shows Lake Geneva in Switzerland with a compass rose, ship charts and a title cartouche.Lake Geneva, or lac Léman, is the largest lake in both France and Switzerland. Lake Geneva is the largest lake on the edge of the Alps and the second largest lake in Central Europe after Lake Balaton in Hungary. Léman goes back to an Indo-European root meaning “lake”. Caesar and the geographers of antiquity already spoke of the lacus Lemanus. The term Léman was then used again by humanists and cartographers in the 16th century, including Sebastian Münster (1552) and Gerhard Mercator (around 1575).

ca. 1635

Artist

Sparke (1588-1653)

Michael Sparke was a printerpublisher, writer, compiler-editor, and promoter of conservative Puritan political and religious views. The years before 1627 were years of preparation for Sparke, during which he acquired professional skills, built up his business, and began to write. The years between 1627 and 1640 were he formed a working alliance with William Prynne to devote himself to the political and and religious policies of the government of Charles I and Archbishop William Laud and Archbishop William, he got into great legal trouble over the controversial books he printed for Prynne and other notable Puritan figures. The years between 1627 and 1640 were those crowned with success for Sparke, the political and religious principles he had long supported gaining official recognition with his more influential ally Prynne.

Historical Description

Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. The early history of the region is tied to that of Alpine culture. Switzerland was inhabited by Gauls and Raetians, and it came under Roman rule in the 1st century BC. Gallo-Roman culture was amalgamated with Germanic influence during Late Antiquity, with the eastern part of Switzerland becoming Alemannic territory. The area of Switzerland was incorporated into the Frankish Empire in the 6th century. In the high medieval period, the eastern part became part of the Duchy of Swabia within the Holy Roman Empire while the western part was part of Burgundy