Londres, Capitale de l’Angleterre.

Title

Londres, Capitale de l’Angleterre.

Description

Very beautiful hand-coloured bird's-eye view of London with figurative staffage in the foreground and title cartouche.

ca. 1720

Artist

Aa, van der (1659-1733)

Pieter van der Aa ( 1659 - 1733) was a Dutch publisher best known for preparing maps and atlases, though he also printed pirated editions of foreign bestsellers and illustrated volumes. He also printed many maps that were often out of print, which he reissued. Some of his most popular maps were of the African continent, detailing locations such as Morocco and Madagascar. Many of his later works were printed for the general public in French and Dutch. Pieter van der Aa began his career at Leiden in 1683 as a Latin trade publisher, publishing classical texts pertaining to medicine and science. As he progressed, he began to publish atlases and maps, compiling numerous multi-volume collections of works. His ambition to become Leiden's most famous printer was fulfilled in 1715 with his appointment to head printer for the city and its university. One of Pieter van der Aa's largest compilations relates to the history of Italy and Sicily, an area of immense personal interest. Though he took credit for many of his compilations, several, such as the Dutch collection of travels to the East and West Indies, were admittedly simple improvements to others' works.

Historical Description

With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, London ceased to be a capital city, and the walled city of Londinium was virtually abandoned, although Roman civilization persisted in the St. Martin-in-the-Fields area until about 450. By 500, an Anglo-Saxon settlement called Lundenwic had developed just west of the old Roman town. By 680 the city had become a major port, although there is little evidence of large-scale production. By the 11th century, London was incomparably the largest city in England. Westminster Abbey, rebuilt in the Romanesque style by King Edward the Confessor, was one of the largest churches in Europe. Winchester had previously been the capital of Anglo-Saxon England, but from that point on London became the main forum for foreign merchants and the base for defense in wartime. After winning the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066 in the newly completed Westminster Abbey. In the 12th century, the institutions of central government that had previously accompanied the royal English court on its journey throughout the country grew in size and sophistication and became increasingly fixed in one place. During the Tudor period, the Reformation led to a gradual shift to Protestantism, and much of London's property passed from the church to private ownership, accelerating trade and business in the city. In 1475, the Hanseatic League established in London its main trading base (kontor) in England, the Stalhof or Steelyard. It existed until 1853, when the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg sold the property to the Southeastern Railway. However, the reach of the English maritime enterprise barely extended beyond the seas of northwestern Europe. The trade route to Italy and the Mediterranean usually passed through Antwerp and over the Alps; any ships passing through the Straits of Gibraltar to or from England were likely Italian or Ragusan. When the Netherlands was reopened to English shipping in January 1565, there was a burst of business. The Royal Exchange was established. Mercantilism grew and monopoly trading companies such as the East India Company were established, with trade expanding to the New World. London became the most important North Sea port, and migrants arrived from England and abroad. In the 16th century, William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in a time of hostility to the development of theater in London. In 1637, the government of Charles I attempted to reform the administration in the London area. The plan called for the Corporation of the City to extend its jurisdiction and administration to expanding areas in the city. During the English Civil War, the majority of Londoners supported the parliamentary cause. After an initial Royalist advance in 1642, culminating in the battles of Brentford and Turnham Green, London was surrounded by a defensive wall known as the Lines of Communication. The Great Fire of London broke out in Pudding Lane in the city in 1666 and quickly swept through the wooden buildings. It took over ten years to rebuild. In 1708, Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, was completed. In 1762, George III purchased Buckingham House and it was expanded over the next 75 years. During the 18th century, London was haunted by crime, and the Bow Street Runners were formed in 1750 as a professional police force. The coffee house became a popular place to discuss ideas. Growing literacy and the development of the printing press made news widely available. and Fleet Street became the center of the British press. After the invasion of Napoleonic armies in Amsterdam, many financiers moved to London, especially a large Jewish community, and the first international edition in London was arranged in 1817. Around the same time, the Royal Navy became the world's leading navy serious deterrent against potential economic enemies of the United Kingdom.