Paskaart van’t Canaal Engelandt Schotlandt en Yrland,..

Title

Paskaart van’t Canaal Engelandt Schotlandt en Yrland,..

Description

Map shows Great Britain, the northern coast of France, and the Channel with its depths. At the top center, partly in Scotland and England, there is a very decorative title cartouche as well as two gilded raised windroses, a sailing ship, and two coat-of-arms depictions in the land.

ca. 1680

Artist

Keulen (1654-1715)

Johannes van Keulen (1654 - 1715) was a 17th-century Dutch cartographer. He published the influential nautical atlas the Zee-Atlas and the pilot guide Zee-Fakkel .In 1678 Johannes van Keulen established himself in Amsterdam and in 1680 he obtained a patent from the States of Holland and West Friesland allowing him to print and publish maritime atlases and shipping guides. These were books of maps and descriptions of itineraries, used by helmsmen for safe navigation. The patent was a kind of protection against illegal copying of produced books and charts. This was especially important for the atlases which were made with extensive initial costs. Van Keulen named his firm ‘In de Gekroonde Lootsman’ ('In the Crowned Pilot'). Soon Van Keulen struck a deal with cartographer Claes Jansz. Vooght.

Historical Description

The English Channel (French: La Manche) was, around 1680, an important maritime trade and military zone between England and mainland Europe, particularly France. At that time, England was ruled by King Charles II of the House of Stuart, while France was under the reign of Louis XIV, the "Sun King." Relations between England and France were tense and changeable – at times allied, at other times hostile. The Channel was a strategic border and often a scene of espionage, piracy, and naval conflicts. It was heavily trafficked: trade routes ran from the Netherlands, France, and Spain to England. Numerous pirates and privateers were active, and navigation was difficult and risky due to storms and poor nautical charts. Around 1680, the English Channel was a politically and economically highly sensitive area. It not only separated two major powers but also connected them through trade, diplomacy – and conflict.