Principatus Transilvaniae in suas quasque nationes….

Title

Principatus Transilvaniae in suas quasque nationes….

Description

Map shows the entire Transylvania (Siebenbürgen) with a detailed representation of cities, forests, mountains, and a title cartouche.

ca. 1710

Artist

Homann (1664-1724)

Johann Babtiste Homann (1664-1724), Nuremberg, was born in Oberkammlach, the Electorate of Bavaria. Although educated at a Jesuit school, and preparing for an ecclesiastical career, he eventually converted to Protestantism and from 1687 worked as a civil law notary in Nuremberg. He soon turned to engraving and cartography; in 1702 he founded his own publishing house. Homann acquired renown as a leading German cartographer, and in 1715 was appointed Imperial Geographer by Emperor Charles VI. Giving such privileges to individuals was an added right that the Holy Roman Emperor enjoyed. In the same year he was also named a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Of particular significance to cartography were the imperial printing privileges (Latin: privilegia impressoria). These protected for a time the authors in all scientific fields such as printers, copper engravers, map makers and publishers. They were also very important as a recommendation for potential customers. In 1716 Homann published his masterpiece Grosser Atlas ueber die ganze Welt (Grand Atlas of all the World). Numerous maps were drawn up in cooperation with the engraver Christoph Weigel the Elder, who also published Siebmachers Wappenbuch. Homann died in Nuremberg. He was succeeded by the Homann heirs company, which was in business until 1848. The company was known as Homann Erben, Homanniani Heredes, or Heritiers de Homann abroad.

Historical Description

The area where today's Transylvania is located was the political center of the Dacian Kingdom in ancient times. From about 895, in the course of their land seizures, the Hungarians settled the Carpathian Basin and thus also the area of present-day Transylvania. The political power in the Carpathian region fell to the Hungarians quite unresistingly compared to other land grabs of the Migration Period, as the population groups encountered there formed only some weak ruling structures. Between 1211 and 1225, the Order of Teutonic Knights was also present, which the Hungarian king Andrew II had called into the country to protect it from the Cumans in Burzenland. The Order settled its territory with German settlers. When the knights, encouraged by the Pope and the Grand Master, tried to establish their own state, they were expelled and the Burzenland was annexed to the king's territory. The region of Transylvania developed as a part of the medieval kingdom of Hungary. When the Hungarian army was devastatingly defeated by Suleyman I in the Battle of Mohács on August 29, 1526, an almost 200-year period of constant threat to the country began. The Turkish advance into Hungary (1526-1686) devastated central Hungary in particular. Suleyman I concluded a peace treaty with John Zápolya as early as 1528, counting on the weakening of the Habsburg Empire through what would later become the Principality of Transylvania. For Transylvania as a social and economic entity, the 17th century was a time of great upheaval and constant threat from outside and within. After the victory over the Ottomans at the Second Vienna Turkish Siege of 1683, Transylvania tried in vain to resist the growing influence of Austria. The Peace of Sathmar in 1711 finally established Austrian control over all of Hungary and Transylvania. Transylvania, which remained independent from the Kingdom of Hungary, was now administered by so-called gubernators under the supervision of the Viennese court. From 1733, the ethnic group of the so-called Transylvanian Landler was settled in southern Transylvania. In the meantime, the Romanians constituted the majority of the population of Transylvania. Due to their large numbers and proximity to the Kingdom of Romania, the Romanians resisted Magyarization and found themselves systematically disadvantaged by the ruling Hungarians on many levels. The takeover of Transylvania by Romania was enshrined in the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.