Svecia, Dania, et Norvegia, Regna Europae Septentrionalia.

Title

Svecia, Dania, et Norvegia, Regna Europae Septentrionalia.

Description

Map shows Fennoscandia is the geographical peninsula of the Scandinavian Peninsula (Norway, Sweden, Denmark), Finland, Karelia and the Kola Peninsula. Author Andreas Buraens, 1571-1646, Suede.

ca. 1610

Artist

Blaeu (1571-1638)

Joan Guilliemus Blaeu was the eldest son of Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638), and was probably born in Alkmaar in the province of Noord-Holland in the final years of the 16th century. He was brought up in Amsterdam, and studied law at the University of Leiden before going into partnership with his father in the 1630s. Although his father Willem had cartographic interests, having studied under the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and having manufactured globes and instruments, his primary business was as a printer. It was under the control of Joan that the Blaeu printing press achieved lasting fame by moving towards the printing of maps and expanding to become the largest printing press in Europe in the 17th century. By the 1660s the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (or Atlas Maior as it had became known by this time) had expanded to between 9 and 12 volumes, depending on the language. With over 3,000 text pages and approximately 600 maps, it was the most expensive book money could buy in the later 17th century. The translation of the text from Latin into Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish for several volumes created enormous work for those involved in typography and letterpress activities. It is estimated that over 80 men must have been employed full-time in the Blaeu printing house in Bloemgracht, not including engravers who worked elsewhere, with over 15 printing presses running simultaneously, and in 1667 a second press was acquired at Gravenstraat. At the same time as producing the Atlas Maior, Blaeu was also publishing town plans of Italy, maps for globes, and other volumes. At its peak the Blaeu press managed to produce over 1 million impressions from 1,000 copper plates within four years.

Historical Description

Scandinavia characterized by common ethnocultural North Germanic heritage and mutually intelligible North Germanic languages The term Scandinavia in local usage covers the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but in English usage, it also sometimes refers to the Scandinavian Peninsula or to the broader region which includes Finland and Iceland This broader region is usually known locally as the Nordic countries. The remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, a constituent country within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroe Islands may be included. For more than 500 years there was a common ground in the field of foreign policy, from the attack by the Danish king Chlochilaicus on Gaul (517) to the unfortunate move by Harald Hardrades against England in 1066, the Vikings carried out their raids and raids on all European coastal areas, but also deep into Russia stretch. For a long time, another commonality was the rejection of Christianity in times when it had been common in Western Europe for centuries. In addition, the great importance of the Jarle, who were initially only leaders of raids, but as such became very rich and powerful, is characteristic of this period. For this reason, fiefdom in Scandinavia developed much more slowly than in core Europe, and serfdom did not become fully established. In addition to these general similarities, there were also times when several of the Scandinavian countries were united under one rule, such as Denmark, Norway and (more relaxed) Sweden as well as England under Knut the Great from 1028 to 1035, as well as England. Denmark and Norway were soon under the common rule of Magnus the Good from 1042 to 1046. But the main time of the common political development lies in the Kalmar Union, which the countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden were linked from 1397 to 1523. During this period, Norway lost significant political independence, so that after Sweden left the Kalmar Union with the Danish-Norwegian personal union, there was practically Danish dominance until 1814, which was replaced in 1814 by the Swedish-Norwegian union, which continued until 1905.