Von dem Zug und Schiffart die Kayser Carolos V. in das Königreich Tunis……..und das Schloss Goleta

Title

Von dem Zug und Schiffart die Kayser Carolos V. in das Königreich Tunis……..und das Schloss Goleta

Description

View of the city of Tunis.

ca. 1550

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münsters (1489-1552) is one of the famous cosmographers of the Renaissance. Its real importance in the field of cartography is based on its famous cosmography, which he published in 1544 with 24 double-sided maps (including Moscow and Transylvania). The material for this came largely from research and the collection of information from around 1528, which he initially only wanted to use for a description of Germany, but was now sufficient for a map of the entire world and ultimately led to a cosmography. He constantly tried to improve this work, i.e. to replace or add to maps. In the edition of 1550, only 14 maps were taken over from the earlier editions. The 52 maps printed in the text were also only partially based on the old maps. The great success of this cosmography was also based on the precise work of the woodcuts mostly by Hans Holbein the Younger, Urs Graf, Hans Rudolph Deutsch and David Kandel. It was the first scientific and at the same time generally understandable description of the knowledge of the world in German, in which the basics of history and geography, astronomy and natural sciences, regional and folklore were summarized according to the state of knowledge at that time. Cosmography is the science of describing the earth and the universe. Until the late Middle Ages, geography, geology and astronomy were also part of it. The first edition of the Cosmographia took place in 1544 in German, printed in Heinrich Petri's office in Basel. Heinrich Petri was a son from the first marriage of Münster's wife to the Basel printer Adam Petri. Over half of all editions up to 1628 were also published in German. However, the work has also been published in Latin, French, Czech and Italian. The English editions all comprised only a part of the complete work. Viktor Hantzsch identified a total of 46 editions in 1898 (German 27; Latin 8; French 3; Italian 3; Czech 1) that appeared from 1544 to 1650, while Karl Heinz Burmeister only had 36 (German 21; Latin 5; French 6; Italian 3; Czech 1) that appeared between 1544 and 1628. The first edition from 1544 was followed by the second edition in 1545, the third in 1546, the fourth edition in 1548 and the fifth edition in 1550, each supplemented by new reports and details, text images, city views and maps and revised altogether. Little has been known about who - apart from the book printers Heinrich Petri and Sebastian Henricpetri - were responsible for the new editions after Münster's death. The 1628 edition was edited and expanded by the Basel theologian Wolfgang Meyer. With Cosmographia, Sebastian Münster has published for the first time a joint work by learned historians and artists, by publishers, wood cutters and engravers. The numerous vedute are usually made as woodcuts. Sebastian Münster obtained his knowledge from the travel reports and stories of various scholars, geographers, cartographers and sea travelers. Long after his death, "Kosmographie" was still a popular work with large editions: 27 German, 8 Latin, 3 French, 4 English and even 1 Czech editions appeared. The last edition appeared in Basel in 1650.

Historical Description

Today's Tunisia experienced the establishment of commercial branches by settlers from the eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of the historical records. According to legend, it was Queen Élyssa, sister of the king of Tyr, Pygmalion, who founded the city. Carthage became the greatest power of the western Mediterranean in 150 years. The influence came partly through colonization, but mostly through commercial branches and contracts. This power and the high agricultural potential of the Carthaginian motherland led to the awakening of the interest of the young, strengthening Roman Empire and a confrontation that culminated in the three Punic Wars. Carthage, with its troops led by Hannibal, was able to bring the Roman Empire to the brink of defeat several times during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC). At the end of the Third Punic War (149-146 BC) the city of Carthage was besieged for three years and ultimately destroyed. The area of today's Tunisia became part of the Roman province of Africa with capital Utica. Africa, along with Egypt, became one of the most important suppliers of agricultural products in Rome. Above all, Africa supplied grain and olive oil. Christianity spread quickly, especially through the arrival of settlers, traders and soldiers. Carthage became known in this regard that the influential Christian apologist Tertullian lived and worked here, so that North Africa soon developed into one of several centers of Christianity. The first Arab advances into what is now Tunisia began in 647. Unlike previous conquerors, the Arabs were not satisfied with just occupying the coastal areas, but also set out to conquer the interior. From the first third of the 12th century, Tunisia was subjected to frequent attacks by the Normans from Sicily and southern Italy. The economic boom caused the Almohadic century to go down in history as the golden age of the Maghreb, when large cities developed with magnificent mosques and scientists like Ibn Chaldūn worked. From the second half of the 14th century, the Hafsids slowly lost control of their territory and came under the influence of the Merinids of Abu Inan Faris, especially after the lost Battle of Kairouan (1348). In 1705 Husain I. ibn Ali made himself a Bey of Tunis and founded the Husainid dynasty. Tunisia achieved a high degree of independence among the Husainids, although it was still officially an Ottoman province. Ahmad I. al-Husain, who ruled from 1837 to 1855, initiated a modernization push with important reforms such as the abolition of slavery or the adoption of a constitution.