Germany, but where is it? Early Modern Maps and Conceptions of Germany and the World

Introduction

The countries and territories that were considered German varied greatly and changed over the course of the Early Modern period. To some extent, maps always actively construct the spaces they depict, and they also convey a certain knowledge about that space. What were the contemporary notions of “the world” and space in the Early Modern period? How was Germany mapped? What sort of geographical, historical, mythological, and religious knowledge was conveyed by maps? How did authors and artists imagine and depict the boundless territory of the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation”?

Contents

  1. The World as an “Earth Apple” (c. 1491–94)
  2. Europa as “World Ruler” (1588)
  3. “Germany” without Borders: Johannes Stumpf, Germania Teutschland/die ander Landtafel des anderen buchs (1548) und Sebastian Münster, Cosmographia (1572)
  4. The First German Road Map: Erhard Etzlaub, This is the Road to Rome (c. 1500)
  5. Wall Map of the “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation”: Nicolas de Fer, L’Empire d’Allemagne (1705, reprint from 1770)
  6. Johann Heinrich Zedler, “Germany’s Borders” (1745)
  1. < The “Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation”
  2. How Barbarians Became Germans: “Germania” and the “German Nation” >