Centered on the Pyrennees and Baque Regions
This early 18th Centurty map is a detailed depiction of the Pyrenees region and the borderlands between France and Spain. The map highlights key geographic and strategic features of the Pyrenees, including mountain passes, gates, and routes, with a dedication to Monsieur de Breteuil, Baron of Preuilly and Advisor to the King of France.
The map showcases the fragmented political and administrative divisions of the time. Within France, regions such as Navarre, Béarn, and Languedoc are labeled, while on the Spanish side, regions like Aragon and Catalonia are prominently marked. Cities, towns, rivers, and topographical features are carefully detailed, reflecting the border’s complex and dynamic nature. The map’s emphasis on passes and interior mountain routes illustrates its practical application for military strategy, trade, and governance during this period.
In the early 18th century, the Pyrenees region was a focal point of Franco-Spanish relations, shaped by the broader European power struggles. The map reflects the geopolitical realities of the aftermath of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). This conflict arose following the death of Charles II of Spain, leading to a struggle for control of the Spanish throne. France, under Louis XIV, supported his grandson Philip of Anjou (later Philip V of Spain), and the resulting war saw military campaigns that traversed the Pyrenees. The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) ended the conflict, confirming Philip V as king while ceding some Spanish territories to other European powers. This map captures the strategic importance of the Pyrenees, both as a natural barrier and as a contested political boundary.
The Pyrenees had long been a region of cultural exchange and economic activity despite their role as a political boundary. Cross-border trade flourished, and local communities often had closer ties to their neighbors across the mountains than to their distant central governments. However, the early 18th century also saw efforts to centralize power, particularly in Spain, where Philip V’s Nueva Planta decrees diminished regional autonomy, especially in Catalonia.
Nicholas de Fer (1646-1720) was the son of a map seller, Antoine de Fer, and grew to be one of the most well-known mapmakers in France in the seventeenth century. He was apprenticed at twelve years old to Louis Spirinx, an engraver. When his father died in 1673, Nicholas helped his mother run the business until 1687, when he became the sole proprietor.
His earliest known work is a map of the Canal of Languedoc in 1669, while some of his earliest engravings are in the revised edition of Methode pour Apprendre Facilement la Geographie (1685). In 1697, he published his first world atlas. Perhaps his most famous map is his wall map of America, published in 1698, with its celebrated beaver scene (engraved by Hendrick van Loon, designed by Nicolas Guerard). After his death in 1720, the business passed to his sons-in-law, Guillaume Danet and Jacques-Francois Benard.