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Including an 8th Canal Project Under Charlemagne

This is a detailed and finely engraved historical map depicts the ancient region of Nordgau as it existed in the 10th to 12th centuries.

The map is based upon the work of Johann Heinrich de Falckenstein and engraved by Homann's heirs (Homannianorum Heredum) in Nuremberg. It features meticulous hand coloring to distinguish different territorial units, particularly various pagi (districts or counties) and ecclesiastical centers. The map covers a region corresponding largely to what is now northern Bavaria, stretching from the Danube River in the south toward the upper reaches of the Main and Naab rivers in the north, from Regensburg in the southeast to the area northwest of Bamberg and Nuremberg.

The cartography combines natural features like rivers and forests with human geography, such as towns, monastic foundations, bishoprics, and territorial boundaries. Prominently featured are the cities of Regensburg (Ratisbona), Amberg, and others central to medieval Bavarian administration.  

This inset, titled Conspectus Fosse Carolinae pro coniungendo Danubio & Rheno, presents a historical depiction of the Fossa Carolina (also known as the Karlsgraben), a Carolingian-era canal project undertaken by Charlemagne in the late 8th century. The canal was intended to create a navigable link between the Rhine and Danube river systems, thereby facilitating strategic and commercial transport across the European interior. Although only partially completed, the project remains one of the most ambitious hydraulic engineering undertakings of the early Middle Ages.     

The Nordgau, or Nordgowe, was a medieval region situated in the northern part of the Duchy of Bavaria, roughly encompassing the modern-day Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz) and adjacent Franconian territories. Emerging as a distinct territorial unit in the Carolingian period, it was recognized as one of the Gauen (counties) of East Francia. During the 9th and 10th centuries, the Nordgau served as a frontier region on the eastern margins of the Frankish realm, often exposed to incursions from Slavic and Hungarian forces.

The political center of the Nordgau was at times located in Ratisbona (Regensburg), a key ecclesiastical and political hub that housed both an imperial palace and the bishopric. Ecclesiastical institutions such as the Benedictine monastery of Reichenbach and the bishoprics of Eichstätt and Bamberg played a significant role in the Christianization and administration of the region. Over time, various noble families—especially the Diepoldingers and later the Wittelsbachs—exercised increasing control over the territory, which was subdivided into numerous pagi, each under the governance of local counts.

By the 11th century, the region had become more integrated into the broader structure of the Holy Roman Empire. With the elevation of Bamberg to an episcopal see in 1007 by Emperor Henry II and the rise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, the region saw increased imperial interest and fortification. The Investiture Controversy of the late 11th century, and the broader conflicts between emperors and popes, affected ecclesiastical landholdings throughout the Nordgau.

In the late medieval period, particularly during the 13th and 14th centuries, the Nordgau saw considerable political fragmentation. The Wittelsbach family, which assumed ducal control of Bavaria in the 12th century, began absorbing parts of the Nordgau. By the early 14th century, much of the Nordgau had been brought under the control of the Palatinate line of the Wittelsbachs and was subsequently incorporated into the Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate).