|
||
|
|
|
|
A vivid and detailed map of southern France, focusing on the Cévennes, Languedoc, and surrounding provinces at the time of the Camisard War (1702–1710), a Protestant uprising following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). Issued by Pierre Mortier, the Amsterdam-based Huguenot publisher and bookseller, this map served both military and political functions—highlighting the roads, passes, and terrain features central to the guerrilla conflict between royal forces and Protestant insurgents.
The map shows the dioceses of Montpellier, Nîmes, Alès, Uzès, Mende, and Castres, with emphasis on cities, rivers, and fortified towns. Mountains and forests are rendered pictorially to underscore the Cévennes’ rugged terrain, which gave the Camisard rebels their advantage.
The map’s title specifically refers to les Mécontents—“the discontented”—a common euphemism for the Protestant rebels. The inset at top left adds geographic context, covering Burgundy, Franche-Comté, and Geneva, indirectly referencing the Protestant refuge zones of the Swiss borderlands.
Pierre Mortier, himself of French Protestant descent, was known for his politically charged publications aimed at both Dutch and exiled Huguenot audiences.
Pierre, or Pieter, Mortier (1661-1711) was a Dutch engraver, son of a French refugee. He was born in Leiden. In 1690 he was granted a privilege to publish French maps in Dutch lands. In 1693 he released the first and accompanying volume of the Neptune Francois. The third followed in 1700. His son, Cornelis (1699-1783), would partner with Johannes Covens I, creating one of the most important map publishing companies of the eighteenth century.
![[Avignon] Le Vray Pourtraict de la Ville de D Avignon](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/73988.jpg)
![[ Provence ] Comte Et Gouvernement de Provence](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/111246.jpg)
