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Description

1828 Lapie-Orgiazzi Map of the Ottoman Empire -- Issued on the Occasion of the Russo-Turkish War -- From the Library of General Nicolas Charles Oudinot.

Large engraved folding map of the Ottoman Empire in Asia and Europe, by Pierre Lapie and J. A. Orgiazzi, issued just before the decisive Ottoman defeat that would start the Empire's ultimate decline. The Orgiazzi-Lapie was issued in editions going back to the beginning of the 1820s.

The map features a circular inset of Constantionple in the lower left corner.

Russo-Turkish War

Pierre Lapie issued several maps of the Ottoman Empire into the 1820s, with the present edition issued during the first year of the Russo-Turkish War (1828-29). The Greek struggle for independence sparked the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29, in which Russian forces advanced into Bulgaria, the Caucasus, and northeastern Anatolia itself before the Turks sued for peace. The resulting Treaty of Edirne (Sept. 14, 1829) gave Russia most of the eastern shore of the Black Sea, and Turkey recognized Russian sovereignty over Georgia and parts of present-day Armenia. This map shows Ottoman territory before the substantial losses suffered in that war, which also marked a turning point on the ultimate downward trend that would last until its defeat and dissolution in the first quarter of the 20th century.

This edition includes a pastedown key that explains the states identified: the Ottoman Empire; Russian Empire; Austrian Empire; Kingdom of Persia; and Greece. Interestingly, the map names and delineates the United States of the Ionian Islands, an amical protectorate of the United Kingdom from 1815 to 1864. It was the successor state of the Septinsular Republic.

The map belongs to a class of large-scale modern surveys published by Pierre Lapie in the first quarter of the 19th century. These maps were on a larger scale and more detailed than any of his competitors at home or abroad.

Pierre M. Lapie was a French cartographer and engraver. He was the father of cartographer Alexandre Emile Lapie. Lapie was a Colonel in the French army, where he worked in the corps of topographical engineers. Lapie worked closely with his son and published works together and individually.

General Nicolas Charles Oudinot

A final detail that gives this map particular importance is the identity of its former owner, Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Comte Oudinot, 1st Duc de Reggio (1767 - 1848), and a Marshal of France. A fierce fighter, the man was wounded no less than 34 times during his military career!

The only one of nine siblings to live past childhood, Oudinot joined the army without a noble pedigree, and therefore without a chance of high promotion. That all changed in 1792, with the outbreak of the French Revolution. In that year, Oudinot was elected lieutenant-colonel of the third battalion of the volunteers of the Meuse. After transfer to the regular army and admirable service in Belgium, he was promoted to the rank of general in June 1794 after the Battle of Kaiserslautern.

From Belgium he shifted to the German and Swiss fronts, where he fought as a general of division and chief of staff to Andre Massena. Oudinot stood out at the Battle of Monzambano so much so that Napoleon himself presented him with a sword of honor, now known as the Legion d'Honneur. Napoleon did not forget him after he established his empire; now Emperor Napoleon recognized Oudinot again, this time with a Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

During the Napoleonic Wars, Oudinot continued to acquit himself commendably. He was elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies, commanded a company of grenadiers nicknamed for him, and fought in battles from Vienna to Poland. In 1808, he was appointed governor of Erfurt and was made a Count of the French Empire. Finally, in 1809, after the Battle of Wagram, he was named a Marshal of France, France's highest military distinction.

Oudinot continued to serve as an administrator in Holland and on the battlefield in the Russian campaign. After Napoleon's fall, Oudinot joined the Bourbon Restoration and stayed loyal to the King even after Napoleon's return in 1815. For his loyalty and service, he was named a peer of the realm. He served until 1823, when he participated in the French invasion of Spain. Then, he turned again to political and administrative appointments; he died while serving as governor of Les Invalides, at the veterans' hospital in Paris.

Provenance

Purchased at auction in Paris, from Artcuriel, Collections from the Castle of Malicorne Marshal Oudinot's Historical Souvenirs, June 13, 2017 (Lot 156).

Condition Description
Folding map dissected in 32 sections and mounted on linen.
Reference
Tooley 376.