Restructuring Germany
Two rare German regional atlases, published by J.C. Lange in Leipzig in 1803 and 1804, bound in a single contemporary binding.
The collation of the first work is somewhat complicated. The "register" on the title calls for 12 maps, but the first map is not including in this numbering, i.e. the number "Erstes" appears on the second map. As a further complication one of the map sheets is numbered "8-9." Consequently a complete copy should have a total of 12 map sheets, inclusive of the unnumbered opening general map. The present example has 10 map sheets present (of 12). The unnumbered map and map sheet numbered "8-9" are present, but two maps are sequentially missing: 3 (Schwaben) and 11 (Westphalien Landen).
For a comparison on this first atlas see the University of Lausanne copy (which has 4 maps out of order, but is otherwise complete).
Restructuring Germany - February 25, 1803
These two atlases were published shortly after the Final Recess of February 1803.
The Final Recess of the Imperial Deputation (German: Reichsdeputationshauptschluss) of February 1803 is commonly referred to as the Imperial law that brought about the territorial restructuring of the Empire by reallocating the ecclesiastical states and the imperial cities to other imperial estates.
In reality, neither the Final Recess nor the Imperial Deputation which drafted it played a significant role in the process since many key decisions had already been taken behind closed doors in Paris before the Deputation even started its work. The Final Recess was nevertheless indispensable since it bestowed a constitutional seal of approval on the major territorial and political restructuring that would otherwise have lacked legitimacy.