Detailed battle plan of Namur and environs, showing the dispositions of the besieging forces, with a portrait of William III above the royal arms. The map centers on Namur and extends far into the fields and countryside, with battery positions shown throughout. This map was published by Nicolas II Visscher following the drawings of Ottmar Elliger the Younger.
The Siege of Namur was a battle during the Nine Years' War, fought between France and a European coalition led by the Holy Roman Empire. Seven years into the war, the French under Louis XIV had become more defensive in Flanders, and they settled into Namur as one of their key strategic points. The Grand Alliance viewed the recapture of Namur as critical, particularly for the Dutch who saw its defensive capabilities as necessary for negotiating a favorable truce.
The capture of Namur would take the Allies a prolonged period of time. Within a month, they had fought their way into the city, and the French withdrew into the citadel. Numerous attacks and counterattacks followed, but a massive offensive on the 30th of August would end the siege.
This battle plan was originally published by Jean Tronchin de Breuil in his Relation de la Campagne de Flandre.
Nicolaas Visscher II (1649-1702) was a prominent Dutch cartographer and publisher during the late 17th century. He was the grandson of Claes Janszoon Visscher and the son of Nicolaes Visscher I, both of whom were also renowned cartographers in their own right. After his father's death in 1679, Nicolaas Visscher II took over the family's map publishing business.
In 1680, he married Elizabeth Verseyl from Gouda, and in 1682, he obtained a new privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland to protect his maps and publications from being copied. Visscher II continued the family tradition of producing high-quality maps, atlases, and globes, often with elaborate and decorative elements. He maintained the Visscher family's reputation for accuracy and craftsmanship in the competitive world of Dutch cartography until his death in 1702. After his death, his widow, Elizabeth, and later his son, also named Nicolaas, continued the business until around 1726.