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Rare map of the Theater of War in Finland, illustrating the territories involved in the Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743.
Published in 1742, this cartographic artifact offers an invaluable contemporaneous perspective on a conflict that would culminate in the Treaty of Åbo and a consequential territorial reshuffling in the Baltic region.
The Russo-Swedish War of 1741–1743, commonly known as the Hats' War due to the Swedish political faction that championed it, unfolded against the backdrop of the broader War of Austrian Succession. The Swedish Hats party, driven by anti-Russian sentiment and the ambition to regain territories lost in previous conflicts, saw an opportunity to engage Russia, which was embroiled in a larger European war. However, the Swedish endeavor suffered from logistical failures and ineffective leadership, most conspicuously by Swedish military commander Charles Emil Lewenhaupt. On the Russian side, the war was directed under the auspices of the formidable Empress Elizabeth of Russia, whose troops were more successful in seizing key fortresses and territories.
The map focuses on the region around Finland, which was then a part of the Kingdom of Sweden, and contiguous parts of Estonia and the contiguous parts of Russia.
The Treaty of Åbo in 1743 effectively ended hostilities and had the profound consequence of ceding parts of southeastern Finland to Russia, shifting the balance of power in the region.
George-Louis Le Rouge (1712-1790), though known for his work in Paris, was originally born Georg Ludwig of Hanover, Germany. He grew up and was educated in Hanover, after which he became a surveyor and military engineer. Around 1740, however, Le Rouge moved to Paris and set up shop as an engraver and publisher on the Rue des Grands Augustins. It was at this time that he changed his name, adopting a French pseudonym that would later become quite famous.
Le Rouge spent much of his forty-year career translating various works from English to French, and his cartographic influence often came from English maps. His experience as a surveyor and engineer in Germany made him a skilled and prolific cartographer, and he produced thousands of charts, maps, atlases, and plans. His work spans from garden views and small-town plans to huge, multiple-continent maps. Le Rouge eventually accepted the position of Geographical Engineer for Louid XV, the King of France.
Later in life, Le Rouge became well-known for publishing North American maps, such as in his Atlas ameriquain septentrional of 1778. One of Le Rouge’s other more famous works is the Franklin/Folger chart of the Gulf Stream, which he worked on with Benjamin Franklin. Franklin and Le Rouge corresponded around 1780 and collaborated to create this map, a French version of Franklin’s famous chart which was originally printed in 1769.
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