1734 Seutter Three Sheet Map River (1 results)

Very good. Light wear along original fold lines. Closed tear extending 1 inch into printed area from bottom margin professionally repaired on verso. Size 23 x 52 Inches. This is Mattheus Seutter's stunning c. 1734 large-scale three-sheet map of the Po River Valley, covering much of northern Italy. The map was issued during the War of the Polish Succession (1733 - 1735). It does not reflect struggles in Poland directly but rather the wider strategic struggle between France and Austria for dominance in Europe and Italy. A Closer Look Coverage includes a swathe of northern Italy between the French Alps and Venice centered on the Po River, including the cities of Genoa, Torino, Milan, Parma, Brescia, Mantova, Verona, Bologna, Ferrara, Padova, and Venice. The titular river is displayed prominently, running horizontally across the center of the map. Tributaries of the Po, other rivers, lakes, lagoons, and other waterways are illustrated throughout. Walled cities, towns, villages, bishoprics, archbishoprics, roads, universities, roads, mountains, battle sites, and imperial (Holy Roman Empire) and Papal territories are also labeled and illustrated. In addition to the title cartouche at bottom-left, an illustration at top-center includes the coats of arms of the various major territories of northern Italy, surrounded by putti and figures, most looking rather vexed. Historical Context This map was produced during or just after the War of the Polish Succession (1733 - 1735), the second in a series of three wars of succession (preceded by the War of the Spanish Succession and followed by the War of the Austrian Succession) fought in the first half of the 18th century. Unlike the other two wars of succession, the War of the Polish Succession did not directly touch on the crowns of the major European monarchical lineages, the Habsburgs and the Bourbons (a large part of the reason why it was a shorter conflict), but it was a proxy war between those two forces and, like the other wars of succession, drew in other, secondary powers and saw fighting on several parts of the continent. The crisis, like the others, began with the death of a king (King Augustus II of Poland, r. 1697 - 1706, 1709-1733). Normally, this would not have been a problem as, like the Holy Roman Empire, Polish nobles elected their ruler (who was also the Grand Duke of Lithuania), but Augustus II had grown tired of the nobility's checks on his authority and incessant infighting and attempted to line up his son for succession. This effort failed but was not so thoroughly defeated as to prevent a succession crisis when Augustus II died, leading contesting factions of the Polish nobility backed by various foreign powers to hold contesting elections, resulting in two rival claims to the throne: Augustus II's son Augustus III (r. 1733 - 1763) and Stanis?aw Leszczy?ski. The Habsburgs, Russia, and Prussia fell behind Augustus, giving him a commanding position in Poland itself, while France and Spain backed Stanis?aw, giving the anti-Habsburg forces the upper hand in central and western Europe. Thus, the Russians quickly occupied Warsaw and Augustus was installed on the throne, while the Bourbons and their allies made some headway in the Rhineland and significant gains in Italy (French allies included the Duchy of Savoy, the Kingdom of Sardinia, and Duchy of Parma). In northern Italy, the anti-Habsburg forces won a series of victories but failed to properly exploit them (such as with the Battle of Guastalla on September 19, 1734 marked here), giving the Austrians an opportunity to regroup. While the Bourbons and their allies fell into infighting and their armies began to face attrition from disease, cold, and desertion, they were forced to retreat, resulting in an inconclusive campaign. In southern Italy, the Bourbons saw spectacular success in conquering the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Thus, the contours of a postwar settlement became quickly apparent, mostly confirming several fa.