Maps Museum Project(sorry it's so late, forgot to post it after writing it last weekend)

Ryan Tran

Block A

Map Museum Project

            This map from the late 16^th century displays Europe in the figure of a queen. Either his son or Henri Petri published this woodcarving created by Sebastian Münster after he died to the plague. However, the allegory of Europe being shaped like a monarch wasn’t his idea. It was actually proposed around 1537 by Johannes Bucius. With the Iberian Peninsula making up the head, it is also theorized that the monarchial figure isn’t a queen, but Charles V of Spain. No matter whom the figure may represent, it doesn’t change the fact that it portrays Europe as a monarch or ruler. This is a classic example that Europeans at the time viewed themselves as the only “civilized” people or better than the rest of the world. Therefore, this map’s intended audience could be of any class, and the fact that it was published suggests that it was seen by both the nobility and common folk. Though it was published during the years of religious wars, there doesn’t seem to be any religious influence, other than the cross on Sicily. In a different point of view, this could symbolize that the monarch should be Christian.