1710 Homann Map of Catalonia, Spain

A lovely example of Johann Baptist Homann's c. 1710 map of Catalonia. It depicts the region during the War of Spanish Succession (1701 - 1714), a catastrophic event in local history which caused Catalonia to (temporarily) lose its historic autonomy.

A Closer Look

Catalonia is divided into its principalities (vegueries). Barcelona appears towards bottom-right, with other cities and towns noted to a remarkable level of detail, including fortified cities such as Cardona, Lleida (Lerida), and Perpignã (or Perpignan, now part of France). Roads, mountains, waterways, ports, anchorages, and other features are also indicated. Three ships appear above the Iles Medes; their purpose or meaning is not readily apparent but may be related to the ongoing hostilities.

At bottom-right, an elaborate cartouche includes battle scenes, the figure of Justice weighing scales, Perseus preparing to behead Medusa, and a winged figure blowing a horn, likely representing the archangel Gabriel. This dramatic imagery was in part a product of the historical context in which the map was produced, during the War of the Spanish Succession (discussed below). A figure likely representing Barcelona (note the mural crown indicating a city or city-state) kneels before a seated monarch. It is unclear if this is meant to be Philip V or Archduke Charles, but the shield of the kneeling figure appears to reflect the coat of arms of Philip V, incorporating fleurs de lis, as well as the Habsburg lion and eagle. Moreover, the figures charging into battle at left hold a flag adorned with fleurs de lis. Whether this reflects Homann's political leanings, the political reality at the time of printing, or the expectation of an ultimate Bourbon victory in the conflict is unclear.

Historical Context

In 1710, Catalonia was a key battleground of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701 - 1714), a conflict between the houses of Bourbon and Habsburg over the Spanish Crown, which drew in multiple foreign powers. Despite Catalonia initially supporting Philip V as a claimant to the throne, infringements on the region's traditional autonomy (fueros) caused it to reconsider its allegiances, as did the capture of Barcelona in 1705 by the Austrian, English, and Dutch-backed Habsburg Archduke Charles. The year 1710 was pivotal, marked by significant military engagements, including the Battle of Almenar (July 27) and the Battle of Saragossa (August 20), both victories for the Habsburg forces. These victories temporarily bolstered Habsburg control over Catalonia and parts of Aragon. However, the tide began to turn later that year, as Philip V’s Bourbon forces, backed by France, regrouped and launched counteroffensives. The pro-Habsburg Catalan leadership faced growing isolation, as the broader war was moving toward peace negotiations that increasingly sidelined Catalonia’s interests. The events of 1710 foreshadowed the eventual defeat of the Habsburg cause in Spain and the tragic consequences for Catalonia.

After the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, a local movement spawned the Army of Catalonia to maintain the region's special rights, but outside support did not materialize as hoped and Barcelona was subjected to a siege by Spanish and French forces, which ended when the city surrendered on September 11, 1714. As a consequence, Catalonia suffered a forceful integration into the Bourbon-ruled kingdom. The subsequent Nueva Planta Decrees abolished Catalan institutions, laws, and rights, replacing them with those of Castile. However, the loss of self-governance and the suppression of its distinct legal and cultural identity had the very opposite effect of what the Spanish crown intended, laying the groundwork for future demands for autonomy and independence.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced by Johann Baptist Homann in the early 18th century. Most examples in institutional catalogs are assigned a generic date of 1720 (though they range from 1702 to 1730, with later reissues of the map by Homann Heirs and Mattheus Seutter complicating matters further). This cartouche imagery is consistent across known examples of the map and does not on its own help to identify the date of the map's printing. Nevertheless, we have noticed at least two states of the map: the present example, without Homann's Privilege (acquired in 1715), and a later state bearing the Privilege. Therefore, this map could not reasonably postdate 1715. The present example is consistent with that included in a 1710 printing of Homann's Neuer Atlas.

Due to the just-mentioned difficulties in dating the map, the OCLC includes some 20 catalog listings of the map issued by Homann (not his heirs or Seutter), making the establishment of an accurate census difficult. Most of the institutions which individually catalog the map are in Europe, with Harvard University and the University of Georgia being the only institutions in North America noted in the OCLC listing it independently. The Beinecke Library at Yale University also holds an example (signed 'cum privilegio,' indicating a date after 1715) not listed in the OCLC. Of note, this example has an old color cartouche, very rare in Homann maps, as he generally preferred to leave the cartouche uncolored (most examples with colored cartouches had the color added much more recently).